Envelope With Stiffened Sides Using Interrupted Bottom Flaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Envelopes with side flaps tend to crush or warp when passing through inserting machines due to uneven thickness along the side edges, leading to rigidity issues and manufacturing challenges.
Innovation Solution
The bottom side flaps are designed to interrupt at a distance from the top line, creating a sudden change in direction that aligns their width with the side edges, and are given a radius at the interruption points, ensuring the closure flap does not cover them, while the front side flaps are covered, resulting in a homogeneous thickness and improved rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bottom side flaps extend to the top line, then the envelope has sufficient side coverage, but the envelope thickness becomes non-uniform and the side flaps get crushed in inserting machines
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom side flaps are segmented into two zones: a first portion extending to the top line for coverage, and a second portion interrupted before reaching the top line to create a reduction in width. This segmentation allows the envelope to have both sufficient side coverage and uniform thickness, preventing crushing in inserting machines.
2Shape
If the bottom side flaps are interrupted before the top line, then the envelope thickness becomes uniform, but the side coverage is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom side flaps are divided into a first portion that extends to the top line to provide adequate side coverage, and a second portion that is interrupted before the top line to create a width reduction. This segmentation enables both uniform thickness and sufficient coverage to coexist.
3Area of stationary object
If the envelope has non-uniform thickness along side edges, then the side flaps provide adequate coverage, but the envelopes warp or twist when stacked
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom side flaps have different widths at different locations: a larger width in the first portion for coverage, and a reduced width in the second portion where they are interrupted. This local variation in quality provides both adequate coverage and uniform thickness, preventing warping when stacked.
4Area of stationary object
If the closing flap covers the bottom side flaps, then the envelope has complete coverage, but the number of sheets increases and rigidity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom side flaps are segmented with an interruption that creates a gap, allowing the closing flap to cover only the front side flaps and not the bottom side flaps. This segmentation reduces the number of overlapping sheets, maintaining rigidity while providing adequate coverage through the extended first portion of the bottom side flaps.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The envelope has a front panel and a bottom panel (7) adjacent to lower edge (3b), where the panels are provided with front lateral flaps (9a, 9b) and bottom lateral flaps (11a, 11b), respectively. Each bottom flap is remotely interrupted from a top line such that the bottom panel has sudden change of direction i.e. shoulder, on each lateral edges of the bottom flap and at place of each bottom flap interrupt, and the envelope is deployed. The change of direction is closer to its width than width formed between two lateral edges (3c, 3d) of the envelope.