Lid Reinforcement Structure for Smoking Pack Printing Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hinge-lid packs for smoking articles face challenges in increasing communication space for consumer information while maintaining manufacturing efficiency and compliance with legal requirements, as additional material layers complicate formation and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A packaging blank design featuring a reinforcement structure with a lid top wall counter panel, stabilizing flaps, and a hinge mechanism that allows for increased inner surface printing without adding material layers, ensuring easy folding and closure while maintaining standard material costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a counter panel structure is added to increase inner surface printing area, then communication space is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The counter panel is nested within the lid structure, specifically positioned on the inner surface of the lid top wall. This allows the counter panel to utilize the existing lid space without requiring additional external structures, thereby increasing printing area while maintaining overall pack compactness and avoiding excessive structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the inner surface dimension of the lid top wall, which is typically underutilized. By placing the counter panel on this inner surface rather than expanding external dimensions, the solution increases printing area by exploiting an alternative dimensional space within the existing pack structure
2Area of stationary object
If a counter panel structure is added to increase inner surface printing area, then communication space is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is segmented into multiple functional parts: the lid top wall, the counter panel, and stabilizing flaps. This segmentation allows each part to be formed and positioned independently during manufacturing, simplifying the overall formation process despite the added complexity of the counter panel structure
Solution Approach 2:
The counter panel and stabilizing flaps are pre-formed as integral parts of the packaging blank before the final pack assembly. This preliminary formation of structural components in the blank stage simplifies subsequent manufacturing steps and ensures consistent positioning during pack closure
3Area of stationary object
If a counter panel structure is added to increase inner surface printing area, then communication space is improved, but material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The counter panel is nested within the existing lid structure, utilizing the same material blank that forms the lid. This nesting approach allows the counter panel to be created from the same material without requiring additional separate components, thereby increasing printing area while avoiding proportional increases in material quantity and cost
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging blank serves multiple functions: it forms both the structural lid components and the counter panel with printing surface. This multi-functionality of the single material blank eliminates the need for separate materials for structural and printing purposes, optimizing material usage and reducing costs
4Reliability
If stabilizing flaps are added to reinforce the counter panel, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Stabilizing flaps are added only at specific critical locations where reinforcement is needed, rather than uniformly across the entire structure. This localized reinforcement approach improves reliability at key points while minimizing the overall increase in structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing flaps are merged with the counter panel and lid structure as integral parts of the same packaging blank. This merging creates a unified reinforcement system that improves stability without requiring separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2
AI summary
A lid (12) for a pack (14) for consumer goods, in particular a pack (14) for smoking articles, comprising a container (34) and a lid (12) being pivotable about a hinge (36) with a lid top wall (16), a lid front wall (24), a lid back wall (28) and two opposite lid side walls (30, 32), wherein the lid (12) further comprises a reinforcement structure (16b to 16d) bonded to a contact surface (16a-2) of the lid top wall (16) comprising a lid top wall counter panel (16b), a first stabilizing flap (16c) and a second stabilizing flap (16d), and wherein the reinforcement structure is further configured such that at least a part of an edge (18) of the first stabilizing flap (16c) is aligned with at least part of a first edge (20) of the lid top wall counter panel (16b) and at least a part of an edge (22) of the second stabilizing flap (16d) is aligned with at least part of a second edge (20) of the lid top wall counter panel (16b).