Liquid Storage Container Protective Member Width Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recycled plastic materials used in liquid storage containers, such as inkjet printing apparatuses, tend to have lower impact strength compared to virgin materials, leading to potential chipping or cracking when dropped, especially when protruding portions are involved.
Innovation Solution
A liquid storage container design that incorporates a protective member made from recycled plastic materials or resin mixtures, where the protective member has a specific side surface width ratio between its first end side and second end side, ensuring increased impact strength and reducing the risk of chipping or cracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a recycled plastic material is used for molding a liquid storage container, then environmental friendliness is improved, but impact strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective member is designed with non-uniform thickness, where the first end side has a greater thickness than the second end side. This local quality variation concentrates the protective function at the protruding portion (first end side) which is most vulnerable to impact, while maintaining overall structural integrity. The thicker region at the first end side provides enhanced impact absorption specifically where needed, resolving the contradiction between using recycled material and maintaining impact strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective member is formed by injecting recycled plastic material into a mold that creates a composite structure with varying density and thickness distribution. The molding process itself creates a composite structure where the material properties are optimized for impact protection at critical regions while maintaining the benefits of recycled material usage throughout the component.
2Ease of operation
If a protruding portion is provided at the end of the liquid storage container, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to chipping or cracking risk
Solution Approach 1:
The protective member features localized thickness variation with the first end side being thicker to specifically protect the protruding portion. This local quality enhancement at the vulnerable protruding region provides extra impact absorption capacity exactly where the risk of chipping or cracking is highest, while maintaining the ergonomic benefits of the protruding design for easy handling and identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective member acts as a pre-designed cushioning element that absorbs impact energy before it can reach the vulnerable protruding portion of the liquid storage container. By positioning this protective barrier at the first end side, the design provides beforehand protection against drops and impacts that would otherwise cause chipping or cracking at the protruding portion.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid storage container has a storage unit storing liquid, a supply unit for externally supplying liquid stored in the storage unit, and a protective member protecting the supply unit. The protective member contains a recycled plastic material or a resin material obtained by mixing recycled plastic materials. The protective member has such a portion that while the protective member is attached to the supply unit, a relationship between a side surface width A of the protective member on a first end side and a side surface width B of the protective member on a side of the storage unit opposite to the first end side satisfies 1<A/B<7.