Refillable Product Container with Segmented Panel and Spigot Release
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional product containers are cumbersome, difficult to use, and lack features such as easy opening, secure spout locking, and visibility of remaining product quantity, leading to inefficiencies in shipping, storage, and material usage.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a housing with a storage unit and a refillable dispensing device, including a spigot-like release mechanism, easy access door, and internal panel for improved durability and visibility, reducing material usage and enhancing recyclability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hole is punctured through the wall of the container to access the inner chamber, then the consumer can open the container to access the liquid product, but puncturing a hole in the container is difficult when there is a full bag of liquid behind the wall
Solution Approach 1:
The container wall is segmented into a removable panel section that can be detached to provide access to the inner chamber. This segmentation allows the panel to be removed without requiring puncturing through the full bag of liquid, solving the opening difficulty while maintaining container integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel is designed to be completely removed from the container wall rather than just opened. This extraction approach provides direct access to the inner chamber and spout area, eliminating the difficulty of puncturing through liquid-filled walls while simplifying the opening operation.
2Ease of operation
If the door opening size is increased to provide easier access to the spout, then the consumer can access the spout more easily, but the bag inside of the container bulges out
Solution Approach 1:
The container wall is divided into a removable panel section and a retaining structure. The panel can be removed to provide large access opening, while the retaining structure with retention features holds the flexible bag in place, preventing bulging even with the panel removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall structure has different properties in different locations: the panel area is designed for removal to provide access, while the surrounding wall structure includes retention features that locally reinforce the area to prevent bag bulging when the panel is removed.
3Reliability
If the door is closed to lock the spout, then the spout should be retained in place, but the bag in the container pushes on the door, which results in the door not being secured and the spout not retained in place
Solution Approach 1:
The retention mechanism uses asymmetric engagement features: retention protrusions on the door engage with corresponding retention features on the wall in a direction that resists the outward force of the bag, while allowing the door to be opened when needed. The asymmetric design creates mechanical advantage to counteract internal pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention features include curved or rounded engagement surfaces that distribute the force from the bag more evenly across the door and wall connection points, preventing localized stress concentration that would cause door failure under pressure.
4Loss of substance
If a single layer of corrugated board is used in the housing wall where the spout is repeatedly extended and retracted, then the container uses less material, but the housing wall wears out
Solution Approach 1:
The housing wall in the spout area uses a composite structure combining multiple layers of corrugated board or combining corrugated board with reinforcing materials. This composite construction provides enhanced durability to withstand repeated spout extension and retraction while still maintaining material efficiency through targeted reinforcement only where needed.
5Loss of information
If conventional containers are designed without a visibility mechanism, then the container structure is simpler, but the user cannot see how much product remains in the container
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates a visual indication mechanism that uses color changes or transparent/translucent panels to show the user how much product remains in the inner chamber. This allows the user to see the liquid level without adding significant structural complexity to the container.
Data Source
AI summary
A container includes a housing that defines an interior region. Inside the interior region is a storage unit and a dispensing device. The dispensing device can receive a composition and spray or distribute the composition as desired. The dispensing device is refillable with more of the composition. The storage unit defines a chamber or interior volume in which more of the composition can be located. When the dispensing device needs to be refilled, the dispensing device can be positioned proximate to a release mechanism coupled to the storage unit, which controls how much of the composition exits the storage unit. The release mechanism can be a spigot-like structure that is manipulated by a user to release composition from the storage unit and refill the dispensing device.