Flexible Container Forming with Structural Support Volumes
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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 made from laminated materials with novel support structures that reduce material usage, allow for easier decoration, and provide controlled dispensing, formed by joining flexible materials to create structural support volumes and product volumes with expansion and fill ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid containers are used for fluent products, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible containers made from thin film materials instead of rigid structures. The flexible container includes a body formed from flexible material that can be collapsed when empty and expanded when filled, eliminating the need for thick rigid walls while maintaining structural integrity through the flexibility of the material itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the container material from rigid to flexible. By using flexible material that can transition between collapsed and expanded states, the container achieves both structural integrity and reduced material usage, resolving the contradiction between strength and manufacturing cost.
2Strength
If rigid containers are used for fluent products, then structural integrity is improved, but material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thin film flexible material to construct the container body, which can be collapsed when empty and expanded when filled. This approach dramatically reduces material usage compared to rigid containers while maintaining the necessary structural integrity through the elastic properties of the flexible material.
3Strength
If rigid containers are used for fluent products, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of decoration worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible container body made from thin film material provides a smooth, continuous surface that is easier to decorate compared to rigid containers. The flexible material can be printed, labeled, or decorated more easily while maintaining structural integrity through its elastic properties.
4Strength
If rigid containers are used for fluent products, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of dispensing worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic container structure that transitions between collapsed and expanded states. The flexible container body can be easily compressed and manipulated for dispensing operations, and the structural integrity is maintained through the elastic recovery of the flexible material after deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the container from rigid to flexible, enabling easy compression and manipulation for dispensing. The flexible material allows the container to be squeezed and deformed during dispensing operations while maintaining structural integrity through its elastic properties.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
Methods of forming flexible containers, the methods comprising joining together a first flexible material and a second flexible material, to form a joined material, using the joined material, at least partially forming a structural support volume and an expansion port in communication with the structural support volume, and by joining a third flexible material to the joined material, at least partially forming a product volume and a fill port in communication with the product volume.