Paper Food Container with Curved Pleated Side Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional paper containers for foodstuffs, such as pastries, lack resistance to side deformations and aesthetic appeal, as they tend to open when subjected to pressure or moisture, requiring frequent replacement and offering a standardized frustoconical shape that has not evolved in over 90 years.
Innovation Solution
A production process for paper containers that involves creating a side wall with regular, vertical pleats and a sinusoidal profile, providing increased resistance to deformation and maintaining shape even when wet, while allowing for a more aesthetically pleasing and varied design by using a single sheet of paper to form both the bottom and side walls simultaneously through a drawing operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a frustoconical shape with pleated side wall is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but resistance to side deformations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is given a convex curvature in section instead of being rectilinear, which allows the wall to better resist lateral pressures and deformations while maintaining the pleated structure for ease of manufacture from a flat sheet
2Ease of manufacture
If a frustoconical shape with pleated side wall is used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The convex curved profile of the side wall provides a more aesthetically pleasing appearance compared to the traditional rectilinear frustoconical shape, while still being manufacturable from a flat sheet with pleats
3Productivity
If the container shape is standardized, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By modifying the geometric parameters of the side wall (introducing convex curvature and sinusoidal profile) while maintaining the basic manufacturing process, the invention achieves shape variety and aesthetic differentiation without sacrificing manufacturing efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The new container design enhances resistance to deformation, maintains shape under wet conditions, and offers a unique aesthetic appeal without increasing storage or transport complexities, while allowing for direct packaging at the production site, reducing costs and enabling more complex shapes with simpler manufacturing processes.
Implementation Method 1
Following the drawing operation, a slight spring-back of the paper defining the side wall makes the container take its final frustoconical shape.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing containers of paper material for foodstuffs, in particular pastries, wherein the container comprises a single sheet portion of flexible paper material defining a flat bottom wall and a side wall emerging from the bottom wall. The container has a side wall comprising, in section, at least one curvilinear stretch (10) for defining a rounded or convex conformation of the side wall. The method contemplates a first step for making the bottom wall (2) provided with an upper surface (2a) and a lower surface (2b), and a side wall (3) emerging from the bottom wall (2) in such a manner that in cooperation with said bottom wall it defines a holding region (21) whose bottom consists of said lower surface (2b), and a second step of overturning the side wall on the opposite side relative to the bottom wall (2) for defining a cavity (7) having an upwards facing opening in the normal use position of the container.