Protective Wedge With Accordion Folds For Shock Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions for fragile oblong objects like bottles are inadequate in effectively immobilizing and protecting them during transport, as they fail to create sufficient deformation zones to absorb shocks and separate the content from the packaging walls, leading to inadequate protection against mechanical handling.
Innovation Solution
The packaging solution features accordion folds that fold in perpendicular directions to create damping pads and separate the content from the packaging walls, with inner upper bellows preventing neck displacement and connecting panels that form a reinforced 'empty' zone to absorb shocks, ensuring effective immobilization and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If simple blocking devices are used to prevent bottle movement, then the structure is easy to manufacture, but the protection against shocks is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into multiple functional panels (blocking panels, damping panels, spacing panels) that can be independently folded and configured. Each panel performs a specific function: blocking panels prevent bottle movement, damping panels absorb shocks, and spacing panels create protective zones. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall simplicity in manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging employs accordion folds and bellows structures that allow dynamic deformation during shock events. The damping panels can compress and expand to absorb impact energy, while the blocking panels can shift positions to maintain blocking function. This dynamic behavior enables the packaging to adapt to various shock conditions while remaining easy to manufacture as a single unit.
2Reliability
If the content is kept separate from packaging walls, then protection from shocks is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Spacing panels serve as intermediary elements between the bottle and the packaging walls. These panels create protected zones that maintain separation between the content and the outer packaging, preventing direct transmission of shocks. The spacing panels are configured with accordion folds that allow them to compress during impacts, maintaining the protective separation function while adding minimal structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging utilizes three-dimensional folding and spatial configuration to create protective zones. By folding panels in multiple directions and creating bellows structures, the packaging generates protective empty zones around the bottle in multiple dimensions. This spatial arrangement provides comprehensive protection without requiring complex multi-component assemblies.
3Reliability
If accordion folds are used to create damping pads, then shock absorption is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging design incorporates variable fold patterns and bellows structures that can accommodate manufacturing tolerances. The accordion folds are designed with specific radii and angles that provide shock absorption while remaining tolerant to normal manufacturing variations. The damping panels can be configured with different fold densities to adjust the shock absorption characteristics without requiring high precision manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides comprehensive shock absorption and protection by creating deformable zones that absorb impact energy, effectively preventing damage to the content during transport, even in non-palletized containers handled manually or mechanically.
Implementation Method 1
create deformation zones of the wedge and the packaging that absorb shocks before transmitting their residual impact to the content
Implementation Method 2
create deformation zones of the wedge and the packaging that absorb shocks before transmitting their residual impact to the content
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention is applied to a bottle or to any other similar fragile object oblong in shape with a tapered end, such as a flask, coil of wire or film, wound round a mandrel, etc.. The wedge constituting the object of the invention is constructed in a single component die-cut from a sheet material such as cardboard or corrugated cardboard, folded in on itself after being preferably partially glued in advance. After installation, the wedge constituting the object of the invention is generally parallelepipedic in shape and consists of a central part with doubled parts (18, 29-1,29-2,32), extended at various points by parts with an "X"-shaped cross-section (10,12),designed to absorb shocks.