Contoured Food Pouch Container to Prevent Collapse and Squirting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Food pouches often create messes due to uncontrolled food flow, squirting food from the top opening, which soils children's clothing and surfaces during use.
Innovation Solution
Design of a container with a contoured shape that maintains the food pouch's integrity, featuring a top opening with semicircle or geometric sections, a hinge mechanism, and a surface that divides the interior into upper and lower cavities to prevent collapse and facilitate easy access to the food, while allowing the cap to be stored separately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the child squeezes the food pouch to access food, then the child can easily access the food, but the food squirts from the top opening and creates mess
Solution Approach 1:
The container acts as an intermediary device between the child and the food pouch. It provides a controlled environment where the pouch can be squeezed safely, containing any potential food squirting within the container boundaries rather than allowing it to soil the child's clothing or surrounding surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful function of uncontrolled food squirting is extracted and isolated from the useful function of food access. The container separates the squeezing action from the food flow control, allowing the child to squeeze the pouch while the container's structure prevents messy discharge.
2Device complexity
If the food pouch is allowed to collapse naturally, then the pouch is simple in structure, but the pouch collapses and makes it difficult for the child to access remaining food
Solution Approach 1:
The container provides a counteracting force against the pouch collapse through its contoured surface and cavity structure. As the child consumes food and the pouch naturally wants to collapse, the container's shaped cavity pushes back against the pouch walls, maintaining its expanded state and ensuring continuous easy access to food.
3Ease of operation
If the container prevents pouch collapse to maintain food access, then the child can easily access food, but the container structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs curved and contoured surfaces rather than flat rigid walls. The contoured shape naturally provides the necessary support to prevent pouch collapse while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing and space-efficient form. The curvature distributes forces evenly, providing structural support with minimal material and complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are food pouch containers comprising a back portion having an interior cavity; a front portion; a top hole; and a surface dividing the back portion into an upper cavity, inside the back portion, and a lower cavity. In some embodiments, the lower cavity is inside the back portion, while in other embodiments, the lower cavity is an exterior cavity. Also disclosed are food pouch containers comprising a back portion having an interior cavity; a front portion; a top hole; means for contouring the food pouch from a bottom thereof; and means for contouring the food pouch from at least a side thereof.