Drip Bag Hook Member Design for Octagonal Opening Expansion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drip bags face challenges in increasing the opening area while maintaining a stable shape irrespective of the cup's opening diameter, as the difference in rigidity between the water-permeable filtering sheet and the thin plate-shaped hook members makes it difficult to open the bag in a perfect circle shape.
Innovation Solution
The drip bag features special-shaped hook members with oblique folding lines that allow the opening to be opened in a generally octagonal shape, increasing the opening area and maintaining it regardless of the cup's diameter, by bending the upper end side into three sides when the hook parts are pulled in opposite directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the opening is opened in a perfect circle shape to maximize opening area, then the opening area is maximized, but the difference in rigidity between the filtering sheet and hook members makes it difficult to maintain the shape and the opening manipulation becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The opening is segmented into eight straight edges forming an octagonal shape rather than a perfect circle. The hook members are designed with specific folding lines that create eight distinct segments when pulled, making the opening manipulation straightforward while achieving near-maximal opening area
Solution Approach 2:
While avoiding the complexity of a perfect circle, the octagonal shape with eight straight edges approximates a circular form, providing a large opening area that is easy to manipulate. The folding lines create curved-like expansion through angular segments
2Ease of operation
If the opening is opened in a rectangular shape as in conventional drip bags, then the opening manipulation is simple, but the opening area is not maximized
Solution Approach 1:
The opening is divided into eight segments forming an octagon rather than four segments for a rectangle. This segmentation allows the opening to expand more fully in all directions while maintaining simple pull-apart manipulation through the folding lines
Solution Approach 2:
The octagonal shape breaks the simple rectangular symmetry by adding diagonal elements at 45-degree angles, creating eight sides that maximize the enclosed area while maintaining structural simplicity through the folding line design
3Area of moving object
If the opening area is increased irrespective of cup opening diameter, then the pouring is facilitated, but the shape stability varies with different cup sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The octagonal opening design with specific folding lines creates a universal shape that adapts to different cup opening diameters. The eight-sided structure provides consistent shape stability across various cup sizes by distributing the expansion forces evenly through the folding lines
Solution Approach 2:
The folding lines are positioned and angled to allow the octagonal shape to scale proportionally with different cup sizes. The geometric parameters of the folding lines enable the opening to maintain its shape stability while adapting to various opening diameters
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A drip bag which has a simple structure with hook members adhered to the outer faces of two opposing surfaces of a bag body is configured to increase the opening area of an opening of the bag body and stabilize the shape of the opening. To cope with this, this drip bag 1A has a bag body 2 formed of a water permeable filtering sheet 20 and having an upper end to be opened, and hook members 10 formed of a thin plate-shaped material and provided on outer faces of two opposing surfaces of the bag body 2. The hook member 10 includes: an upper stuck part 12 which is adhered to the bag body 2 along the opening 3 of the bag body 2 to be in an elongated shape; a center part (first center stuck part 13) which is located below the upper stuck part 12 at the center of the bag body 2 in the width direction thereof and formed so as not to be pulled out; and a hook part 11 not adhered to the bag body 2. A pair of oblique folding lines L1a and L1b are formed on the upper stuck part 12 with a center line disposed therebetween, the oblique folding lines L1a and L1b being more spaced from the center line while extending from a lower portion to an upper portion of the upper stuck part 12, the center line bisecting the bag body 2 in the width direction thereof. A vertical folding line L2 is formed downwardly from immediately below a lower end of the oblique folding lines L1a and L1b.