Polymeric replacement for a glass drinking container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Glass beverage containers are brittle, prone to breakage, pose safety hazards, and have high manufacturing costs due to their high melting point and thermal conductivity, which limits their practicality and safety in consumer and commercial settings.
Innovation Solution
A polymeric drinking container made from thermoplastic materials with architectural features that mimic the weight, clarity, and rigidity of glass, using additional volume of polymer to achieve equivalent weight and incorporating design elements for secure stacking and reduced parting lines during manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If glass material is used to make beverage containers, then transparency and scratch resistance are improved, but brittleness and breakage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from glass to polymeric material, maintaining transparency while fundamentally altering the mechanical properties to eliminate brittleness. The polymeric material achieves comparable optical clarity through selective polymerization processes and additive formulations that allow light transmission similar to glass.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite polymeric materials combining base polymer with various additives and fillers to achieve both transparency and improved mechanical properties. The composite structure allows optimization of optical properties while incorporating toughness-enhancing components that prevent shattering.
2Weight of moving object
If glass material is used to make beverage containers, then a heavy weighted feel is achieved, but safety hazards from shards and splinters increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material from glass to polymer, fundamentally altering the failure mode from shattering into hazardous shards to ductile deformation that absorbs energy without creating sharp fragments. This parameter change eliminates the safety hazard while allowing weight optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymeric containers are designed to be more economical and can be replaced more frequently without safety concerns, as they do not create hazardous debris upon failure. This approach trades potential longevity for improved safety and reduced liability.
3Strength
If soda lime glass is used, then scratch resistance and melting point are improved, but manufacturing costs and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material from high-melting-point glass to thermoplastic polymer, dramatically reducing the processing temperature from over 1000°C to typical polymer processing temperatures below 300°C. This parameter change reduces energy consumption while maintaining adequate scratch resistance through polymer formulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local reinforcement strategies using polymer blends and surface treatments to achieve scratch resistance in critical areas without requiring the entire material to have glass-level hardness. This localized approach reduces overall manufacturing complexity and energy requirements.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If glass beverage containers are used, then durability and wear resistance are improved, but breakage during handling and cleaning reduces useful life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material from brittle glass to ductile polymer, fundamentally altering the failure characteristics. The polymeric material can withstand impact, dropping, and thermal cycling without catastrophic failure, thereby extending the practical useful life despite lower theoretical wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymeric material inherently provides cushioning and energy absorption capabilities before failure occurs, preventing the sudden breakage that limits glass container life. This beforehand cushioning effect allows the containers to survive handling and cleaning operations that would shatter glass.
Data Source
AI summary
A polymeric replacement vessel, or container, for glassware and glass containers and a method of making the same. polymeric drinking container simulates a glass drinking container having a glass drinking container volume. The polymeric drinking container comprises a base and an enclosed wall composed of the polymer. The wall is formed with the base and extends from the base while defining an opening opposite the base. The enclosed wall includes an inside surface and an outside surface. The base and enclosed wall form a polymeric drinking container volume made of the polymeric material. This polymeric drinking container volume is equal to the glass component drinking container volume plus an amount equal to the glass component drinking container volume multiplied times the ratio of the specific gravity of the glass to the specific gravity of the polymer.