Garment Packaging with Interleaved Flaps for Compact Mailing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging solutions for garments are not suitable for mailing, requiring consumers to repurchase additional packaging and incur extra costs, and are inefficient in manufacturing, leading to increased costs and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A low-cost, compact packaging solution made from a folded sheet of material with interleaved elements that conceals and reveals the contents effectively, featuring a writable surface for personalization and suitable for mailing, allowing garments to be sold as impulse purchases in limited retail spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If garments are packaged in conventional folded or hung form, then the garments are protected during storage and transport, but the storage area and transportation requirements become high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies compression to change the physical state of the garment from its normal expanded form to a compact compressed form. This parameter change in volume allows the garment to be stored efficiently while maintaining protection through the rigid container structure
Solution Approach 2:
The compressed garment is nested within a rigid container that provides structural protection. This nested arrangement allows the garment to be compactly stored while the outer container provides the necessary protection during handling and transport
2Ease of operation
If garments are displayed in specialized storage and display installations such as clothing racks and shelf units, then the garments are properly displayed, but a lot of space is taken up
Solution Approach 1:
The garment is compressed to reduce its volume by a factor of 10 or more, allowing it to be displayed in a compact container on standard retail shelving rather than requiring specialized clothing racks. This parameter change enables space-efficient display while maintaining the garment's display capability
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid container serves multiple functions: it protects the compressed garment during storage and transport, and also serves as a display unit on standard retail shelves. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for specialized display installations
3Adaptability or versatility
If known mailable packaging solutions are used, then garments can be mailed, but additional cost and time are required for consumers to repackage the items
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid container is designed to fulfill multiple functions simultaneously: it protects the compressed garment during retail handling, serves as a display unit, and provides a mailable package. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for consumers to repackage the item for mailing
Solution Approach 2:
The container is pre-designed and pre-configured to be mailable from the manufacturing stage. The compression and containerization are performed in advance during retail packaging, so the consumer receives an item that is already ready for mailing without requiring additional repackaging actions
4Adaptability or versatility
If known mailable packaging solutions are used, then garments can be mailed, but the manufacturing cost increases due to complex shapes and multiple assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into two independent stages: compression of the garment and placement into the rigid container. This segmentation allows each process to be optimized separately, with the container being a simple pre-formed component that requires no complex cutting or assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the mailable packaging function from the garment itself and places it in a separate, simple rigid container. This extraction allows the container to be manufactured independently using simple processes, eliminating the need for complex cutting and assembly operations on the garment material
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A package (42) made from a folded sheet (43), the package comprising: an open-topped storage volume bounded by a major face surrounded by an edge portion; at least one upper flap (91) that is integral with, and is movable with respect to, the edge portion to cover at least part of the open top of the storage volume when in a closed configuration; and first and second lower flaps (93) that are integral with, and are movable with respect to, the edge portion to cover at least part of the open top of the storage volume while underlying the upper flap, when in a closed configuration; wherein the upper flap is integrally connected to the first and second lower flaps by folded interleaved elements (69) that unfold, slide past and interact with each other in response to opening movement of the upper flap, thereby to reveal and provide access to the storage volume.