Paper Box Pin-and-Slot Closure for Stable Produce Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Plastic packages for containing fruit and vegetables are highly polluting and limit transpiration, leading to rapid product deterioration and unsatisfactory shelf life, while alternative materials like paper or cardboard closures are unstable and prone to accidental opening.
Innovation Solution
A fixing system using a pin element integrated into a paper package, which engages with a slot to create a stable, tamper-evident closure, allowing the lid to be securely locked and preventing accidental opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plastic packages are used to contain fruit and vegetables, then rigidity and low production costs are achieved, but environmental pollution increases and product transpiration is limited leading to rapid deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to paper-based materials, transforming the package from non-breathable to breathable while maintaining structural integrity through optimized paperboard geometry and reinforcement elements
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite paper-based structures combining different paperboard layers with varying properties (rigid outer layers, breathable inner layers) to achieve both mechanical strength and transpiration functionality
2Reliability
If paper containers are used with cellophane or plasticised sheet closures, then containment is achieved, but product shelf life is limited due to limited transpiration
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the non-breathable cellophane/plasticised sheet closure from the system, replacing it with an integrated paper-based closure that maintains containment while enabling continuous transpiration for extended shelf life
3Object-affected harmful factors
If paper or cardboard solutions with reclosable packages are used, then environmental friendliness is improved, but closure stability deteriorates making accidental opening likely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates curved reinforcement elements and arched structural features in the paper-based closure system that distribute mechanical stresses and prevent accidental opening while maintaining environmental friendliness
Solution Approach 2:
The closure system is segmented into multiple functional elements (closure panel, reinforcement elements, interlocking features) that work together to provide stable containment while allowing easy intentional opening
4Stability of the object's composition
If a stable closure system is implemented, then accidental opening is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the closure function with the package structure itself, integrating reinforcement elements and locking features directly into the paperboard construction to achieve stability without adding separate complex mechanisms
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention comprises a paper box for fruits and vegetables comprising a fixing system for fixing a lid and/or cover, or a part thereof, to a package in general, said fixing system comprising at least one pin element (10) and at least one access slot (20) within which, in use, said at least one pin element (10) is engaged. The pin element (10) is configured so that, following penetration into the slot (20), it has at least one portion thereof that is contrasted against a portion of the wall delimiting the slot.