Nested Conical Reinforcement for Smoking Shell Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conical smoking shells are prone to bending, wrinkling, or damage when stored in a nested condition due to their thin walls, reducing consumer desirability.
Innovation Solution
A conical smoking shell is packaged with a conical reinforcement nested inside to protect it from collapse during storage and filling, using a pliable and deformable insert with greater stiffness than the shell's sidewall to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If conical smoking shells are stored in a nested condition, then packaging efficiency is improved, but the thin walls of the shells bend, wrinkle, or become damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the conical smoking shell is placed inside a conical reinforcement, which is then nested inside a conical outer shell. This multi-layer nesting provides protective support to the thin-walled smoking shell during storage and transport, preventing bending, wrinkling, and damage while maintaining compact packaging efficiency.
2Strength
If a conical reinforcement is nested inside the smoking shell for protection, then shell integrity is improved, but the complexity of the packaging system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing reinforcement only where needed - the conical reinforcement is specifically positioned inside the smoking shell to support the thin wall areas most susceptible to damage. This targeted approach provides maximum protection with minimal additional complexity, as the reinforcement is confined to the specific region requiring support rather than complicating the entire packaging system.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested doll principle is applied through the multi-layer conical structure where the smoking shell, conical reinforcement, and conical outer shell are nested within each other. This nesting approach provides comprehensive protection while maintaining a compact and relatively simple overall packaging system that can be easily stored and deployed.
3Strength
If the smoking shell is switched from nested in reinforcement to reinforcement nested in shell during filling, then protection during filling is improved, but the operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic configuration where the relative positioning of the smoking shell and conical reinforcement changes based on the operational phase. During storage and transport, the reinforcement is nested inside the shell for protection. During the filling operation, the configuration switches to have the reinforcement nested inside the outer shell with the smoking shell accessible for filling. This dynamic reconfiguration optimizes protection during filling while maintaining ease of operation through a straightforward switching mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of fabricating a finished smokable product comprising the steps of: obtaining a packaged smoking kit including a package having sides, top and bottom portions and a package interior; a smoking shell, the smoking shell being tapered and having a shell interior and filter tip located in the shell interior, the smoking shell having a shell stiffness, the filter tip having a filter tip stiffness that is greater than the shell stiffness, a reinforcing cone having a reinforcing interior, the reinforcing cone being tapered substantially the same as the smoking shell, the reinforcing cone being located in the shell interior and having a reinforcing stiffness that is greater than the shell stiffness, wherein the smoking shell interior is able to accommodate the reinforcing cone, and the reinforcing interior is able to accommodate the conical smoking shell; opening the top portion of the package and separating the smoking shell from the reinforcing cone, and then nesting the smoking shell in the reinforcing interior; and forming a finished smoking product by adding smokable filler material to the shell interior and compacting such added smokable filler.