Laundry Scent Additive Package With Sleeved Dosing Cup Venting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current packaging designs for particulate laundry scent additives are prone to dosing cup separation during handling, leading to incomplete products, potential spills when consumers test the scent, and inconvenience in dispensing with two hands.

Innovation Solution

A package design featuring a container, closure, and dosing cup with a shrink sleeve wrapping around the container and dosing cup, where the dosing cup has a tapered portion and a vent opening for scent sampling without opening the package, ensuring robust engagement and convenient one-handed use.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the dosing cup is peripherally snapped to the closure, then the dosing cup is positioned conveniently for use, but the dosing cup may become separated from the closure during shipping or handling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconvenience of dosing cup positioningVSAvoidattachment stability of dosing cup

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The shrink sleeve merges the container, closure, and dosing cup into a single integrated unit by wrapping around all three components and shrinking to tightly bind them together, preventing separation during shipping and handling while maintaining convenient positioning for use

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shrink sleeve is a flexible thin film that wraps around the container, closure, and dosing cup, conforming to their shapes and providing a redundant attachment mechanism that secures the dosing cup to the closure without interfering with its positioned orientation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Ease of operation

If the consumer opens the closure to smell the product, then the consumer can verify the scent is desirable, but product may be spilled or exposed to the environment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to sample scentVSAvoidproduct spillage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The vent opening extracts the scent function from the main product container by providing a separate, dedicated pathway that allows aroma molecules to escape to the external environment while the bulk particulate product remains contained within the closure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The vent opening acts as a porous structure with controlled dimensions that permit passage of scent molecules (gas phase) while blocking the larger particulate laundry scent additive, enabling scent sampling without product loss

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

3Ease of manufacture

If the vent opening is covered by the shrink sleeve, then the shrink sleeve provides complete wrapping, but the particulate laundry scent additive may escape through the vent opening or the shrink sleeve may obstruct scent sampling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of shrink sleeve wrappingVSAvoidfunctionality of vent opening

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The shrink sleeve is designed with non-uniform local quality by intentionally leaving the vent opening area uncovered or transparent, allowing the sleeve to provide complete wrapping for structural support and sealed engagement while maintaining the vent opening's functionality for scent sampling and particle retention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Reliability

If the dosing cup is securely attached to the closure, then the dosing cup does not separate during handling, but the consumer must handle three separate elements (container, closure, dosing cup) with two hands

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment stability of dosing cupVSAvoidconvenience of dispensing operation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The shrink sleeve merges the container, closure, and dosing cup into a single handled unit that can be gripped and transported together as one assembly, eliminating the need to separately handle three components while maintaining secure attachment of the dosing cup

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 design prevents dosing cup separation, allows scent sampling without opening the package, and enables convenient two-handed dispensing, addressing issues of completeness, spillage, and handling convenience.

Implementation Method 1

a shrink sleeve wrapping around the container and the closure and at least a portion of the tapered portion of the dosing cup wall

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectShrinkage: Thermal Contraction

Implementation Method 2

the dosing cup having a longitudinal axis, at least a portion of said dosing volume extending further away from the longitudinal centerline than at least a portion of the peripherally recessed portion of the closure, the wall comprising a tapered portion inwardly tapered towards the longitudinal axis, wherein the dosing cup comprises a vent opening in the closed end or in the wall, wherein the vent opening is sized and dimensioned to retain the particulate laundry scent additive

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPhysical retention through size exclusion: Filter (physical)

Data Source

PatentUS8579134B2Package for laundry scent additive

Publication Date: 2013.11.12 PROCTER & GAMBLE CO

AI summary

A package for a particulate laundry scent additive.