Container Inserts for Centered Label Stack Feeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Businesses face challenges in feeding large label stacks directly from their shipping containers to printers due to resistance and misalignment issues, leading to printer jams and misalignments, as the labels rub against the box sides during feeding.
Innovation Solution
A container content alignment apparatus comprising two inserts with top and bottom portions and side flaps, which fit inside the container to center the label stack, allowing direct feeding from the container to the printer infeed without a plastic bag, using moisture-resistant coatings to prevent moisture ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If labels are fed directly from the shipping container to the printer, then the feeding process is simplified and time is saved, but the labels rub against the container sides causing resistance, misalignment, and printer jams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a moisture-resistant liner as an intermediary layer between the labels and the container walls. This liner acts as a mediator that prevents direct contact between the labels and the container sides, eliminating friction and resistance during the feeding process while maintaining the simplified direct-feeding approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The moisture-resistant liner is pre-applied to the container interior surfaces before the labels are placed in the container. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the labels are fed directly from the container to the printer, the friction-free interface is already in place, preventing misalignment and jams without requiring additional steps during the feeding process.
2Ease of operation
If the label stack is moved to the floor and the carton is flipped over to separate the box and stack, then the labels can be fed to the printer, but the stack gets broken or out of alignment causing printer misalignments and jams
Solution Approach 1:
The moisture-resistant liner serves as a protective intermediary between the labels and the container walls during handling and separation operations. When the carton is flipped or the labels are moved, the liner prevents the labels from rubbing against the container sides, maintaining their alignment and preventing breaks even during the separation process.
Solution Approach 2:
By pre-applying the moisture-resistant liner to the container interior before loading the labels, the system prepares the container to protect the labels during subsequent handling operations such as flipping and separation, ensuring alignment is maintained throughout the process.
3Device complexity
If the labels are kept in the original shipping container for direct feeding, then the process is simplified, but the labels rub against the box sides causing resistance and feeding problems
Solution Approach 1:
The moisture-resistant liner is introduced as a thin intermediary layer between the labels and the container walls. This liner eliminates the harmful friction resistance that would otherwise occur when labels contact the box sides during direct feeding, while adding minimal complexity to the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
The moisture-resistant liner is implemented as a thin film that lines the container interior. This thin film provides a low-friction surface that allows labels to be fed directly from the container without rubbing against the rigid box sides, reducing resistance while maintaining the simplicity of the direct-feeding approach.
Data Source
AI summary
A container content apparatus comprises two inserts. Each insert comprises a top portion, a bottom portion, and two side flaps. Each top portion comprises a die cut handle. The apparatus is adapted to be inserted into an inside of a container adjacent to interior walls of the container. An area defined by the inserts is adapted to receive a stack of media. When the inserts are removed via the handles, a gap or space exists between the outer edges of the stack and the interior walls of the container providing automatic alignment of the stack centered on the inside of the container and providing proper alignment to feed the stack directly from the container to an infeed of a printer.