Reversible Bag-in-Box Dispenser for Fountain Use and Complete Emptying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 'bag-in-box' dispensers are impractical for emptying the last portion of liquid due to the tap's height, leading to residual liquid being trapped, and require complex mechanisms that compromise compactness and ease of use, especially when trying to use them as a fountain.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser design featuring a sliding interlocking body and cover that allows the tap to project from the packaging, enabling the tap to be positioned for easy filling without holding the glass, with a compressible pouch that is pressed by the body and cover to ensure complete emptying without moving the dispenser.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the tap is positioned at the lowest point of the packaging for complete emptying, then the liquid can be fully dispensed, but the dispenser cannot be used as a fountain and requires holding the glass at an impractical angle
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging body is designed to be reversible with two sliding interlocking insertion positions in the lid. The body can be switched between a first position where the cavity opening faces inside the packaging (for fountain use) and a second position where the cavity opening faces outside (for complete emptying). This dynamic reconfiguration allows the same device to adapt to different usage requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the tap is positioned higher for fountain-style use, then the dispenser is easier to use and can be placed in the middle of the table, but residual liquid remains trapped below the tap level
Solution Approach 1:
The reversible body allows switching between two configurations: in the first position, the tap protrudes at a height suitable for fountain-style dispensing; in the second position, the body is reconfigured to allow complete emptying. This resolves the contradiction by making the system adaptable rather than fixed.
3Loss of substance
If complex mechanisms are added to enable complete emptying while maintaining compact form, then the emptying performance improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of complex mechanisms, the invention uses a simple reversible body that can be reconfigured by sliding it to different positions. The body itself becomes the mechanism for both positioning the tap at different heights and enabling complete emptying, eliminating the need for additional complex components.
Solution Approach 2:
The reversible body serves multiple functions: it contains the pouch, positions the tap at appropriate heights for different usage modes, enables complete emptying when reconfigured, and maintains the compact form factor. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components.
4Loss of substance
If the pouch is extracted from the rigid packaging to empty residual liquid, then complete emptying is achieved, but the handling becomes impractical and awkward
Solution Approach 1:
The reversible body allows the user to reconfigure the dispenser in place to achieve complete emptying through the tap, eliminating the need to extract the pouch. The simple sliding motion to reposition the body is much easier than handling and pouring from an extracted pouch.
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
Enables efficient emptying of the pouch without extracting the bag, maintaining a compact form, and allowing use as a fountain without holding the glass, optimizing liquid distribution and storage.
Implementation Method 1
the lid is mounted, under the effect of its own weight, freely movable in sliding in the direction of approaching the bottom of the body
Implementation Method 2
the bottom of the body and the lid therefore form, in the second position of the body, pressing elements of a press between which the pouch is sandwiched
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a product dispenser (1) comprising packaging (2) inside which a product pouch (3) is accommodated that is provided with a valve (4). The packaging (2), which is in the form of a box, comprises a body (5) and a lid (6) that are slidingly engagingly mounted. In the operational configuration, the valve (4) protrudes from the packaging (2) through an orifice (7) in the lid (6), the body (5) is a tubular hollow body comprising a bottom (8) and a peripheral side wall (9) for delimiting an open cavity provided with an opening (11), and the body (5) is reversible and has a first and a second insertion position in which it slidingly engages in the lid (6). In the first position of the body (5), the opening (11) into the cavity (10) oriented in the direction of the interior of the packaging (2) is closed by the lid (6), and in the second position of the body (5), the opening (11) into the cavity (10) is oriented towards the outside of the packaging (2).