Low-Profile Scoop Layout for Infant Formula Headspace Limits
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging designs for powdered infant formula face challenges in minimizing unused space, particularly in packages with limited headspace, and require multiple scoop sizes without altering the lid assembly design.
Innovation Solution
A low-profile scoop design with a handle portion and a bowl that is narrower than its length and depth, allowing it to be positioned sideways within the lid, enabling scoops of varying volumes to be stacked and used efficiently in packages with minimal headspace, and featuring a tapered or stepped bowl and elongate openings to prevent powder accumulation and tangling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the scoop is positioned upright in the package, then the bowl depth occupies vertical headspace, but this increases the required headspace for larger volume scoops
Solution Approach 1:
The scoop is reoriented from an upright position to a sideways position within the lid headspace. This dimensional change allows the bowl depth to extend laterally rather than vertically, enabling larger scoop volumes without increasing the vertical headspace requirement. The handle portion extends toward the seal area while the bowl sits laterally, maximizing space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple scoops of different volumes are stacked nested within each other in the sideways orientation. The scoops are arranged with smaller scoops nested within or alongside larger scoops, allowing multiple dosing options to be stored in the same headspace area without requiring additional vertical space.
2Quantity of substance
If the scoop width is increased to provide larger dosing volume, then the scoop occupies more lateral space, but this prevents efficient stacking and increases headspace usage
Solution Approach 1:
Scoops are designed with stacking features including recesses and protrusions that allow them to nest together in the sideways orientation. The bowl recesses receive the bowl protrusions of adjacent scoops, creating a stable stacked arrangement that maximizes lateral space utilization while maintaining individual scoop integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The scoop structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: the handle portion with grip features, the bowl portion with dosing opening, and the stacking interface features. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently for its specific function while contributing to overall stacking efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A low profile scoop for dosing of powdered infant formula has a handle portion (41) and a bowl (51) with an open mouth and a closed underside. The bowl has a width (w) that is relatively smaller than both its length (I) and its depth (d), allowing it to be placed on its side in areas of relatively low head space. The scoop may be used in package for powdered infant nutrition comprising a tub defining a product containing space and a lid having limited head space.