Opening Sleeve Pouch Structure for Leak-Safe Channel Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pouch designs face challenges in manufacturing simplicity, reliable manipulation, and effective sealing when transitioning from a flat to a channel configuration, particularly for applications like female urine collection, where the substance flow is not suitable for insertion over a sufficient length, leading to potential leaks and bulkier storage.
Innovation Solution
The pouch features a sleeve with a first longitudinal end strip projecting laterally from the edge of the opening and a sliding edge on the second wall, allowing for easy deformation into a channel shape while ensuring sealing by constraining the second wall to slide against the first, and optionally including inclined sliding edges and outward steps for enhanced deformation and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the sleeve is made from a tube with a closed outline flattened along fold lines, then the pouch can pass into a flat configuration, but the manufacturing complexity increases and production costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is divided into two separate wall elements instead of being a closed tube, allowing each wall to be independently formed and joined, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining the flat configuration capability
Solution Approach 2:
The closed outline structure is opened up by removing the connection between the two walls, transforming the sleeve from a tube into two separate walls that can be flattened without requiring complex folding mechanisms
2Ease of operation
If the two opposite walls are pressed towards each other to form a channel, then the opening is held open, but the walls may not deform properly if they are not initially convex, leading to manufacturing difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The walls are pre-formed with a convex shape during manufacturing, ensuring that when pressure is applied during use, they reliably deform into the channel configuration without requiring additional shaping steps
Solution Approach 2:
The initial convex curvature of the walls is controlled during manufacturing to optimize the deformation behavior, ensuring reliable channel formation when pressure is applied during pouch operation
3Ease of operation
If the walls remain somewhat convex in flat configuration, then the sleeve can deform properly into a channel, but the pouch becomes bulkier and not perfectly flat
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the sleeve into two separate wall elements allows each wall to be optimally shaped for deformation while maintaining a flatter overall pouch profile when not in use
Solution Approach 2:
The convex curvature is localized to specific regions of the walls where it is needed for channel formation, while other regions remain flatter to reduce overall pouch bulk
4Reliability
If substances are introduced from the end of the sleeve, then sealing against the sleeve wall is required, but effective sealing complicates the design
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve wall itself provides the sealing function through its structure and material properties, without requiring additional sealing components or mechanisms, simplifying the overall design
Data Source
AI summary
The pouch comprises a flexible bag (12) having an opening (12A) with its edge fastened to two opposite walls of a reinforcing sleeve (18) that projects to the outside of the bag. The pouch can adopt a flat configuration in which the walls of the sleeve are situated one against the other, and a utilization configuration in which the walls form a channel that holds the opening open. The first wall (20A) of the sleeve (18) presents a first longitudinal end strip (30A), while the second wall presents a sliding edge (32B) suitable for sliding against the inside face of the first longitudinal strip on the pouch passing from its flat configuration to its utilization configuration.