Nested Light Bulb Packaging for Space and Material Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging solutions for light bulbs are inefficient, leading to higher failure rates, increased material usage, and higher shipping costs due to bulkiness and lack of secure features, resulting in wasted space and increased expenses.
Innovation Solution
The development of a protective light bulb sleeve with a unique design featuring alternating apertures and relief features that allow bulbs to be packed in inverted orientations within an outer shell, maximizing space efficiency and minimizing material usage by using lighter materials, such as paperboard, and optimizing the arrangement of sleeves to securely hold multiple bulbs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional packaging solutions are used to protect light bulbs, then bulb protection is provided, but packaging material usage increases and shipping space is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing one bulb inside the hollow interior cavity of another bulb, with the inner bulb's base positioned within the outer bulb's glass envelope. This nested arrangement eliminates the need for separate packaging containers for each bulb, significantly reducing packaging material usage while maintaining protective functionality through the outer bulb's structure serving as the packaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer bulb structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both a protective packaging container and a functional light bulb component. The hollow interior cavity of the outer bulb provides packaging space for the inner bulb, while the entire assembly remains a usable light bulb product, eliminating the need for dedicated packaging materials.
2Reliability
If conventional packaging solutions are used to secure light bulbs, then bulb protection is improved, but shipping costs increase due to bulkiness
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the inner bulb within the outer bulb's hollow cavity, the patent achieves compact packaging that fits precisely within the outer bulb's dimensions. This eliminates excess packaging volume and bulkiness, allowing for more efficient space utilization during shipping while maintaining adequate protection through the nested configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the packaging function with the product structure itself by using the outer bulb's hollow cavity as the packaging container. This consolidation eliminates separate packaging components and reduces overall package volume, directly addressing the bulkiness issue while maintaining protective capabilities.
3Loss of substance
If simpler packaging designs are used, then material usage decreases, but bulb security and protection fail
Solution Approach 1:
The nested configuration provides inherent security through the physical interlocking of the inner bulb within the outer bulb's cavity. The inner bulb is secured by positioning its base within the outer bulb's structure, creating a stable arrangement that prevents movement and damage during shipping without requiring additional packaging materials or complex securing mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A protective sleeve, adapted to receive at least a first light bulb, includes parallel first and second panels, wherein at least the second panel includes a plurality of apertures. The package also includes a pair of sidewalls generally perpendicular to and connecting the panels, wherein the first panel, second panel and sidewalls together define an interior space. A second sleeve is adapted to receive at least a second light bulb. When the sleeve and the second sleeve are received together into the outer shell in an inverted orientation relative to each other sleeve, the respective second panels of the sleeve are adjacent each other, and the bulb portion of each of first and second light bulbs positioned with the sleeve intrudes into an interior space of the adjacent sleeve through at least one of the plurality of apertures of each of the sleeves.