Folded 3D Food Pack Structure Without Adhesives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food packaging for retail display lacks innovative and cost-effective ways to create a purchase incentive, often relying on conventional designs that do not differentiate from standard products.
Innovation Solution
A packaging system that transforms a flat sheet of material, made from paper, cardboard, or plastic, into a three-dimensional object related to events or topics, such as a rattle or trophy, which houses separately packaged food items without the need for adhesives, using form-fitting and force-fitting connections to maintain the shape and secure the contents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional packaging designs are used for retail display, then production costs are low and manufacturing is simple, but the packaging does not create a purchase incentive or differentiate from standard products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms a flat two-dimensional sheet of material into a three-dimensional object that resembles a real-world item (such as a rattle, trophy, or tool). This dimensional transformation creates a tangible, recognizable form that attracts customer attention and creates purchase incentive, while still starting from a simple flat sheet that is easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging creates a simplified copy or representation of a real-world object (e.g., a rattle copy for sporting events, a trophy copy for competitions). This copy captures the essential visual characteristics and associations of the real object, allowing customers to recognize and connect with the packaging theme without requiring the actual functional object, thus creating purchase incentive while keeping manufacturing simple.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a three-dimensional object is folded from a flat sheet to create unique packaging, then purchase incentive is enhanced, but production complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flat sheet is divided into multiple sections or panels that can be independently folded and assembled. This segmentation allows the complex three-dimensional form to be constructed from simpler, modular components, reducing production complexity while maintaining the final three-dimensional shape that creates purchase incentive.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging utilizes the third dimension by folding the flat sheet into a three-dimensional object. This approach creates a recognizable form (rattle, trophy, etc.) that enhances purchase incentive, while the folding process itself provides a straightforward manufacturing method that doesn't require complex tools or processes.
3Stability of the object's composition
If adhesives are used to hold the folded packaging together, then structural stability is improved, but production cost and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging structure is designed to self-assemble and self-stabilize through its own geometry and interlocking features. The folded flaps and sections naturally lock together through friction and geometric constraints, eliminating the need for additional adhesives or fasteners. This reduces production cost and simplifies manufacturing while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding mechanism (adhesives) with a mechanical interlocking system. The folded structure uses physical interlocks, friction, and geometric constraints to maintain stability, substituting a mechanical solution for a chemical one, thereby reducing production cost and environmental impact.
4Adaptability or versatility
If separately packaged food items are placed in the three-dimensional object, then product visibility and purchase incentive are enhanced, but packaging complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separately packaged food items are nested within the three-dimensional packaging structure. The food packages are placed inside the folded object, utilizing its internal cavity. This nesting approach allows the food products to be visible through the transparent or open portions of the packaging while being securely contained, enhancing visibility without requiring additional external displays.
Solution Approach 2:
The three-dimensional packaging structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it creates a recognizable theme for purchase incentive, provides a container for the separately packaged food items, and acts as a display element. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate display fixtures or additional packaging layers, thereby managing complexity while enhancing visibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
Pack for food, in particular for an item of confectionery, comprising an originally flat material sheet (10) which is folded to form a three-dimensional, in particular theme-related, object, preferably a sports-related object, in particular a rattle, wherein the object comprises a holder (20) in which at least one separately packed food is accommodated.