Heat-Shrunk Paper Roll Bundle with Fused Seals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging of paper product rolls with open side gussets can get caught in machinery during shipping, causing delays and expenses due to loose packaging material and lack of a streamlined profile for efficient storage and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A direct-to-consumer heat-shrunk bundled product using a first package material for individual rolls, wrapped in a second package material with end seals made of overlapping layers and side seals fused together to prevent loose areas, which are then heat-treated and pressed to form a unitary seam, ensuring no openings and preventing interference with machinery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If open side gussets are formed during packaging, then the packaging process is simple, but the loose packaging material gets caught in machinery during shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the problematic open side gussets from the packaging structure by using a wrapper that fully encloses the bundle without protruding gussets. The wrapper material is sealed around the bundle ends and sides, extracting the loose packaging elements that cause machinery interference while maintaining packaging functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having open gussets that protrude outward, the patent inverts the approach by creating a closed wrapper structure where the packaging material is sealed against the bundle. The end seals and side seals are folded and sealed to create a streamlined profile, reversing the conventional open-gusset approach.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional packaging material is used, then the packaging process is straightforward, but the bundle does not have a streamlined profile for efficient storage and shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The wrapper is divided into multiple functional segments: end seals at each end of the bundle, side seals along the sides, and continuous wrapper material. Each segment is folded and sealed in a specific manner to create a streamlined overall profile, with the segmentation allowing for a compact, machinery-friendly shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging structure transitions from a two-dimensional open gusset design to a three-dimensional closed wrapper structure. The end seals and side seals are folded and sealed to create a compact, streamlined profile that eliminates protrusions in all spatial dimensions, achieving efficient storage and shipping characteristics.
3Strength
If the wrapper material is made with multiple overlapping layers, then the seal strength is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple layers of wrapper material are merged and sealed together to form integrated end seals and side seals. The overlapping layers are fused through sealing processes, combining their structural functions into a unified, high-strength seal structure that provides both strength and streamlined profile without requiring complex assembly operations.
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 solution prevents the bundled product from catching on machinery, allowing for efficient shipping without additional packaging, reducing costs and ensuring the bundle remains intact and functional during automated handling.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the packaged bundle to heat treatment within a heated tunnel, a temperature of the heat treatment applied by the heated tunnel is 300-400° F. and heat is applied to the packaged bundle for 20 to 45 seconds
Implementation Method 2
A direct-to-consumer heat shrunk bundled product
Data Source
AI summary
A direct-to-consumer heat shrunk bundled product made up of a plurality of paper product rolls each individually packaged by a first package material and arranged relative to one another so as to form a bundle, the bundle being packaged by a second package material, wherein a substantial portion of the inner surface of the second package material is in contact with the first package material of the plurality of paper product rolls and is nonstick relative to the first package material. The bundle includes fused end seals so that the bundle does not include open gussets that might otherwise catch on machinery during sorting and shipping.