Expanded Slit Paper Envelope Cushioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shipping envelopes lack a lightweight, cost-effective, and protective alternative to plastic materials, which are flexible and provide adequate cushioning, while also being environmentally friendly and recyclable.
Innovation Solution
The use of expanded slit sheet paper in combination with indented Kraft paper as the outer material for shipping envelopes, where the expanded slit sheet provides cushioning and the embossed Kraft paper increases rigidity and prevents deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plastic bubble materials are used for cushioning, then flexibility and adequate cushioning are provided, but environmental friendliness and recyclability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms paper material through expansion processes, changing its physical parameters from dense and rigid to lightweight and cushioning-capable. The paper is slit into strips and expanded to create air-filled cells that provide plastic-like cushioning performance while maintaining paper's environmental benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining expanded slit sheet paper (providing cushioning) with embossed Kraft paper (providing rigidity and protection). This composite material achieves the functional properties of both plastic bubble wrap and traditional paper packaging
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional Kraft Paper is used for shipping envelopes, then environmental friendliness is maintained, but flexibility and cushioning are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the physical parameters of paper by slitting it into strips and expanding the structure. This transformation converts dense, rigid paper into a lightweight, flexible material with air-filled cells that provide superior cushioning while maintaining 100% recyclability
3Object-affected harmful factors
If heavier weight paper alternatives are used to replace plastic, then environmental friendliness is improved, but manufacturing cost and shipping cost increase due to increased weight
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion process dramatically reduces the density and weight of the paper material while maintaining or improving protective properties. The air-filled cellular structure provides cushioning with minimal material mass, making it lighter than both traditional paper and plastic alternatives
Data Source
AI summary
A protective product, such as, e.g., an envelope or pouch, is provided that includes at least one expanded slit paper sheet in an expanded state, and an embossed paper sheet facing the expanded slit paper sheet and fixed to the expanded slit paper sheet along at least a portion of a length in an expansion direction of the expanded slit sheet paper. In the preferred embodiments, the embossed paper sheet has a plurality of embossings that increase the rigidity of the embossed paper sheet, thereby inhibiting deformation of the embossed paper sheet that is fixed to the expanded slit sheet paper.