Cup, a blank for a cup and a method of forming a cup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Disposable cups often require separate lids made of different materials, which are difficult to attach correctly, leading to potential leakage and increased recycling costs, and separate lids are often misplaced or incorrectly positioned.
Innovation Solution
A cup design with integrated closure flaps that fold into a lid, allowing for easy closure and attachment without the need for a separate lid, using a three-fold arrangement with oblique and transverse fold features to create a sealing structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate lid is used to close the cup, then the cup can be made spill-proof, but the lid can be incorrectly positioned or misaligned causing leakage and requiring extra effort to attach correctly
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is merged with the cup body by integrating closure flaps directly into the cup structure. The flaps are formed as integral parts of the cup blank, eliminating the need for a separate lid component. This integration ensures proper alignment and positioning while maintaining spill-proof functionality through the folded flap configuration that creates sealed edges around the cup opening.
2Reliability
If a separate lid made of different material is used, then the cup can be made spill-proof, but the lid has to be processed separately for recycling increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The closure flaps are formed from the same material as the cup body, creating a monolithic structure. This integration eliminates the need for separate recycling processes for different materials, reducing manufacturing complexity and recycling costs while maintaining the spill-proof sealing capability through the integrated flap design.
3Ease of manufacture
If an integrated lid design is used, then material waste is reduced and recycling is simplified, but the closure mechanism becomes more complex requiring multiple fold features
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated closure mechanism is segmented into multiple functional zones within the cup blank: a first closure flap with a first fold feature for creating the primary seal, and a second closure flap with a second fold feature for reinforcing the seal. This segmentation allows the complex closure function to be achieved through distributed simple fold features rather than a single complex mechanism, maintaining material efficiency while enabling reliable sealing.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method for a cup for retaining a liquid. The system includes a base and a wall. The base and the wall define a container with a space to retain the liquid. A first closure flap and a second closure flap are attached to the wall and extend from the wall. The first closure flap and the second closure flap are foldable relative to the wall. The first closure flap and the second closure flap are foldable between an open position and a closed position. The first closure flap and the second closure flap define a lid when in the closed position. The lid is defined by the first closure flap being folded at least twice to a closed position and the second closure flap being folded at least once to a closed position.