Frangible Shipping Carton With Grip Flap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shipping cartons require sharp blades for opening, leading to product damage, operator injury, and inefficiency due to the need for repetitive cutting through corrugated materials.
Innovation Solution
A selectively frangible shipping carton design featuring a path of weakness around its periphery, allowing manual separation into upper and lower portions without sharp implements, with grip flaps for secure handling and reduced risk of injury.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sharp blades are used to open cartons, then the carton can be opened, but product damage and operator injury occur
Solution Approach 1:
The carton is divided into an upper portion and a lower portion separated by a path of weakness. The path of weakness extends through the side wall from the top edge to the bottom edge, creating a predetermined separation plane that allows the carton to be opened by pulling the upper portion away from the lower portion without requiring sharp blades, thereby eliminating product damage and operator injury risks
Solution Approach 2:
The path of weakness is created during the carton manufacturing process before the carton is sealed and shipped. This preliminary weakening of the side wall structure at specific locations enables easy manual separation of the upper and lower portions during opening, eliminating the need for sharp blades and preventing harmful effects
2Ease of operation
If sharp blades are used to cut through corrugated cardboard, then the carton can be opened, but the operator must repeat the cutting action multiple times
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is segmented into an upper portion and a lower portion by a continuous path of weakness that extends from the top edge to the bottom edge. This segmentation creates a complete separation plane that allows the carton to be opened in a single pulling motion, eliminating the need for repeated cutting actions and significantly improving opening efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The path of weakness is pre-formed during manufacturing as a continuous weakened path through the side wall. This preliminary action creates a predetermined separation plane that allows the carton to be opened easily in one action, eliminating the need for multiple repeated cutting attempts and improving operational efficiency
3Strength
If the carton is made strong to withstand shipping handling, then it can protect goods, but it becomes difficult to open without sharp blades
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is segmented into an upper portion and a lower portion by a path of weakness that provides a controlled separation plane. This segmentation allows the carton to maintain full structural strength during shipping and handling while enabling easy manual opening by simply pulling the upper portion away from the lower portion along the predetermined weakness path
Solution Approach 2:
The path of weakness is created at specific localized positions within the side wall while the rest of the carton structure maintains full strength. This local quality change allows the carton to be both strong enough to withstand shipping handling and easy to open manually by separating the upper and lower portions along the weakened path
Data Source
AI summary
A selectively frangible shipping carton for storing and shipping goods comprises at least one side wall joining a top wall and a bottom wall. A path of weakness extends around a periphery of the carton through at least a portion of the side wall. The path of weakness enables a user to manually separate the carton into at least two portions: an upper portion including the top wall and a lower portion including the bottom wall. A pair of lines of weakness extends upwardly relative to the path of weakness and terminates at or adjacent the top wall. A grip flap defined in the side wall between the pair of lines of weakness, the grip flap being graspable by the user when separating the carton into the at least two portions.