Flexible Containers With Integrated Structural Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rigid containers for fluent products are expensive to produce, require significant materials, are difficult to decorate, prone to damage, and challenging to dispense from, due to their solid structure and design limitations.
Innovation Solution
Flexible containers are developed using novel support structures and materials that allow for easier production, reduced material usage, enhanced decoration capabilities, improved durability, and controlled dispensing through the use of expandable structural support volumes and flexible materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid materials are used to make containers, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible material containers with integrated structural support members that provide rigidity where needed while using thin-walled construction overall. The structural support members are formed as integral parts of the container during molding, eliminating the need for separate reinforcement components and reducing manufacturing complexity despite providing enhanced structural integrity.
2Strength
If rigid materials are used to make containers, then structural integrity is improved, but material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes thin-walled flexible material containers that significantly reduce material consumption compared to traditional rigid containers. The thin walls are compensated for by incorporating structural support members that provide necessary strength and rigidity, allowing the container to maintain structural integrity while using minimal material.
3Strength
If rigid container structures are used, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of decoration worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible material containers that can be easily printed and decorated directly on their surfaces before or during the molding process. The flexible material surface provides an ideal substrate for decoration applications, and the integrated structural support members do not interfere with the decoration process, unlike rigid container structures that require post-manufacturing decoration steps.
4Strength
If rigid containers are used, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of operation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a hybrid container structure that combines flexible material walls with integrated structural support members. This dynamic design allows the container to maintain its shape and structural integrity when empty, yet becomes sufficiently flexible when filled to allow easy squeezing and dispensing by hand, bridging the gap between rigid structural needs and flexible operational requirements.
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
Flexible containers offer cost savings, reduced material consumption, easier decoration, increased durability, and improved user-friendly dispensing, while maintaining structural integrity for handling and use.
Implementation Method 1
an expanded structural support volume, which is a tillable space made from the one or more flexible materials configured to be filled with one or more expansion materials, which create tension in the one or more flexible materials
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
Methods of making nondurable self-supporting flexible containers.