Paperboard Container Lid Flaps for Clear Drink Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions for food and beverages, particularly in take-away or disposable containers, lack effective ways to indicate contents without using plastic, which is undesirable due to environmental impact and often results in illegible handwritten labels.
Innovation Solution
A lid for containers made from paperboard or cardboard material with flaps that can be moved to an open position to reveal product indications, allowing consumers to identify contents without plastic, while maintaining container integrity and preventing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If plastic lids with pressed-in product indications are used, then product identification is clear and easy to read, but environmental impact increases due to plastic usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces permanent plastic lids with disposable paperboard lids that have flaps made from the same material. These flaps are designed to be torn off and discarded after a single use, eliminating the need for durable plastic while maintaining the product indication function during the brief period the container is sealed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to paperboard, and changes the structural parameter from a solid pressed surface to a flap-based system. The flap can be in different states (attached or torn off), creating a new parameter dimension that allows product identification without requiring permanent plastic construction.
2Loss of substance
If handwritten labels are written on the container, then material usage is reduced, but legibility and professionalism deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-prints product indications on the paperboard flaps during manufacturing, so that when the container is sealed, the flap already contains the correct product information. This eliminates the need for handwritten labels while ensuring professional, legible text is always present.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically provides product identification through the pre-printed flap without requiring manual intervention. The flap itself serves as the label, eliminating the need for separate labeling actions by staff.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the lid is made from paperboard with flaps, then plastic usage is reduced and environmental impact decreases, but the mechanism for product indication becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lid into functional segments: a base lid structure and separate flaps attached to it. Each flap can be independently torn off, allowing the product indication mechanism to be simple in each segment while the overall system provides comprehensive functionality. This segmentation makes the complex mechanism easier to manufacture and assemble.
4Loss of information
If flaps are added to the lid for product indication, then product identification is enabled without plastic, but the lid structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the product indication function directly into the lid structure by integrating flaps made from the same paperboard material. Rather than adding separate plastic indicators or labels, the indication mechanism is combined with the lid itself, reducing overall system complexity despite the added functional element.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A lid (20) for a container (1) for food or beverage, comprising: an outer layer (40), an inner layer (50), wherein: the outer layer and the inner layer comprise paperboard and/or cardboard, the outer layer comprises at least one flap (41), configured to be arranged in a closed position wherein the flap at least partially closes an opening in the outer layer, and an opened position wherein said opening is uncovered, wherein flap is configured to be moved from the closed position to the opened position by being moved in a direction away from the inner layer.