Reclosable Carton Lid With Integrated Male-Female Locking Feature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cartons lack effective reclosable locking features that securely hold and dispense products while allowing easy access, leading to issues with product freshness and convenience.
Innovation Solution
A carton design featuring a plurality of panels with a foldably connected lid and locking features, including male and female locking portions, that allows the lid to pivot between closed and open positions, ensuring secure closure and easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reclosable lid is added to the carton, then product freshness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is nested within the lid structure itself, with male and female locking portions integrated into the lid panels and front panel. This allows the locking function to be incorporated without adding separate external components, thereby improving product freshness while minimizing increases in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed to be self-activating through the natural closing motion of the lid. When the lid is closed, the male and female locking portions automatically engage without requiring additional actuators or complex control systems, thus maintaining product freshness while keeping the device simple.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is implemented, then closure security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted from a complex mechanical system and simplified to basic male-female portion engagement. This allows the closure security to be improved through reliable locking while maintaining ease of operation by eliminating complex locking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex mechanical locking systems are replaced with simple geometric interlocking of male and female portions. This substitution maintains closure security through reliable engagement while dramatically improving ease of operation by reducing the mechanical complexity that users would need to manipulate.
3Ease of operation
If the lid is made pivotable, then access convenience is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is segmented into the lid panel and top panel that can pivot relative to each other, allowing the lid to move between closed and open positions. This segmentation improves access convenience while the pivot connection is designed to be tolerant of normal manufacturing variations, preventing excessive increases in manufacturing precision requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a carton for holding at least one product. The carton includes a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around the interior of the carton. The plurality of panels includes a front panel, a top panel, and a lid panel foldably connected to the top panel. The carton includes a lid pivotably attached to the carton. The lid includes the lid panel and the top panel and is moveable between a closed position wherein the lid panels is positioned in face-to-face contact with the front panel and an open position allowing access to the interior of the carton. The carton includes locking features for releasably attaching the reclosable lid in the closed position. The locking features include at least one male locking portion in the front panel and at least one female locking portion in the lid panel.