Flexible Container Grip Structure to Prevent Bag Collapse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible bags lack structural support, making them difficult to handle and display information, as they tend to collapse under weight and when placed on surfaces, hindering efficient storage and product dispensing.
Innovation Solution
A flexible bag design featuring an elongated, tubular grip offset from the outer edge, integrated within a separate compartment that runs along the bag's length, providing ergonomic handling and structural support to prevent collapse, while allowing for efficient storage and display of product information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If flexible bags are made without structural support, then manufacturing cost and environmental impact are reduced, but handling difficulty and bag collapse increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bag is divided into two separate compartments: a first compartment for containing the product and a second compartment for housing the rigid grip. This segmentation allows the flexible bag body to remain simple and economical while the separate rigid grip provides structural support for easy handling.
Solution Approach 2:
A rigid grip structure acts as an intermediary element between the user's hand and the flexible bag contents. The grip transfers handling forces without requiring the bag walls themselves to provide structural support, thus maintaining flexibility while enabling easy operation.
2Loss of substance
If flexible bags lack structural support, then material usage and energy consumption are reduced, but bag collapse during transport and dispensing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The functional separation of the bag into a flexible containment compartment and a rigid support compartment allows minimal material usage for the bag body while the dedicated rigid grip structure provides necessary structural support to prevent collapse during handling and dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The bag system combines flexible material for the bag body with rigid material for the grip structure, creating a composite system that leverages the advantages of both material types: flexibility and minimal material usage for containment, and rigidity for structural support and collapse prevention.
3Productivity
If flexible bags are collapsible, then storage efficiency is improved, but display surface quality and information presentation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The bag is segmented into a flexible first compartment for product containment that can collapse for efficient storage, and a rigid second compartment housing the grip that maintains its shape to provide a stable display surface for product information and branding.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the bag have different structural qualities: the first compartment is flexible and collapsible for storage efficiency, while the second compartment containing the grip is rigid and maintains its shape to provide high-quality display surfaces for information presentation.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible container for containing a product includes a dispensing portion, a panel forming a first compartment for containing the product and forming a second compartment that is separate from the first compartment, and an elongated grip disposed at least in part in the second compartment. A user may grasp the grip to transport the container or to pour a product from the first compartment. The grip may also prevent the container from collapsing, allowing the container to be efficiently stored on a surface and providing a surface on the flexible container to prominently display information regarding the product. The dispensing portion may be a metered cap.