Laminate Container Lid With Integral Pull Strap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional container lids with heat-sealable aluminum foil lids face issues due to variations in bond strength between the pull tab and the center panel, leading to inconsistent opening performance, where the tab may detach instead of the center panel, requiring users to puncture the lid to access the contents.
Innovation Solution
A laminate lid structure with an adhesive-free region and integral pull strap, featuring lines of weakness that allow the lid to separate reliably when pulled, ensuring the adhesive bond strength is utilized for opening, rather than tear resistance, and allowing for a thinner upper layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pull tab is heat-sealed to the center panel, then the user can easily tear out the center panel, but the bond strength varies and the tab may detach instead of the center panel
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the pull function from a separate tab and integrates it into the lid structure itself by forming a pull strap as an integral part of the laminate. This eliminates the tab attachment interface that causes bond strength variations, ensuring reliable and consistent opening performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the laminate into multiple layers (first layer, second layer, third layer) with an adhesive-free region between them, allowing the pull strap to be formed in the first layer while maintaining structural integrity. This segmentation enables the pull strap to be part of the lid structure without requiring separate attachment.
2Loss of substance
If the upper layer is made thinner to reduce material cost, then material cost decreases, but the tear-resistance of the upper layer becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a composite laminate structure with multiple layers (first layer, second layer, third layer) where each layer contributes different properties. The pull strap is formed in the first layer within an adhesive-free region, allowing the strap to leverage the combined strength of the laminate structure rather than relying solely on the thickness of the first layer, thus enabling thinner material usage while maintaining adequate tear-resistance.
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 laminate lid design ensures consistent and reliable opening of containers by leveraging adhesive bond strength and minimizing the risk of tab detachment, enhancing user convenience and reducing material and process costs.
Implementation Method 1
an upper layer of flexible sheet material laminated by an adhesive to a lower layer of flexible sheet material to form a laminate
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5
Figure 6A~7
AI summary
A lid for a container having a built-in opening feature comprises a flexible laminate comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, a pair of radially spaced concentric lines of weakness being formed in the upper and lower layers, respectively, wherein the upper and lower layers in an annular region between the lines of weakness are readily peeled apart, and wherein the upper and lower layers outside the annular region are laminated together with an adhesive providing a bond with a greater peel strength than that required to separate the layers in the annular region. An integral strap is formed in the upper layer by a U-shaped cut line. A distal end of the strap opposite from the two ends of the cut line is within an adhesive-free region of the laminate. The ends of the cut line are in an adhesively laminated area of the laminate.