Packaging Opening Device with Detachable Side Flaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions with side openings fail to provide a reliable and easy-to-use mechanism for preventing unintentional release of contents while allowing easy access, often requiring user intervention for resealing.
Innovation Solution
A pre-cut and folded cardboard packaging design featuring an opening device with detachable side portions and auxiliary cutouts that allow for easy opening and resealing, ensuring contents remain secure until intentional removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a side opening is provided in the packaging to allow easy access to contents, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of closure deteriorates because contents may unintentionally fall out
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging incorporates a tear strip with pre-defined tear lines that guide the user to tear the packaging along a specific path. This preliminary design ensures that when the user tears the packaging to access contents, the tear automatically follows a controlled trajectory that maintains closure integrity at other locations, preventing unintentional release of contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening device is segmented into multiple functional components: a front panel with a front cutout, detachable side portions connected by hinge lines, and auxiliary cutouts. This segmentation allows the packaging to be opened in a controlled sequence where the front cutout provides access while the detachable side portions remain connected via hinge lines, maintaining structural integrity and preventing complete opening unless intentionally triggered.
2Ease of operation
If a detachable opening device is used to allow easy removal of contents, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The opening device merges multiple functions into a single integrated structure: the front panel serves as both the display surface and the opening mechanism, the detachable side portions provide both structural support and the release mechanism, and the hinge lines serve as both structural connectors and the detachment mechanism. This merging reduces the need for separate components while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The detachable side portions serve multiple functions: they provide structural support to maintain packaging integrity, act as the release mechanism when detached, and guide the tearing action. The hinge lines similarly serve dual purposes as both structural connectors and the mechanism for controlled detachment. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity while maintaining ease of content removal.
3Reliability
If auxiliary cutouts are added to form flaps for automatic resealing, then reliability of closure is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary cutouts are strategically positioned and sized to create flaps with specific local properties: the cutouts are located adjacent to the front cutout to enable automatic closing action, and their dimensions are designed to create flaps of appropriate size and flexibility. This local quality optimization allows the flaps to automatically return to their original position and seal the opening without requiring high-precision manufacturing across the entire packaging structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary cutouts are pre-designed in the blank to create flaps that automatically return to their original position after the packaging is opened. This preliminary design of the flap geometry and hinge connection ensures that when the user opens the packaging by detaching the side portions, the flaps naturally close the opening through elastic recovery, providing automatic resealing without requiring additional manufacturing steps or high precision assembly.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1D
Figure 2A
AI summary
The invention relates to a package obtained by folding a blank, as well as a blank comprising an opening device (14). According to the invention, the opening device (14) comprises, in a main front panel (23), at least one front cutout which opens at each of its transverse ends into one of two opposite detachable side portions (52, 54), each delimited by an edge (62, 64) partially cut into one of the two adjacent main panels (22, 24) and at least one first flap (70) formed of at least one portion of the main front panel (23), one transverse edge (44) of which is formed by the front cutout (44) and two lateral edges (72, 73) of which are formed by two first auxiliary cutouts which extend over a longitudinal extent and which each open into the front cutout or into the edge (62, 64) of one of the opposite detachable side portions (52, 54).