Lightweight Pouch with Fused Laminate Edges for Shape Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pouches and pockets for carrier garments tend to lose their shape when not in use, and existing methods for shape retention, such as basting tape and reinforcing stitching, are labor-intensive, prone to wear, and can collect debris, while stiffening layers add weight and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight pouch with a unitary, flexible laminate or composite enclosure panel featuring stiffened fused edges that maintain a 3D shape without protrusions, allowing easy insertion and removal of items and compatibility with systems like MOLLE PALS, using a laminate construction with outer and inner layers fused along their edges to provide stiffness and resilience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If basting tape and reinforcing stitching are used for shape retention, then the pouch maintains its shape, but the manufacturing process becomes labor-intensive and the pouch is prone to wear and debris accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the shape retention function with the pouch enclosure panel itself by fusing the edges of the laminate layers to form integral standing portions. This eliminates the need for separate basting tape and reinforcing stitching components, thereby reducing manufacturing labor while maintaining shape retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the unnecessary protruding reinforcement elements (basting tape and stitching) from the pouch structure. By fusing the laminate edges directly, the shape retention function is achieved without the harmful protrusions that collect debris and cause wear.
2Shape
If stiffening layers are added for shape retention, then the pouch maintains its shape, but the overall weight and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the stiffening function into the existing laminate construction by fusing the edges of the outer and inner layers. This creates integral standing portions that provide structural support without adding separate stiffening layers, thereby maintaining shape retention while avoiding increased complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the composite laminate structure itself (outer layer and inner layer fused together) to provide the necessary stiffness and shape retention. The fused edges of the laminate layers create rigid standing portions that eliminate the need for additional stiffening materials.
3Shape
If protruding reinforcements are used for shape retention, then the pouch maintains its shape, but debris accumulates on the protrusions and wear resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the protruding reinforcement elements (basting tape and stitching) that create debris accumulation problems. By fusing the laminate edges directly to form smooth standing portions, the shape retention function is maintained while eliminating the protrusions where debris would collect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the fusion process specifically to the edges of the laminate layers where shape retention is needed, creating smooth standing portions. This localized application maintains the necessary structural rigidity while ensuring the surfaces remain smooth and free of protrusions that would collect debris.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The pouch retains its shape resiliently, is durable, easy to manufacture, and resistant to wear, while maintaining smooth surfaces to prevent debris accumulation, offering improved shape retention and operability without additional reinforcement.
Implementation Method 1
a laminate construction with outer and inner layers fused along their edges to provide stiffness and resilience
Implementation Method 2
resiliently retains a predetermined 3 dimensional shape
Data Source
AI summary
A 3 dimensional shape retaining light weight pouch and method for making the same, for mounting on a carrier such as a garment such as, but not limited to, a vest, belt, cummerbund, pack, or the like, and more particularly, that utilizes standing portions of stiffened fused together edges of laminated or composite panels of the pouch to hold the pouch in a predetermined 3 dimensional shape. The pouch is durable and wear resistant, allows easy insertion and removal of articles, accessories, and objects to be held and/or carried thereby, and is simple and easy to manufacture, while being configurable to be compatible with some known systems mounting systems such as MOLLE PALS and the like.