Flexible Product Container With Hinged Partition Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers for elongated products face difficulties in practical and simple product retrieval and lose structural integrity after opening.
Innovation Solution
A container made from a flexible material, such as cardboard, with modifiable containment walls and opening means, including a removable tab and hinged partition, allows for easy product access and maintains structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the container is made with a simple opening structure, then the ease of product picking is improved, but the structural integrity after opening deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The front wall is segmented into multiple regions (first region with opening means, second region without opening means) to allow selective opening for product access while preserving the integrity of the closed portion. This segmentation enables the container to maintain overall structural strength while providing easy access to products through the designated opening region.
2Reliability
If the container maintains structural integrity after opening, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of product picking deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The opening means includes a movable partition that can transition between a first position (blocking the opening) and a second position (allowing product access). This dynamic element enables the container to adapt its state from closed to open, providing easy product picking while maintaining structural integrity through the hinged connection and controlled movement mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If the container uses a removable tab for opening, then the ease of product picking is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tab is designed as a separate, manually removable component that can be easily detached from the front wall. By extracting the opening function into this simple, standalone element, the design achieves ease of product picking without significantly increasing overall device complexity, as the tab can be removed and discarded after use.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
AI summary
The invention is a container (100) for products which is made by folding a blank (1) consisting of a flexible material that is itself the subject of the present invention. The container (100) is configurable in a closed configuration where products are thereinside, and is configurable, after a modification thereto, in an open product picking configuration. The container (100) comprises containment walls defining an inner volume (V); said walls comprise a front wall (101), an upper wall (102), a rear wall (103), a lower base wall (104), and side walls (105, 106); moreover, the walls comprise opening means (30) modifiable such as to determine a product picking opening (110) extending on the front wall (101) between the two side walls (105, 106) wherethrough the internal volume is accessible (V). Said opening means (30) comprise: - a manually removable tab (300) dividing said front wall (101) into an upper region (101a) and a lower region (101b) ; - a partition (39), comprised within the upper region (101a), defining a half-region (101a"); - two opening members (340, 350), engaged with the partition (39) and the side walls (105, 106), configured to allow, upon manual intervention, a change in configuration between a closed configuration and an open configuration, to which correspond a change in position of the partition (39) between an aligned position, wherein the half-region (101a") and the lower region (101b) lie within the same plane, and an inclined position wherein the partition (39) enters the inner volume (V) and the half-region (101a") and lower region (101b) lie upon distinct planes and wherein said opening members (340, 350) are configured to maintain said inclined position over time.