Flexible element for forming a piece of disposable cutlery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing disposable cutlery solutions, such as plastic spoons, are cumbersome to secure to food containers and environmentally unfriendly, requiring complex tape-based attachment methods that are not sustainable.
Innovation Solution
A flexible, elongated spoon body made from thin cardboard with strategically placed bending lines allows for easy folding and secure storage, utilizing a lip-shaped opening and retaining mechanisms to maintain a compact, environmentally friendly form that can be easily integrated with food containers like yoghurt cups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic material is used for disposable cutlery, then durability and ease of manufacture are improved, but environmental friendliness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to cardboard, transforming the environmental properties while maintaining manufacturability. The cardboard material allows for easy manufacturing through die-cutting and folding processes, achieving the same production efficiency as plastic while improving environmental compatibility.
2Reliability
If tape-based attachment method is used to secure spoon to container, then reliability of attachment is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the attachment function from the spoon itself and relocates it to the container lid through an integrated recess. The spoon's folded state is designed to fit into this recess, eliminating the need for separate tape or fastening mechanisms while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the attachment function with the container lid structure by integrating a recess directly into the lid. This combines the storage and attachment functions into a single structural element, simplifying the overall system while ensuring reliable spoon attachment.
3Volume of moving object
If spoon is made foldable with securing means, then space saving in storage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the spoon body into distinct functional zones marked by bending lines, allowing the spoon to be folded into a compact form. The longitudinal bending line creates a handle portion with V-shaped or U-shaped cross-section, while transverse bending lines create folding sections that enable compact storage without complex mechanical fastening mechanisms.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Flexible element for forming a piece of disposable spoon, comprising an elongated body (1) comprising a handle portion (3) and an acting portion (4), wherein at least a first bending line (6, 7) on the body (1) extends in the longitudinal direction of the body (1) from the area of the free end (8) of the handle portion (3) towards the acting portion (4), facilitating that the body (1) may be bent longitudinally and that in the so bent position, the working position, the handle portion (3) then has a substantially V-shaped or U-shaped cross section. The body has an elongated opening (22), the opening (22) comprising at its one side a lip-shaped means (23), and a fifth bending line (24) extends substantially transverse to the first bending line (6,7), whereby the position of the fifth bending line (24) is chosen so that when the body (1) is folded along the fifth bending line, a part of the acting portion (4) can be inserted into the opening (22), behind the tongue (23).