Rigid Cigarette Package Filling Element Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rigid packages of cigarettes face issues with stability and reliability due to loose-fitting filling elements that can lift or detach easily, causing mechanical stress and aesthetic concerns during handling and distribution.
Innovation Solution
A rigid package design featuring a cup-shaped lid and a filling element with a collar and flaps that securely occupy the internal volume, preventing loose movement and enhancing stability by gluing components to prevent detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a filling element is used to occupy the free internal volume of the package, then the cigarettes are protected from mechanical stress and tip emptying, but the filling element itself becomes unstable and can lift or detach easily
Solution Approach 1:
The filling element is divided into multiple modular components including a base portion, a collar portion, and a lid portion. Each segment performs a specific function: the base anchors to the container bottom, the collar secures the cigarette bundle laterally, and the lid covers the top. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific stabilizing function while collectively providing comprehensive support.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling element components are nested within each other and within the package structure. The collar portion fits around the cigarette bundle, the lid portion sits within the collar, and the entire assembly nests within the container. This nested arrangement maximizes space utilization and ensures that each component is held in place by the surrounding structure, preventing lifting or detachment.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the filling element occupies most of the internal volume, then stability is improved, but the package complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filling element is constructed from a flexible or semi-rigid paperboard material that can be easily formed into the required three-dimensional shape. This material choice allows the filling element to be manufactured as a single molded piece or from simple folded blanks, reducing structural complexity while maintaining the ability to occupy and stabilize the internal volume effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling element serves multiple functions simultaneously: it occupies the free volume to prevent cigarette movement, provides structural support to maintain package shape, facilitates easy opening by the consumer, and can be designed to display product information. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby simplifying the overall package structure.
3Reliability
If the filling element is securely attached to prevent detachment, then reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment features are integrated directly into the filling element structure during forming. For example, adhesive zones are pre-applied to specific surfaces of the molded or folded blank, and interlocking features such as flaps and slots are formed as part of the same manufacturing process. This merging of attachment mechanisms with the main structure eliminates separate assembly steps for attaching the filling element to the container.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling element design includes self-securing features such as interlocking flaps, snap-fit connections, or friction-fit geometries that automatically secure the element in place during the packaging process without requiring additional fastening operations. The structure itself provides the attachment mechanism, making the manufacturing process simpler and more reliable.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A package (1) of smoke articles comprising:a container (2), which has a parallelepiped shape and has a front wall (9), a rear wall (10), a bottom wall (8) and two lateral walls (11); a parallelepiped-shaped inner wrapper (3) that wraps a group of smoke articles, which is housed inside the container (2) and has a transverse dimension that is less than the transverse dimension of the container (2) so as to form a cavity inside the container (2); a collar (12), which is arranged inside the container (2) for projecting partially outside an open top end (4) of the container (2) and comprises a front wall (13), which is arranged in contact with the front wall (9) of the container (2), and two lateral walls (14), which are arranged on opposite sides of the front wall (13) and are arranged in contact with the lateral walls (11) of the container (2); and a filling element (15) arranged within the cavity to securely retain the inner wrapper (3) in the container (2), wherein the filling element (15) comprises an abutting wall (16) for supporting the inner wrapper (3), a top wall (17) connected to a top end of the abutting wall (16) and substantially perpendicular to the abutting wall (16), and two lateral walls (19) that are arranged at opposite ends of the abutting wall (16) and are substantially perpendicular to the abutting wall (16); wherein the collar (12) and the filling element (15) are elements that are distinct from one another; the package (1) of smoke articles is characterised in that the filling element (15) comprises a rear wall (18) connected to the top wall (17) and parallel to and opposite the abutting wall (16), wherein an end portion of the rear wall (18) of the filling element (15) rests on and is glued to the rear wall (10) of the container (2).