Reusable Container With Protruding Sealing Edge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Single-use containers for take-away food and beverages generate significant waste and often fail to provide reliable sealing with heat-sealable films, leading to leakage and sterility issues, especially when reused or subjected to mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a base body made of durable material and a protruding sealing edge made of a softer, elastically deformable material, allowing for reliable sealing and easy cleaning, while accommodating the base body's potential deformations and ensuring the container can be reused.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If single-use containers are used for takeaway food, then waste generation is reduced through disposal after use, but environmental waste increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a reusable container system where the base body is designed for multiple uses and can be recovered, cleaned, and reused. This directly addresses the waste generation problem by replacing single-use containers with durable reusable ones, while the lidding film remains disposable for sealing purposes.
2Strength
If the base body is made of durable material for reuse, then container stability improves, but sealing reliability with heat-sealable film deteriorates due to material incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties to different parts of the container: the base body uses durable materials for structural strength and reuse, while the sealing edge uses softer, heat-conductive materials specifically optimized for heat sealing with lidding films. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between durability and sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The container employs composite construction with the base body made of durable material and the sealing edge made of different material with suitable thermal and mechanical properties for heat sealing. This composite approach allows each component to have optimized properties for its specific function.
3Ease of manufacture
If the sealing edge is made of the same material as the base body, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but sealing quality deteriorates due to insufficient thermal and mechanical properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies that the sealing edge shall be formed from a material different from the base body material, with the sealing edge material selected to have suitable thermal conductivity and mechanical softness for effective heat sealing. This local material differentiation ensures sealing quality despite increased manufacturing complexity.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If the container is designed for reuse, then waste reduction is achieved, but sterility requirements are frequently not met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the container into reusable and disposable components: the base body is designed for reuse and can be cleaned and sterilized, while the lidding film is disposable and provides initial sterility barrier. This segmentation allows the reusable portion to be properly sanitized between uses.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable lidding film is discarded after single use, eliminating cross-contamination risks, while the base body is recovered, cleaned, and sterilized for subsequent reuse. This approach maintains sterility requirements while enabling container reuse.
5Reliability
If the sealing edge protrudes from the base body, then sealing reliability improves by accommodating base deformations, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent features a sealing edge that protrudes from the base body surface, creating a dedicated sealing zone that is geometrically separated from the base structure. This local geometric modification accommodates base deformations and improves sealing reliability without fundamentally changing the overall container design.
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
The solution enables reliable sealing with a heat-sealable film, reduces waste by allowing container reuse, and meets sterility requirements, enhancing the container's durability and ease of cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
sealing the lidding film to the sealing edge by means of a heat sealer
Data Source
Figure 1~6
Figure 7~11
Figure 12~14
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for closing a container (1) for holding food or beverages by means of a heat-sealable lidding film (2), wherein the method comprises the following steps: - providing the container (1), wherein the container (1) has a base body (5) for holding food or beverages, wherein the container (1) has a front that can be closed with the heat-sealable lidding film (2), wherein the container (1) has a sealing body (6) with a sealing edge for sealing the lidding film (2), wherein the sealing edge on the front (3) of the container (1) protrudes from the base body (5), wherein the base body (5) is made of a first material and the sealing edge is made of a second material, wherein the first and the second material are different.- Position the lidding film (2) on the front of the container (1) and seal the lidding film (2) onto the sealing edge using heat.