Removable Container Liner for Complete Product Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Containers for flowable products like liquid soaps and condiments often leave 10-30% of the content inaccessible, leading to waste and environmental impact, as existing methods like utensil scraping or inverted shaking are inefficient, especially for viscous products or narrow containers.

Innovation Solution

A removable liner that can be attached to the container, featuring liner release tabs and an openable closure, allowing users to detach and manipulate the liner to extract remaining product, which can be squeezed or inverted for complete use.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of substance

If conventional container designs are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but product retrieval completeness deteriorates (10-30% waste)

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct wasteVSAvoidcontainer structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into two functional parts: a rigid outer container and a flexible removable liner. The liner can be detached and inverted separately to access remaining product, while the outer container remains for storage. This segmentation allows complete product retrieval without complicating the overall container structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The liner is designed to be discarded after use, but before discarding it can be inverted to recover remaining product. The liner's flexible material allows it to be turned inside out, enabling users to scrape out leftover product that would otherwise be wasted in conventional rigid containers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

2Productivity

If narrow container mouths are used, then storage efficiency is improved, but product extraction efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct extraction efficiencyVSAvoidcontainer capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The liner can be inverted (turned inside out) through the narrow container mouth. By inverting the liner, the product that was trapped at the bottom becomes accessible at the opening, allowing complete extraction even through narrow mouths without compromising container capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The liner transitions from a static fitted position during storage to a dynamic inverted position during product extraction. This dynamic transformation allows the liner to adapt to different operational states, enabling complete product retrieval through narrow openings while maintaining storage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Loss of substance

If viscous products are stored, then product stability is improved, but product removal completeness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremaining productVSAvoidproduct viscosity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible liner can be manipulated with shaking and vibrating motions to dislodge viscous product adhering to the container walls. The liner's flexibility allows vigorous manipulation that loosens sticky product, enabling complete removal of viscous substances that would otherwise remain trapped.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #18Mechanical vibration

Solution Approach 2:

The liner is made of flexible material that can conform to and scrape against the container interior surfaces. This flexibility allows the liner to reach into corners and crevices, mechanically dislodging viscous product through flexing and rubbing motions, achieving complete extraction despite high viscosity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

4Ease of operation

If liner release tabs are added, then liner removability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveliner detachmentVSAvoidcontainer assembly

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The liner release tabs are small, discrete features extracted from the liner body that engage with corresponding features on the container rim. These tabs provide a simple mechanical interface for detachment without requiring complex fastening mechanisms, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while enabling easy user operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12162647B2Removable container liner

Publication Date: 2024.12.10 HUNA LLC

AI summary

A removable liner disposed within the interior volume of a container, which liner has an interior volume for containing product such as food condiments or sauces, cleaning products, and any other product of a flowable nature and viscosity that allows for storage and extraction for later use by a user. When manipulation of the container, such as by squeezing the container or inverting the container such that its mouth portion or feature is oriented in a downward direction, or by gravity, or by both manipulating the container and by gravity, is no longer effective to remove product, the liner may be separated from the container, and remaining product may be removed from the liner through an openable closure in the liner. In some cases, substantially all of the remaining product may be removed from the container, reducing waste introduced into the environment, thus resulting in positive environmental impact.