Oblique Article Arrangement in Consumer Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers for elongate consumer articles, such as cigarettes, make it difficult to extract the first article due to tight packing, which limits manual access and space for easy retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A container design with a box portion having an internal height smaller than the length of the articles, where the articles are arranged with their longitudinal axes slanted relative to the box axis, allowing for easier access and a void space for manual handling, and optionally incorporating a hinged lid and filling elements for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If articles are tightly packed in the container, then storage capacity and compactness are improved, but ease of extracting the first article deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal/vertical stacking to a slanted arrangement at an angle between 10-45 degrees. This dimensional change creates a void space at the front end while maintaining tight packing along the slanted axis, allowing fingers to access the first article without compromising storage capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If internal height is reduced to fit more articles, then storage efficiency is improved, but manual access space deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging articles at a slant rather than vertically or horizontally, the patent creates efficient use of internal height while generating a natural void space at the front end where fingers can access articles, thus resolving the contradiction between compactness and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the orientation parameter of article arrangement from 0 or 90 degrees to an angle between 10-45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis. This parameter change optimizes both the number of articles that can be stored and the accessibility of the first article.
3Ease of manufacture
If articles are arranged parallel to box axis, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but extraction difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a slanted arrangement angle between 10-45 degrees, which is simple enough to implement in manufacturing while dramatically improving extraction ease by creating void space and allowing finger access, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and operational ease.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A container for consumer articles comprises a box portion. The box portion comprises a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls extending between the front and the rear wall. The container comprises a group of elongate consumer articles, which comprises at least a row of articles. The articles have a length and are arranged with their longitudinal axes parallel to each other. They are positioned within the box portion between the bottom wall of the box portion and an uppermost edge of the box portion. A height of the container as measured from a bottom wall of the box portion to the uppermost edge of the box portion is smaller than the length of the consumer articles and the consumer articles are arranged within the box portion such that they are slanted relative to a longitudinal axis of the box portion.