Irregular Product Carrier with Vertical Support and Wrap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Packing irregular-shaped products poses challenges such as inefficient alignment, excessive movement leading to breakage, and wasted space in packaging, which increases shipping costs and risks product damage during transport and display.
Innovation Solution
A carrier package with a foldable, rigid or semi-rigid sheet material featuring a footing and vertical support members that securely align and enclose irregular-shaped products, minimizing empty space and preventing movement, while allowing upright display and efficient stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If irregular-shaped products are loosely packaged in bulk, then packaging speed is improved, but product stability deteriorates leading to settling and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging system is segmented into individual compartments within a bulk packaging container, each compartment designed to hold one irregular-shaped product. This segmentation allows for high-speed automated placement while providing individual stability and alignment for each product, preventing settling and breakage during transport.
Solution Approach 2:
Compressible packing material is introduced as an intermediary substance between the irregular-shaped products and the container walls. This material adapts to the product shapes, provides cushioning and stabilization, and maintains product position during handling and transport, thus improving reliability without sacrificing packaging speed.
2Reliability
If irregular-shaped products are secured using blister packs or bubble wrap, then product protection is improved, but packaging complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function previously requiring separate blister packs or bubble wrap is merged into the bulk packaging container structure itself. The container includes integrated compartments and compressible packing material that simultaneously provide structural support, protection, and space optimization, reducing overall packaging complexity and material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The bulk packaging container is designed with multi-functional elements that serve multiple purposes: compartments provide structural organization, compressible material provides both cushioning and space-filling, and the overall structure enables both protection and efficient stacking. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate protective packaging components.
3Ease of operation
If irregular-shaped products are attached to hanging displays, then product visibility is improved, but packaging efficiency deteriorates resulting in bulky and loose packaging
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual product compartments are nested within the bulk packaging container in a space-efficient arrangement. The compartments are designed to fit together like nested dolls, maximizing the use of internal volume and minimizing empty space, while still allowing for easy access and display of individual products at the point of sale.
Data Source
AI summary
A carrier and related methods of use are provided for packaging irregular-shaped products. The carrier has a footing and a vertical support member partially enclosing at least one irregular-shaped product. The vertical support member has: (1) a pair of sidewalls facing one another and having lower tabs joined to opposite ends of the footing, and (2) a rear wall with edges along the junctures with the sidewalls and a lower edge along the juncture with the footing. A wrap encloses the irregular-shaped product(s) and the carrier. The method includes uniformly aligning the irregular-shaped product(s) in the carrier and securing the carrier and product(s) by enclosing them with a wrap.