Flexible Envelope With Weakness Lines For Fund Security

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing flexible packaging solutions for securing banknotes in fundraising contexts lack sufficient security guarantees and are costly to manufacture, as they require complex production of calibrated holes for smudging products, which can be bypassed, and are difficult to produce.

Innovation Solution

A flexible plastic envelope with welded sides featuring lines of weakness that allow smudging products to penetrate upon deflagration, ensuring all articles are stained, while maintaining structural integrity during handling and manufacturing, and offering symmetrical construction for reversibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If passage holes are produced in the envelope for smudging product penetration, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to calibrated hole production and scrap removal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity guaranteeVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The envelope is pre-equipped with lines of weakness during manufacturing, which are predetermined rupture paths that will automatically activate during deflagration. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex calibrated hole production, as the lines of weakness are simply pre-formed low-resistance paths that require minimal manufacturing intervention while ensuring reliable smudging product penetration when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the complex hole production and scrap removal operations from the manufacturing process by replacing them with simple line of weakness formations. The lines of weakness are created as integral parts of the envelope structure without requiring separate hole drilling, calibration, or scrap removal steps, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining security functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If calibrated holes are produced in the envelope, then smudging product can penetrate to stain articles, but manufacturing cost increases due to scrap material removal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesmudging product penetrationVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The lines of weakness are pre-formed during envelope manufacturing as intentional low-resistance paths through the material. These pre-prepared paths ensure that during deflagration, the smudging product can penetrate effectively without requiring complex calibrated holes. The preliminary formation of these lines eliminates costly scrap removal operations while guaranteeing reliable product penetration when the envelope is compromised.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The lines of weakness represent a disposable feature built into the envelope - they are designed to be breached during unauthorized access events. Rather than creating permanent calibrated holes that require precise manufacturing and generate scrap, the lines of weakness are simple pre-formed paths that serve their purpose during deflagration and are then discarded, significantly reducing manufacturing costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Ease of manufacture

If the envelope structure is simplified without passage holes, then manufacturing cost decreases, but security reliability deteriorates as banknotes can be extracted through holes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidsecurity guarantee
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The lines of weakness are pre-formed during manufacturing as controlled vulnerability points that will rupture during deflagration. This preliminary preparation ensures that when unauthorized access occurs and deflagration is triggered, the envelope will automatically open along these predetermined paths, allowing smudging product penetration and preventing banknote extraction. The security function is built into the structure itself without requiring complex hole production or scrap removal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the potential harm of envelope penetration into a beneficial security feature. The lines of weakness are deliberately created as controlled weak points that will fail in a controlled manner during deflagration, transforming what could be a security vulnerability into a guaranteed smudging product penetration path. This approach simplifies manufacturing while enhancing security by ensuring that any attempt to access the envelope through unauthorized means will trigger the deflagration and automatic opening mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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 solution provides enhanced security and reduced manufacturing costs by ensuring all articles are stained upon deflagration, while maintaining mechanical strength and ease of production, thus addressing the limitations of previous designs.

Implementation Method 1

At least the first stacking side is provided with at least one line of weakness having a resistance force less than a deflagration force such that upon deflagration the bag opens from this line of weakness

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDeflagration: Deflagration

Data Source

PatentEP1878672B1Smudgeable envelope for fund collection
Publication Date: 2010.01.13 DECOMATIC
  • EP1878672B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP1878672B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The enclosure (1) has a bag that is made of a flexible plastic material. The bag has stacking sides (21), where the side has a thinning line (30) with a resistive force that is less than a deflagration force such that the bag is opened along the line, following a deflagration. The lines extend on a major part of dimension of a side for allowing passage of a product that stains a set of stacked articles, after the deflagration. The sides extend on sides of a welded edge (15) of the bag. Each line extends parallel to the edge at a distance comprised between 3 and 30 millimeter.