Flexible Container Handle With Stitched Thermoplastic Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible handles in containers often lack sufficient lifting capacity, tend to rip or disengage, and are costly to produce, especially when made from burlap or heavy materials, making them unsuitable for mass-produced containers made from paper or thermoplastic.
Innovation Solution
A flexible container with handles made from multiple layers of thermoplastic material, stitched together to provide increased strength, and attached to the container wall using various stitching methods, including a central aperture and perimeter stitching, to enhance lifting capacity and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If flexible handles are made from burlap or heavy materials to increase lifting capacity, then strength is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and they are unsuitable for mass-produced containers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by using multiple layers of thermoplastic material instead of heavy materials like burlap. This allows achieving sufficient strength through layering and stitching while maintaining compatibility with mass production processes and reducing manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by combining multiple layers of thermoplastic material with stitching elements. This composite approach distributes mechanical loads across multiple layers and stitching points, achieving high lifting capacity without requiring heavy single-material construction.
2Ease of manufacture
If flexible handles are made from paper or thermoplastic for mass production, then manufacturing cost decreases, but lifting capacity and durability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the handle into multiple separate layers of thermoplastic material that are stitched together. This segmentation allows each layer to bear a portion of the load while maintaining flexibility, achieving high lifting capacity through the collective strength of multiple lightweight layers rather than a single heavy layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-layer two-dimensional structure to a multi-layer three-dimensional structure. By stacking multiple layers and connecting them through stitching, the handle gains volumetric strength while maintaining the flexibility and low cost characteristics of thin thermoplastic materials.
3Ease of manufacture
If flexible handles are made from lightweight materials, then manufacturing cost decreases, but reliability and resistance to ripping are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by creating redundant load paths through multiple layers and stitching. When one layer or stitching point experiences stress, the remaining layers and stitches provide backup support, preventing catastrophic failure and improving resistance to ripping and disengagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameters by increasing the number of layers and optimizing stitching patterns. This transforms the handle from a single-failure-point structure to a multi-redundant structure, significantly improving reliability without increasing manufacturing cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible container includes a bottom wall, a plurality of side walls, each extending upwardly from the bottom wall and each having a top end defining an opening into an interior of the container, and a top wall connected to the top end of at least one of the side walls. The top wall covers the opening. A continuous mesh layer is connected to the top end of at least one of the side walls and provides ventilation to the interior of the container. A flexible handle is attached to an exterior surface of at least one of the side walls. The handle includes multiple layers of flexible thermoplastic material connected together, with a first end of the handle being attached to (i) the at least one side wall near the top end thereof, and (ii) the continuous mesh layer.