Plastic Container Shoulder and Valley Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic containers, particularly those made from PET materials, lack sufficient strength and optimal volume-to-air ratio, making them difficult to handle, transport, and stack effectively, and often require additional packaging for support.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates at least one shoulder and a corresponding valley around the neck, which increases the container's volume and strength, allowing for improved stacking and handling, with the shoulder forming a support surface and the valley creating a radial recess that can function as a handle and aid in drainage, while also enabling the container to be securely locked under pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If existing plastic containers are manufactured integrally from PET material, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the containers lack sufficient strength for proper handling, transport and stacking
Solution Approach 1:
The container body is divided into multiple structural zones including at least one shoulder and at least one valley formed integrally around the neck. The shoulder protrudes upward relative to the valley, creating distinct functional regions that collectively enhance overall container strength while maintaining integral construction
Solution Approach 2:
Specific regions of the container are given different structural characteristics - the shoulder provides enhanced strength and support, while the valley creates radial recesses that contribute to structural rigidity. This localized structural differentiation strengthens the container without requiring complete structural redesign
2Quantity of substance
If the container volume is increased to improve product storage capacity, then the volume of product increases, but the volume of air also increases reducing the volume-to-air ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The shoulder and valley structures utilize the radial dimension around the neck to create additional functional volume. The shoulder protruding upward from the valley creates three-dimensional structural features that increase product capacity without proportionally increasing air space, thereby improving the volume-to-air ratio
3Strength
If additional strengthening means or casings are added to existing containers, then container strength is improved, but device complexity and handling difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The strengthening features (shoulder and valley structures) are merged directly into the container body as integral formations. This integration eliminates the need for separate strengthening casings or additional packaging components, maintaining structural integrity while avoiding increased complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The container body itself provides the strengthening function through its own integral shoulder and valley structures. The container serves its own strengthening needs without requiring external support structures, thereby avoiding additional complexity in the packaging system
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~6B
Figure 7A~7B
AI summary
Plastic container (100), particularly for storing liquid under pressure, comprising an integrally formed body with a bottom (101), an upright substantially cylindrical side wall (102) and an upper side (103) with a neck (104) having a bottom end and an open top end (115) in which closing means of the container can be mounted, wherein the upper side of the container, around the neck, is formed with at least one shoulder (105) and at least one valley (106) which runs downward in radial direction from the neck in the direction of the upright side wall; wherein each shoulder (105) protrudes upward relative to the at least one valley (106); which at least one shoulder and at least one valley are formed integrally with the body of the container.