Single-piece Packaging Container with Retaining Flap
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging containers for food and beverages are difficult to erect quickly and securely, often require gluing parts together, making them labor-intensive and costly to produce, and are not designed to hold multiple containers or keep contents visible and secure during transport.
Innovation Solution
A packaging container design featuring a single-piece cardboard blank with a retaining tab that aligns with broad side walls, allowing for easy and adhesive-free assembly, and includes punched openings for objects to be visible and secure, with a trapezoidal end wall and converging side walls to prevent contents from falling or spilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If packaging containers are constructed from single-piece cardboard blanks with multiple wall panels and fold lines, then the containers can be erected manually, but the erection process becomes time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The cardboard blank is divided into distinct functional zones: a base wall panel, two broad side wall panels with punched openings, and an end wall panel with a retaining flap. This segmentation allows each panel to be erected independently and quickly interlocked, reducing overall assembly time while maintaining ease of manual operation
Solution Approach 2:
The end wall panel is pre-formed with a retaining flap that extends beyond the panel edge, and the broad side wall panels are pre-provided with punched openings. These preliminary features are incorporated into the flat blank before erection, enabling rapid assembly without requiring additional steps or tools during the erection process
2Reliability
If packaging containers use glued flaps to hold parts together, then the container structure is secure, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive component is completely removed from the container structure. Instead of using glued flaps to join panels, the design relies on mechanical interlocking through the retaining flap that engages with the punched openings in the side wall panels, eliminating the need for adhesives and reducing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining flap acts as an intermediary mechanical connector between the end wall panel and the broad side wall panels. It mediates the connection by engaging with the punched openings, providing a secure adhesive-free joint that simplifies manufacturing while maintaining structural integrity
3Ease of operation
If handle openings are punched out in broad side walls with hook-shaped projections, then the container can be carried, but the erection process becomes relatively time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The carrying handle function is merged into the structural framework of the container. The retaining flap and the punched openings in the broad side wall panels serve dual purposes: providing structural connection during erection and forming the carrying handle when the container is assembled, eliminating the need for separate handle components and reducing assembly time
Solution Approach 2:
The punched openings in the broad side wall panels and the retaining flap structure serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide mechanical interlocking for panel connection, form the carrying handle for portability, and maintain structural integrity during both erection and use, reducing overall complexity and assembly time
4Reliability
If end walls are provided with retaining flaps inserted into slots, then the end wall position is secured, but the process is relatively time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining flap on the end wall panel is designed to self-align and self-lock into the punched openings of the broad side wall panels during erection. The flap's geometry and the opening positions are arranged so that the end wall panel automatically secures itself without requiring manual insertion or additional fastening operations, reducing assembly time and labor
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a one-piece packaging container (10) made from a single cardboard blank (16), comprising a narrow rectangular base (20), two rectangular side walls (26, 28) on either side of the base (20), and at least one end wall (32). The side walls (26, 28) are detachably connected to one another. The side walls converge upwards from a first and a second fold line (44, 46) on opposite longitudinal sides of the base and form an acute angle with each other along their entire length.The end wall has a generally triangular or trapezoidal outline, borders one of the two side walls along a third fold line (48) perpendicular to the first fold line, and is provided with a projecting retaining flap (36) at an end edge (34) adjacent to the bottom wall. This retaining flap extends above the bottom wall between the two side walls and has the same width as the bottom wall along part of its length. At least one of the two side walls has at least one punched-out opening through which an item (12, 14) transported in the packaging container partially protrudes.