Cremation Ashes Transfer Container with Nozzle for Leak-Free Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crematoriums face challenges in storing ashes temporarily due to indecision on scattering or permanent urn placement, with existing scatter tubes being unsuitable for long-term storage and urns being designed for permanent use, leading to inefficient handling and potential health and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
A crematorium ashes transfer container made of paper or cardboard with a nozzle for sealing engagement into long-term storage containers, allowing for secure, invisible, and leak-proof transfer of ashes, along with a method for using this container for scattering or permanent storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If ashes are placed directly into an urn shortly after cremation, then permanent storage is achieved, but the decision must be made at a difficult time close to death and the urn cannot be used for temporary storage options
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the storage function into two distinct phases: temporary storage in a scatter tube and permanent storage in an urn. The scatter tube is designed as a separate, disposable container that can be used temporarily, then discarded after ashes are transferred to the urn. This segmentation allows the system to provide both temporary and permanent storage capabilities without requiring a single container to fulfill both functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The scatter tube is designed as a cheap, disposable container made of paper or cardboard that serves the temporary storage function. After ashes are transferred to the permanent urn, the scatter tube is discarded. This disposable approach eliminates the need for expensive, multi-functional containers and allows the system to optimize each container for its specific purpose - temporary versus permanent storage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If ashes are placed into a scatter tube for later scattering, then scattering option is preserved, but the tube is not designed for permanent storage and ashes may be lost or contaminated
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the storage journey into two distinct containers: the scatter tube for temporary holding and transport, and the urn for permanent, secure storage. Each container is optimized for its specific function - the tube for portability and the urn for long-term security. This segmentation ensures that when permanent storage is needed, the urn provides reliable protection while the tube has already served its temporary purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The scatter tube is designed with preliminary features for its intended temporary function - easy portability and scattering capability. However, the system anticipates the need for permanent storage by providing a separate urn that can receive ashes from the tube. The preliminary design of the tube doesn't compromise the subsequent permanent storage function because the two containers work in sequence rather than the tube needing to fulfill both functions.
3Ease of operation
If conventional scatter tubes are used, then temporary storage and scattering are enabled, but ashes are visible during transfer and can be inhaled or blown away
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle acts as an intermediary component between the scatter tube and the external environment. It provides a controlled interface that allows ashes to be transferred or scattered while minimizing exposure. The nozzle's design enables directional control of ash flow, reducing the risk of ashes being inhaled or scattered uncontrollably by wind, while still maintaining the scattering function when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The scatter tube is designed with a flexible paper or cardboard construction that can be collapsed or compressed. This flexibility allows the tube to be compacted down to a small size after ashes are transferred to the urn, minimizing the space required for storage and transport of the empty container. The thin film material provides sufficient containment while allowing for easy disposal after use.
4Adaptability or versatility
If ashes are stored in crematorium facilities for extended periods, then indecision is accommodated, but storage costs and health and safety burdens increase
Solution Approach 1:
The scatter tube is designed and provided in advance, allowing ashes to be placed in it immediately after cremation. This preliminary preparation enables the family to take possession of the ashes right away, either for immediate scattering or for taking home while they deliberate about permanent urn selection. The pre-prepared tube eliminates the need for the crematorium to hold ashes indefinitely, transferring the temporary storage function to a portable, disposable container that the family controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The temporary storage function is extracted from the crematorium facility and transferred to a portable scatter tube that the family can possess and transport. This extraction removes the burden of extended storage from the crematorium, allowing them to return ashes to families promptly while families make their own decisions at their own pace without imposing ongoing storage costs or health and safety liabilities on the facility.
5Ease of manufacture
If scatter tubes are made of paper and cardboard, then they are disposable and easy to manufacture, but they are not designed for accurate pouring and can leak
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle serves as an intermediary component that bridges the simple paper tube construction with the need for controlled ash transfer. While the tube itself remains a simple, disposable paper or cardboard container easy to manufacture, the added nozzle component provides the necessary control mechanism for accurate pouring. The nozzle can be made from more rigid material and attached to the tube, combining the manufacturing simplicity of the tube with the pouring precision of a controlled outlet.
Solution Approach 2:
The scatter tube system uses composite construction, combining paper or cardboard for the tube body with additional materials for the nozzle and cap components. The paper tube provides disposable simplicity and ease of manufacture, while the nozzle (potentially made from plastic or metal) provides controlled pouring capability. This composite approach allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together as an integrated system.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
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AI summary
A crematorium ashes transfer container made of paper and/or cardboard comprises: one or more sides and/or walls defining a cavity to receive the ashes; an outlet in one of the sides and/or walls allowing exit of ashes in the cavity from the container, the outlet comprising a nozzle and a removeable cap that closes the nozzle, the nozzle being capable of sealing engagement with a long term storage container, whereby ashes within the cavity of the container can be transferred to the long term storage container without being visible during transfer and without leakage of ashes during transfer. A method of transferring cremation ashes into a long term ashes storage container, comprises:- a. providing ashes from a cremation, b. providing a long term ashes storage container having an inlet and providing a crematorium ashes transfer container made of paper and/or cardboard that comprises a nozzle capable of sealing engagement with the inlet on the long term storage container, c. transferring the ashes into the crematorium ashes transfer container, d. sealing the crematorium ashes transfer container, e. opening the nozzle, f. connecting the nozzle with the inlet of the long term storage container so as to be in sealing engagement therewith, and g. transferring the ashes into the long term storage container. A kit comprises the transfer container and the long term storage container.