Disposable Crockery Identification Marks for Batch-Produced Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
In events where participants move around freely, such as buffets, identifying and retrieving one's own disposable glass among many identical ones is challenging, leading to excessive consumption of food and containers due to the inability to recall the glass's location, and existing solutions like colored clips are costly and impractical for large gatherings.
Innovation Solution
Each disposable tableware item within a batch is uniquely identified with a distinctive sign, such as numbering, pictograms, letters, or representations, which can be applied through relief, hollow molding, or printing, ensuring each item is distinct from others in the same lot.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If disposable tableware items are packaged in batches of identical articles, then manufacturing and distribution is simplified, but users cannot identify their own items among many identical ones
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding unique identification marks to specific locations on each disposable tableware item. Each item in the batch receives a distinctive sign (number, letter, symbol) that differentiates it from other identical items, allowing users to identify their own items while maintaining batch production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the batch production by dividing identical items into individually identifiable units. Each item is assigned a unique identifier that segments the homogeneous batch into distinguishable individual items, resolving the contradiction between batch manufacturing and individual identification.
2Ease of operation
If colored clips are used to identify each user's glass, then item identification is achieved, but cost increases significantly for large numbers of guests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the identification function directly into the disposable tableware item itself by incorporating unique signs during manufacturing. This eliminates the need for separate identification accessories like colored clips, reducing additional material requirements while maintaining identification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using physical accessories (clips), the patent uses printed or molded representations (signs, numbers, symbols) copied onto each item during manufacturing. This provides identification functionality without requiring additional physical components for each user.
3Ease of operation
If distinctive signs are added to each disposable article, then item identification is enabled, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating the distinctive identification signs during the initial manufacturing process (injection molding or thermoforming). The identification marks are created before the items are packaged and distributed, integrating the identification function into the base manufacturing process rather than adding it later as a separate step.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes in the manufacturing process (such as varying the mold cavities or printing parameters) to create different identification signs on different items. By changing parameters like mold cavity design or print content, the system produces uniquely identified items using the same basic manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
The article has a distinct mark obtained in relief or in hollow during manufacturing of the article. The mark is affixed on the article by a printing method, and is selected from pictograms, numbers, letters and animal or person representations.