Paperboard Container Bottom Sealing via Overlapping Flanges

Solution Overview

Problem

Paperboard containers often leak or sift due to cracks or small openings, necessitating additional packaging and more complex manufacturing processes, which increase costs and require sophisticated machinery.

Innovation Solution

A container design featuring a blank sheet of material with coupled panels and flanges, assembled along parallel fold lines, forming a cavity with a bottom and top, and a machine for folding and securing the panels to create a sealed container, including an internal mandrel and flange sealing mechanism.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If additional packaging (plastic bag or insert) is added to prevent leakage and sifting, then product integrity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct integrityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the container structure with sealing features by integrating flaps and seals directly into the container walls. The first and second container walls each include inwardly extending flaps that overlap with corresponding flaps on opposite walls, creating an integrated sealing system that prevents leakage without requiring separate packaging materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The container structure provides its own sealing mechanism through the overlapping flaps and seals that are part of the container itself. The seals are received within recesses in the opposite container walls, creating a self-contained sealing system that eliminates the need for external packaging materials like plastic bags or inserts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If additional packaging (plastic bag or insert) is added to prevent leakage and sifting, then product integrity is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct integrityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the container structure with sealing features by integrating flaps and seals directly into the container walls. The first and second container walls each include inwardly extending flaps that overlap with corresponding flaps on opposite walls, creating an integrated sealing system that prevents leakage without requiring separate packaging materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The container structure provides its own sealing mechanism through the overlapping flaps and seals that are part of the container itself. The seals are received within recesses in the opposite container walls, creating a self-contained sealing system that eliminates the need for external packaging materials like plastic bags or inserts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If sophisticated machinery is used to manufacture containers with additional packaging, then product integrity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct integrityVSAvoidmachinery complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the container into modular components including first and second container walls with integrated flaps and seals. Each wall assembly can be formed and then assembled with the other, allowing for simpler manufacturing of individual components that are then combined to create the complete sealed container.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the container structure with sealing features by integrating flaps and seals directly into the container walls. The first and second container walls each include inwardly extending flaps that overlap with corresponding flaps on opposite walls, creating an integrated sealing system that prevents leakage without requiring separate packaging materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS9061786B2Blank of sheet material and methods and apparatus for forming a container from the blank

Publication Date: 2015.06.23 WESTROCK SHARED SERVICES LLC

AI summary

A container formed from a blank sheet of material. The container includes a plurality of panels that are coupled together along substantially parallel fold lines and that include a first major panel and a second major panel. The plurality of panels form a plurality of sides of the container and define a cavity with a bottom and a top. An outer bottom flap is coupled to the first major panel and has a plurality of edges, and an inner bottom flap is coupled to the second major panel. The container also includes a plurality of flanges where each flange is coupled to one edge of the outer bottom flap. When the container is assembled, the inner bottom flap is positioned adjacent to the cavity bottom and the outer bottom flap is positioned adjacent to the inner bottom flap in a face-to-face relationship forming a bottom of the container. Each flange is folded and coupled to an outer surface of one side of the container.