Detergent Container Lock with Transversal Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Detergent products are prone to degradation due to excessive moisture exposure, and existing containers fail to reliably prevent accidental opening while being user-friendly and environmentally sustainable, especially when made of cardboard.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a box with a transversal wall connected to the sidewalls, a lock with a specific actuator mechanism, and a lid with actuation areas that allows for precise pinching to open, ensuring the lid remains closed and preventing accidental openings, while being made from recyclable materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lock mechanism is added to prevent accidental opening, then the reliability of the container is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: a lock element with locking and unlocking positions, an actuator with actuating and abutting portions, and a cam surface. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while working together as a cohesive system, resolving the contradiction by making the complex lock mechanism manageable and reliable through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam surface acts as an intermediary between the actuator and the lock element. When the actuator is pressed, the cam surface translates this linear motion into rotational or lateral motion of the lock element, enabling the transition between locked and unlocked states. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the overall operation while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a lock mechanism is added to prevent accidental opening, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the cam surface geometry. When the actuator is pressed in the desired unlocking direction, the cam surface automatically converts this input motion into the necessary motion of the lock element to disengage the lock. This self-service design eliminates the need for complex mechanical linkages or multiple steps, making the operation intuitive and easy while maintaining reliable locking.
3Ease of manufacture
If cardboard material is used for environmental sustainability, then the environmental friendliness is improved, but the strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cam surface utilizes curved geometry to transform linear pressing motion into rotational or lateral motion of the lock element. This curved mechanism distributes mechanical stresses more evenly throughout the cardboard structure, preventing stress concentration that would compromise the structural integrity of the cardboard container while enabling reliable locking functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock mechanism employs a composite approach by integrating multiple functional elements (lock element, actuator, cam surface) within the cardboard structure itself. This allows the container to maintain its cardboard construction for environmental sustainability while incorporating reinforced locking functionality through the integrated lock mechanism, achieving both recyclability and structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A consumer product having a detergent product and a container, the container having a box, a lid for the box, and a lock to maintain the lid in a closed position, where a transversal wall of the box is connected to a specific sidewall and to another sidewall of the box.