Water Soluble Pouch with Interlocking Convex-Concave Chambers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Multi-chamber water soluble pouches for cleaning agents face challenges in structural form stability, material efficiency, and production costs, with existing solutions either being cost-intensive or lacking sufficient rigidity due to flexible foil configurations.

Innovation Solution

A water soluble pouch design featuring two layers of foil with a convex section of one chamber extending into a concave section of another, creating a non-linear separating strip that enhances bending stiffness without adding material, combined with a circular base area for mass concentration, providing improved structural form stability and reduced manufacturing costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If thin foil is used for deep drawn pouches, then production costs are reduced, but the pouch becomes flexible and lacks form stability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction costVSAvoidform stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The base areas of the chambers are designed with convex and concave curved sections instead of flat surfaces. The convex section of one chamber fits into the concave section of the adjacent chamber, creating interlocking geometry that provides form stability while using thin foil material.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The separating strip between chambers is designed with asymmetric convex and concave sections rather than a straight line. This asymmetric geometry creates mechanical interlocking that prevents bending and maintains pouch stability during handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Stability of the object's composition

If multi chamber pouches are made with stacked configuration, then form stability is improved, but material usage and production complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveform stabilityVSAvoidproduction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pouch is divided into multiple chambers separated by divisional sealing strips within a single continuous foil structure. This segmentation allows multiple cleaning agents to be held separately while maintaining a unified pouch structure that is easier to manufacture than stacked configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple chambers are combined into a single pouch structure made from one continuous foil piece with integrated divisional sealing strips. This merging approach provides form stability comparable to stacked configurations but with reduced material usage and production complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 design achieves high structural form stability with minimal material usage and lower production costs, allowing for easy handling and effective separation of cleaning agents without compromising on flexibility or tightness.

Implementation Method 1

the base foil is deep drawn in a plastically deforming manner to form the first chamber and the second chamber

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPlastic deformation: Plasticity

Implementation Method 2

the convex section of the second chamber extends into the concave section of the first chamber, wherein the separating strip between both chamber base areas does not run in a straight line

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGeometric stiffening: Geometry

Data Source

PatentEP2617659B2Cleaning agent product
Publication Date: 2020.11.25 LAKMA STREFA SP Z O O
  • EP2617659B2 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2617659B2 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2617659B2 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a cleaning agent product. The cleaning agent product comprises a water soluble pouch (10) having a first chamber (1) and a second chamber (2) being separated from the first chamber (1). The first chamber (1) and the second chamber (2) are each filled with a cleaning agent (3, 4). The pouch (10) is made of a water soluble base foil (5) and of a water soluble lid foil (6) being tightly connected to each other. The base foil (5) is deep drawn in a plastically deforming manner to form the first chamber (1) and the second chamber (2). The first chamber (1) comprises a first base area (A1), the second chamber (2) a second base area (A2) and the entire cleaning agent product a third base area (A3). The first base area (A1) of the first chamber (1) comprises a concave section (7) on its side facing the second chamber (2). The second base area (A2) of the second chamber (2) comprises a convex section (8) on its side facing the first chamber (1). The convex section (8) of the second chamber (2) extends into the concave section (7) of the first chamber (1). The third base area (A3) of the cleaning agent product is at least approximately circular shaped.