Collapsible Protective Sleeve for Reinforced Liquid Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Corrugated paperboard containers used for shipping and storing liquid materials are vulnerable to forces and inertia from mixing machinery, and existing reinforcement methods increase costs or are inefficient in distributing force across the container.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, collapsible protective sleeve made from fracture-resistant materials like plastic resins, aluminum, or graphite fiber, with hinged and foldable features, is designed to fit over an octagonal-shaped container, providing maximum surface contact and reducing material usage while allowing secure attachment to the container without requiring lifting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If external reinforcement methods (plastic strapping, wound plastic wrap, strings) are used to strengthen the container, then the container's resistance to mixing machinery forces is improved, but the material costs and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing a collapsible inner container inside a rigid outer container. The inner container holds the liquid product while the outer container provides structural strength to withstand mixing machinery forces. This nested structure allows each component to be optimized independently - the inner container for collapsibility and the outer container for strength - resolving the contradiction between strength and manufacturing complexity.
2Strength
If external reinforcement methods (plastic strapping, wound plastic wrap) are used to strengthen the container, then the container's resistance to mixing machinery forces is improved, but the overall operational costs and setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-assembling the nested container structure before the product needs to be mixed. The inner collapsible container is placed within the outer rigid container in advance, so that when the product reaches the mixing machinery, the reinforcement is already in place and no additional setup time is required. This resolves the contradiction between strength and setup time.
3Strength
If traditional round rigid plastic pails are used instead of bag-in-box containers, then the container's resistance to mixing machinery forces is improved, but the economic and environmental advantages are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining two different container types - a flexible inner container (similar to bag-in-box) with a rigid outer corrugated paperboard container. This composite structure provides the strength of rigid containers while maintaining the economic and environmental benefits of flexible inner containers, such as reduced material usage and improved recyclability. The combination resolves the contradiction between strength and economic/environmental performance.
4Ease of manufacture
If reinforcement is applied after the container is raised, then the reinforcement force is directed mostly on the corners, but the bulging sidewall surfaces remain insufficiently protected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing the outer rigid container with localized reinforcement features specifically positioned to protect bulging sidewall surfaces. The rigid outer container is constructed with structural elements (such as corrugated paperboard with specific fluting patterns) that provide enhanced strength where needed - particularly on the sidewalls that experience the most stress during mixing - rather than uniformly reinforcing all surfaces. This resolves the contradiction between ease of manufacture and sidewall strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A reinforced container system comprises a container having a bottom wall, a pair of opposite side walls, a pair of opposite end walls, and opposed pairs of diagonal corner panels interposed between adjacent side and end walls to form an interior space. The bottom wall includes two opposed glue panels each of which is foldably joined to respective longitudinal edges of the bottom wall and each of which attached to the respective side walls. A protective sleeve is configured to detachably attach to the container. The protective sleeve includes two side walls, two end walls and opposed pairs of diagonal corner walls interposed between adjacent side and end walls. The side walls, the end walls and the diagonal corner walls are joined to one another along four vertical hinges to whereby protect the container against tremendous forces and inertia caused by mixing or shaking machinery.