Flexible Wipe Roll Packaging for Sanitary Pocket Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable wiping products, such as small rolls of toilet paper in rigid thermoformed plastic dispensers, are unsanitary to handle and bulky, making them inconvenient for storage in pockets or purses, and do not effectively keep tissues clean in wet environments.
Innovation Solution
A portable roll of wiping material packaged in a flexible wrapper with a roll housing portion and an extended dispensing channel, allowing sheets to be unwound without touching the roll, which collapses as used, providing sanitation, convenience, and compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid thermoformed plastic dispenser is used to package a small roll of toilet paper, then the product provides a portable source of toilet paper, but the rigid container becomes bulky and unsuitable for storage in pockets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid thermoformed plastic dispenser with a flexible packaging system consisting of a flexible wrapper and a collapsible channel. The flexible wrapper conforms to the roll shape and collapses as the roll is used, while the collapsible channel allows sheet withdrawal without maintaining a rigid structure. This resolves the contradiction by providing portability through flexibility and collapseability, eliminating the bulk of rigid containers.
2Ease of operation
If the rigid plastic dispenser is opened to access the roll, then the toilet paper can be dispensed, but the user must touch the roll which is unsanitary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a collapsible channel as an intermediary structure between the user's hand and the toilet paper roll. The channel extends from the wrapper opening and allows the user to withdraw sheets by pushing against the channel rather than touching the roll directly. The channel collapses as sheets are withdrawn, maintaining contactless interaction. This resolves the contradiction by enabling easy dispensing operation while preventing direct contact with the roll, thus maintaining sanitation.
3Device complexity
If a rigid plastic container is used, then the product structure is simple, but it takes up a fair amount of space in a purse or pocket
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic packaging elements that change volume based on usage. The flexible wrapper conforms to and collapses around the roll as toilet paper is used, and the collapsible channel shortens as sheets are withdrawn. This dynamic adaptation allows the packaging to maintain a simple structural concept while dramatically reducing storage volume during and after use, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and space efficiency.
4Volume of moving object
If the flexible packaging collapses as the roll is used, then the space taken up decreases, but the packaging must be flexible enough to allow roll flexing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible wrapper made of flexible material that can conform to and accommodate the roll's changing diameter. The wrapper's flexibility allows it to collapse as the roll is used, reducing volume, while simultaneously providing sufficient strength to contain and support the roll. The collapsible channel also exhibits flexible behavior, allowing deformation during sheet withdrawal. This resolves the contradiction by using materials and structures that are flexible enough to collapse and adapt, yet strong enough to maintain containment and support functions.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable rolled product containing a small roll of sheets, such as tissues or wet wipes, is particularly useful for uses outside the home. The roll of sheets is contained within a flexible package, such as a plastic film wrapper, having a roll housing portion and an extended dispensing portion or channel through which the user withdraws the product. After the desired amount of the sheets is withdrawn, the extended dispensing channel can be folded back around the roll housing portion of the package for storage until further use.