Thermally Insulative Liner With Sealed Fluted Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flat-pack packaging is costly, prone to fatigue and breakage, insufficiently thermally insulating, and environmentally unsustainable, with issues of incomplete assembly and accidental spillage or temperature control during transportation of perishable goods.
Innovation Solution
A thermally insulative liner for packaging formed from a base and sidewalls with fluted or corrugated channels, which auto-assembles and auto-seals, using recycled or biodegradable materials, providing enhanced thermal insulation and robustness while being cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fluted or corrugated sheets are used for packaging, then structural rigidity is improved, but thermal insulation is sub-optimal because air can enter and exit the open-ended cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing a fluted or corrugated sheet inside a pouch, creating a nested structure where the rigid sheet provides structural support while the sealed pouch traps air within its cavities. This combination resolves the contradiction by maintaining the rigidity benefits of fluted/corrugated sheets while eliminating their thermal insulation deficiency through the sealed pouch enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a fluted or corrugated sheet with a pouch made of thermally insulative material. This composite structure leverages the mechanical strength of the fluted/corrugated sheet and the thermal insulation properties of the pouch, achieving both structural rigidity and effective thermal insulation simultaneously.
2Ease of manufacture
If flat sheet material is used for packaging, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but robustness and thermal insulation are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing a fluted or corrugated sheet inside a pouch, creating a nested structure where the rigid sheet provides structural support while the sealed pouch traps air within its cavities. This combination resolves the contradiction by maintaining the rigidity benefits of fluted/corrugated sheets while eliminating their thermal insulation deficiency through the sealed pouch enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a fluted or corrugated sheet with a pouch made of thermally insulative material. This composite structure leverages the mechanical strength of the fluted/corrugated sheet and the thermal insulation properties of the pouch, achieving both structural rigidity and effective thermal insulation simultaneously.
3Ease of manufacture
If flat sheet material is used for packaging, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but thermal insulation performance is insufficient for perishable goods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing a fluted or corrugated sheet inside a pouch, creating a nested structure where the rigid sheet provides structural support while the sealed pouch traps air within its cavities. This combination resolves the contradiction by maintaining the rigidity benefits of fluted/corrugated sheets while eliminating their thermal insulation deficiency through the sealed pouch enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a fluted or corrugated sheet with a pouch made of thermally insulative material. This composite structure leverages the mechanical strength of the fluted/corrugated sheet and the thermal insulation properties of the pouch, achieving both structural rigidity and effective thermal insulation simultaneously.
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 provides improved thermal insulation, robustness, and reduced risk of breakage or temperature deviations during transportation, while being environmentally sustainable and cost-effective, thus addressing the limitations of conventional packaging.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the plurality of sidewalls includes an inner surface, an outer surface, and a plurality of channels formed between the inner surface and the outer surface... One or more of the plurality of channels in the first sidewall is closed at opposing ends... thereby to provide thermal insulation
Data Source
AI summary
A thermally insulative liner for a box is described. The liner includes a base and a plurality of sidewalls. Each sidewall extends from the base thereby to define an opening opposite the base. Each of the plurality of sidewalls includes an inner surface, an outer surface, and a plurality of channels formed between the inner surface and the outer surface and extending parallel with the inner surface and the outer surface. A first sidewall of the plurality of sidewalls contacts two other sidewalls of the plurality of sidewalls. One or more of the plurality of channels in the first sidewall is closed at opposing ends by the respective inner surfaces of the two other sidewalls.