Paint Container Skirt Undercut for Handle Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing paint containers are limited in display configuration, as they can only be positioned on retail stands with the front face visible, restricting the ability to display more containers within a given width unless the handle is reoriented, which complicates handling and accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A paint container design featuring a skirt with an undercut at its corners, allowing the handle to be easily moved from a resting to a carrying position, enabling visibility of either the front or side face, thus accommodating different display orientations without compromising handle accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the container is positioned on the display stand with the side face visible to maximize the number of containers within a given width, then the display density is improved, but the handle becomes inaccessible for manipulation from the resting position to the carrying position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new spatial dimension by creating an undercut feature that extends laterally beyond the vertical plane of the skirt. This allows the handle to be accessed from the side dimension rather than requiring front or rear access, enabling the container to be displayed side-face forward while maintaining handle accessibility through the undercut opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The undercut acts as an intermediary access point between the handle and the user's hand. It provides a lateral opening that mediates the interaction between the user and the handle, allowing manipulation without requiring direct front or rear access to the container body.
2Ease of operation
If the container is positioned on the display stand with the front face visible to maintain handle accessibility, then the handle remains accessible for manipulation, but the number of containers that can be displayed within a given width is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The undercut creates a lateral access dimension that is independent of the front or rear display orientation. This allows the container to be rotated to display the side face while the undercut remains accessible from the side, maintaining handle manipulation capability regardless of display orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The undercut serves multiple functions: it provides structural reinforcement to the skirt, creates an access opening for handle manipulation, and enables flexible display orientations. This multi-functionality allows the same feature to support both high display density and ease of operation.
3Reliability
If a projection on the skirt is used to retain the handle in the resting position, then the handle is securely retained, but the handle cannot be easily manipulated from the resting position to the carrying position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the retention function from the projection and relocates it to the undercut feature. The undercut provides retention through its geometric configuration while simultaneously providing an opening that facilitates easy manipulation, separating the retention and manipulation functions into different spatial zones.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a protruding projection to retain the handle, the patent uses a recessed undercut feature. This inverted approach allows the handle to be retained by the undercut's geometry while the same undercut provides an opening for easy manipulation, reversing the traditional projection-based retention mechanism.
Data Source
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AI summary
A paint container (10) comprising a main body (12), a closure (14) to seal the main body, and a handle (16), the main body having an outer wall (15), a base, and a skirt (28) located on, and extending at least partially around, the outer wall, in which the skirt (28) includes a lower surface (23) and has an undercut (90) extending therefrom that enables a user to manipulate the handle (16) to move it from the resting position towards the carrying position.