Reinforcing Ribs for Plastic Container Grip Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Plastic containers, particularly bottles designed to hold liquids, face issues with deformation and over-splashing due to insufficient stiffness at the grip portion, leading to poor handling and stability during gripping and handling.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a specific structure of reinforcing ribs around the container body, comprising external, intermediate, and central ribs with unique patterns and orientations, along with a step feature, which enhances side-load resistance and stability by providing localized stiffness without increasing the amount of plastic used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the quantity of plastic used in the container is reduced to make lightweight containers, then material usage and weight are reduced, but the container's stiffness and resistance to deformation at the grip portion deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing reinforcing ribs specifically at the grip portion of the container where stiffness is needed, while keeping the rest of the container wall thin to minimize plastic usage. The ribs create localized structural reinforcement without increasing the overall material quantity, directly resolving the contradiction between reducing plastic quantity and maintaining grip portion stiffness.
2Quantity of substance
If the quantity of plastic used in the container is reduced to make lightweight containers, then material usage and weight are reduced, but the container's resistance to deformation during handling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing ribs are strategically placed at the grip portion to provide localized stress resistance where handling forces are applied. This allows the container to use minimal plastic overall while maintaining adequate stress resistance at the critical grip area during handling operations.
3Ease of operation
If reinforcing ribs are added to the grip portion to improve stiffness and reduce over-splashing, then handling properties and stability are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grip portion is segmented into multiple reinforcing ribs with different patterns (first pattern for outer surface, second pattern for inner surface). This segmentation allows each rib pattern to be optimized for specific functions while collectively improving handling properties. The segmented approach provides the needed stiffness without requiring a completely complex redesigned structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different rib patterns are applied to different surfaces (outer and inner) of the grip portion, with each pattern tailored to its specific functional requirements. This local differentiation improves handling properties while keeping the overall structural complexity manageable by addressing only the specific needs of each surface.
4Reliability
If reinforcing ribs are added to the grip portion to improve stiffness, then over-splashing is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing structure is segmented into distinct rib patterns that can be independently formed during the molding process. This segmentation allows for standardized manufacturing techniques to be applied to each rib pattern, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while achieving the reliability needed to prevent over-splashing.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns a structure (51) of reinforcing ribs (52) disposed circumferentially around a container body portion (45) of a container (40) presenting a longitudinal axis. Said structure (51) of reinforcing ribs (52) comprises: - a pair of external ribs (61) arranged around the bottle body (45), each external rib comprising a given pattern around the container body (45), said pattern being a series of at least two arcuate portions with a vertices interposed between two arcuate portions; the pair of external ribs (61) having an upper external rib (61a) and a lower external rib (61b), said external ribs (61) having their vertices facing each other and shifted of a maximum distance of 5 mm and in which, the upper external rib (61a) has a maximum amplitude between 3 and 6.5 mm and an arcuate portion length of half of the container perimeter; and the lower external rib (61b) has a maximum amplitude between 2 and 5 mm and an arcuate portion length of half of the container perimeter. - A pair of intermediate ribs (62) disposed between the pair of external ribs (61), each intermediate rib comprising twice the same pattern around the container body (45), said pattern having an amplitude of about 2 to 6 mm and being in the form of two successive straight lines, one ascending straight line and one descending straight line forming a vertices at their junction; the pair of intermediate ribs (62) having an upper intermediate rib (62a) and a lower intermediate rib (62b), said intermediate ribs (62) having their vertices facing each other and shifted of a maximum distance of 6 mm and in which, in the upper intermediate rib (62a), the descending straight line is about 5 times smaller than the ascending straight line; and in the lower intermediate rib (62b), the descending straight line being about 5 times bigger than the ascending straight line -A central rib (63) disposed between the pair of intermediate ribs (62), said central rib (63) comprising twice the same pattern around the container body (45); said pattern having an amplitude of about 2 to 6 mm and presenting an arcuate portion followed by an ascending straight line portion ending with a vertices, the arcuate portion being twice in dimension than the straight line portion. The invention also relates to a container (40) comprising said structure (51) of reinforcing ribs (52). Haista paska.