Packaging Blank With Interlocking Tabs And Recesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging designs fail to efficiently use materials, are not space-efficient during transport and storage, lack strength, are difficult to prepare for use, and have a high environmental impact, often requiring adhesives or staples for assembly and disposal.
Innovation Solution
A blank configured to be folded into a package with end wall panels featuring centrally located cuts that form tabs and recesses, allowing for easy folding and secure closure without adhesives, while minimizing material usage and facilitating stacking strength and environmental sustainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional packaging designs use adhesives or staples for assembly, then structural strength is improved, but ease of manufacture and environmental impact worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The end wall panels are segmented into multiple layers with tabs and recesses that interlock mechanically, eliminating the need for adhesives or staples while maintaining structural strength
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs of one package nest into the recesses of adjacent packages, creating a self-locking mechanism that provides structural strength without requiring additional fastening materials
2Strength
If traditional packaging designs use multiple folding operations, then structural strength is improved, but ease of operation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The blank is pre-configured with fold lines and panel arrangements that guide the folding sequence, allowing the package to be assembled with minimal folding operations while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The package structure self-aligns during folding through the geometric relationships between panels, tabs, and recesses, reducing the need for complex manual manipulation
3Strength
If traditional packaging designs use excessive material, then structural strength is improved, but loss of substance worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into functional panels and layers that are precisely configured to provide structural strength only where needed, eliminating excess material while maintaining integrity
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple layers of material are combined in a composite structure where each layer serves a specific structural function, maximizing strength-to-material-ratio
4Strength
If traditional packaging designs lack stacking features, then ease of manufacture is improved, but strength worsens
Solution Approach 1:
Tabs and recesses are designed to interlock when packages are stacked, providing mechanical strength that distributes load across multiple packages without requiring additional structural elements
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs and recesses serve dual functions: they provide closure for individual packages and enable stacking strength when multiple packages are combined, eliminating the need for separate stacking features
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a blank (1), to a method of folding a blank (1), and to a package (200). 1. The blank (1) comprises a bottom panel (10) and a first and a second set (21, 22) of end wall panels (21a-b, 22a-b) including a cut (23a-b) which is located centrally as seen along the second direction (T) and which has an extension from the respective first end wall panel (21a, 22a) towards or into the respective second end wall panel (21b, 22b) or from the respective second end wall panel (21b, 22b) towards or into the respective first end wall panel (21a, 22a) such that, as the end wall panels (21a-b, 22a-b) are folded relative to each other, a respective tab (24a-b) extends upwardly from the respective first or second end wall panel (21a-b, 22a-b) and said extension of respective cut (23a-b) from respective first or second end wall panel (21a-b, 22a-b) as seen in a flat-laid state of the blank (100) forms a respective recess (25a-b) located in an upper portion of the respective end wall (221, 222) of the package (200) and being located centrally as seen along the second direction (T).