Wave-Cut Trash Bag Ribbed Tie-Flaps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wave-cut trash bags have lobes that are difficult to grasp, especially when contaminated, and are often made with thicker film for perceived strength, which complicates manipulation and material usage.
Innovation Solution
A polymeric film bag is formed with incrementally stretched sections containing thin and thick ribs, allowing for easier manipulation and reduced material usage by varying the thickness of the lobes and body, using a blown film extrusion process and intermeshing rollers to create wave-cut bags with improved graspability and robust closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If wave-cut trash bags are made with thicker film for perceived strength, then strength is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in manipulation and grasping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different thickness regions within the bag structure. The lobes (tie-flaps) are made with thinner film compared to the main body of the bag, allowing for easier grasping and manipulation of the closure areas while maintaining overall bag strength through the thicker body regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The bag is segmented into distinct regions with different thickness characteristics - thinner lobes for manipulation and thicker body for strength. This segmentation allows each region to optimize its properties for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between overall strength and ease of operation.
2Strength
If wave-cut trash bags are made with thicker film for perceived strength, then strength is improved, but material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using uniformly thick film throughout the bag, the patent applies local quality by concentrating thicker material only where needed (in the main body) while using thinner material in the lobes. This optimized distribution maintains necessary strength while reducing overall material consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by using thicker film only partially (in the body regions) rather than excessively throughout the entire bag. This selective thickening provides sufficient strength where needed while avoiding unnecessary material usage in other areas.
3Ease of operation
If lobes are made thinner for easier grasping, then ease of operation is improved, but strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality - the lobes are made thinner specifically for ease of grasping, while the main body remains thicker to provide overall strength. Each region has optimized thickness appropriate to its functional requirements.
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 results in wave-cut bags with easier-to-grasp lobes and a thinner body, providing a robust closure while using less material, enhancing user convenience and manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The extrusion screw compresses the resin, heating the resin into a molten state under high pressure
Implementation Method 2
As the polymeric film tube cools travelling upward toward the nip rollers, the polymeric film tube solidifies from a molten state to a solid state
Implementation Method 3
The pair of intermeshing rollers may intermittently engage the collapsed tube to form a plurality of incrementally stretched sections on the collapsed tube
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to improvements for the manufacturing of a wave-cut bag, more specifically a wave-cut bag with improved tie-flaps. Disclosed is a process for intermittently incrementally stretching and imparting a rib-like pattern to a collapsed tube of a blown film extrusion process. The incrementally stretched collapsed tube is particularly well suited for constructing wave-cut trash bags with a rib pattern on the tie-flaps of the trash bags. Further disclosed is a wave-cut trash bag with a rib pattern on its tie-flaps and surrounding area. The process is further well suited for constructing wave-cut trash bags with a rib pattern on a central body of the trash bags.