Embossed Cushioning Material With Dual-Scale Bulges

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing embossed cushioning materials lack sufficient stability and volume while maintaining low density and weight, leading to potential material tearing and limited protection capabilities.

Innovation Solution

An embossed cushioning material with alternating first and second bulged portions, where the second bulged portions are larger and produced after the first, and incorporating folds and alternating directions, enhancing stability and volume without increasing density.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If embossed cushioning material uses uniform sized bulged portions, then manufacturing is simpler, but stability and volume are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestabilityVSAvoidstructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cushioning material is segmented into two distinct types of bulged portions: smaller first bulged portions and larger second bulged portions. This segmentation allows the structure to achieve greater stability through the larger portions while the smaller portions provide additional structural reinforcement, resolving the contradiction between stability and structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the cushioning material are assigned different qualities through the varying sizes of bulged portions. The larger second bulged portions provide primary stability and volume, while the smaller first bulged portions provide local reinforcement. This local differentiation of quality enables the structure to achieve high stability without requiring complex overall design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Volume of stationary object

If embossed cushioning material increases volume, then protection capability improves, but weight increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovevolumeVSAvoidweight

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of stationary objectVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The cushioning material employs a porous-like structure with numerous air-filled voids between and within the bulged portions. This allows the material to achieve large volume and excellent protection capability while maintaining low density and low weight, as the bulk of the volume consists of air rather than additional material.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The use of bulged portions with curved, three-dimensional surfaces maximizes volume efficiency. The spherical or semi-spherical shape of the bulged portions provides the greatest volume for a given surface area and material usage, enabling large protection volume without proportionally increasing weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Volume of stationary object

If embossed cushioning material uses only large bulged portions, then volume is sufficient, but material stability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovevolumeVSAvoidmaterial strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of stationary objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cushioning material functions as a composite structure combining two different scales of bulged portions. The smaller first bulged portions act as reinforcing elements within the matrix of larger second bulged portions, creating a composite architecture that achieves both high volume and high material strength simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

4Quantity of substance

If embossed cushioning material uses smaller bulged portions only, then material density is low, but protection capability is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial quantityVSAvoidprotection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentUS20250326556A1Embossed cushioning material for protecting an object, and use of such a cushioning material

Publication Date: 2025.10.23 STOROPACK HANS REICHENECKER GMBH & CO

AI summary

An embossed cushioning material for protecting an object, said cushioning material comprising a plurality of embossed first bulged portions. According to the invention, the cushioning material comprises a plurality of embossed second bulged portions, the first bulged portions and the second bulged portions having a base outline when viewed from above, and both a width dimension of the base outline of the first bulged portions and a distance between adjacent first bulged portions being smaller than a width dimension of the base outline of the second bulged portions.