Drawtape Closure With Elastic-Like Sheet Material Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible bags commonly used for household waste disposal face difficulties in being securely placed over trash cans, maintaining closure when filled, and resisting reopening, leading to potential spillage due to shifting contents.
Innovation Solution
A flexible bag design featuring a drawtape closure with distinct regions exhibiting elastic-like behavior, allowing for easier placement and secure closure, utilizing a sheet material with first and second regions that deform differently under tension to provide a ratchet effect and resist reopening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the bag is made from conventional flexible sheet material, then the bag is easy to manufacture and inexpensive, but the bag is difficult to place securely over the rim of the trash can and difficult to close when filled
Solution Approach 1:
The drawtape closure is divided into distinct functional regions: a first region with molecular-level deformation capability and a second region with geometric deformation capability. This segmentation allows each region to contribute differently to the overall performance, enabling both ease of manufacture and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the drawtape closure are given different local properties. The first region has elastic-like behavior at the molecular level while the second region has geometric deformation characteristics. This local differentiation enables the closure to be both easy to manufacture and easy to operate securely.
2Quantity of substance
If the bag is filled to capacity or beyond capacity, then the bag maximizes its containment capability, but the closure becomes difficult to achieve and the bag is prone to reopening
Solution Approach 1:
The drawtape closure incorporates dynamic regions that can deform under load. The first region undergoes molecular-level deformation and the second region undergoes geometric deformation, allowing the closure to adapt dynamically to the filled state of the bag and maintain reliability even when filled to or beyond capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure system changes its physical parameters under applied elongation. The sheet material transitions from an untensioned state to a tensioned state, with the first region exhibiting elastic-like behavior and the second region providing geometric deformation, thereby maintaining closure reliability across different fill levels.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the bag contents shift when the bag is set on the floor, then the bag can accommodate movement, but the closure opens and contents spill
Solution Approach 1:
The drawtape closure is designed with regions capable of deformation that can absorb and cushion the effects of bag contents shifting. The first region's molecular-level elasticity and the second region's geometric deformation provide a cushioning effect that prevents closure opening and contents spillage during movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformation capabilities of the drawtape closure regions convert the harmful effect of bag contents shifting into a beneficial response. Instead of the closure failing under movement, the first and second regions deform to accommodate the shifting, thereby preventing spillage and converting potential harm into maintained closure integrity.
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 design enhances the ease of securing the bag over trash cans, maintains closure when filled, and prevents reopening, reducing spillage and improving the bag's overall performance and durability.
Implementation Method 1
the sheet material of said drawtape closure comprising: at least a first region and a second region, said first region and said second region being comprised of the same material composition and each having an untensioned projected pathlength, said first region undergoing a substantially molecular-level deformation and said second region initially undergoing a substantially geometric deformation when said web material is subjected to an applied elongation in a direction substantially parallel to said axis in response to an externally-applied force upon the sheet material of said drawtape closure, said first region and said second region substantially returning to their untensioned projected pathlength when said applied elongation is released
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible bag comprises flexible sheet material assembled to form a semi-enclosed container having an opening. The bag has a drawtape closure for sealing the opening. The sheet material of the drawtape closure exhibits elastic-like behavior along at least one axis. The sheet material of the drawtape closure comprises a first region and a second region. The first region and said second region are comprised of the same material composition and each has an untensioned projected pathlength. The first region undergoes a substantially molecular-level deformation and the second region initially undergoes a substantially geometric deformation when the sheet material is subjected to an applied elongation in a direction substantially parallel to an axis in response to an externally-applied force upon the sheet material of the drawtape closure.