Multi-compartmental Container for Manual Mixing of Viscous Pastes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging for beauty products like hair dyes, which require mixing of multiple components, is inefficient due to separate containers increasing size and material usage, and previous designs fail to provide a convenient and easy-to-manufacture configuration for mixing these products effectively.
Innovation Solution
A multi-compartmental container with compartments that can be easily mixed by shaking, featuring a brush attachment and outlet nozzle for precise application, allowing for the combination of products within the container to form a final product ready for use, while also considering the storage of viscous pastes that require manual mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple products are packed in separate tubes or containers, then each product can be stored independently, but the overall size and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate containers into a single integrated multi-compartmental container. The container includes a first compartment for storing a first product and a second compartment for storing a second product, both within one unified structure. This merging reduces the total number of separate packaging units while maintaining the ability to store and dispense multiple products independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified container is segmented into multiple compartments (first compartment and second compartment) that are spatially separated. Each compartment has its own outlet nozzle, allowing independent access and dispensing of each product. This segmentation enables independent storage while achieving overall consolidation.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple products are stored in separate containers, then product independence is maintained, but manufacturing complexity and material consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple container functions into a single manufacturing process. The multi-compartmental container is formed as one unified structure with shared walls and common closure mechanisms, reducing the number of separate manufacturing steps, assembly operations, and material types required compared to producing multiple independent containers.
3Quantity of substance
If products are stored in separate compartments without mixing mechanism, then product separation is maintained, but mixing capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dynamic mixing mechanism that allows the compartments to transition from a separated state to a mixed state. The mixing mechanism includes movable elements that can agitate and combine the products from different compartments when needed, while maintaining physical separation during storage and dispensing. This dynamic capability enables both product separation and mixing functionality within the same container system.
4Ease of manufacture
If a single compartment container is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but the ability to store and dispense multiple products independently is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single container into multiple compartments (first compartment and second compartment) with individual outlet nozzles for each. This segmentation allows independent storage and dispensing of multiple products while maintaining a unified container structure that can be manufactured as a single piece, preserving manufacturing simplicity while gaining multi-product versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-compartmental container for storage and easy mixing of two or more materials, e.g., pastes, is disclosed. The container has a container portion that includes two or more compartments containing materials that need to be mixed. The container further includes an outlet nozzle provided at an operative top end of the container. The compartments of the container portion are in fluid communication with each other so that the contents of the compartments can inter-mix with each other, when the container is shaken manually, thereby providing a final product that is to be applied to a body part of a user.