Self-Supporting Trash Bag With Inflatable Enclosures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional trash bags lack the ability to form a self-supporting structure for efficient waste collection and disposal, requiring additional support and not being easily adaptable to different sizes and applications.
Innovation Solution
A vertically self-supporting trash bag is created using inflatable enclosures connected by seams, with one-way inflation valves and a deflation strip, allowing for inflation to form a cylindrical structure and easy deflation, along with a floor and straps for anchoring, facilitating various sizes and uses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional trash bags are used to line trash receptacles, then waste collection is enabled, but the bags lack self-supporting capability and require additional support structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pneumatic principles by incorporating inflatable enclosures that can be filled with gas to create a self-supporting structure. The inflatable enclosures expand to provide structural support, eliminating the need for external support frameworks while enabling the trash bag to stand upright independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes flexible polymeric fabrics to form both the trash bag body and the inflatable enclosures. These flexible shells can transition from a collapsed state during storage to an expanded self-supporting state during use, providing structural integrity without adding permanent support structures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If trash bags are made with fixed sizes, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to different applications is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sizing capability through inflatable enclosures that can be adjusted to different volumes. The enclosures can be inflated to various degrees or completely deflated, allowing the same trash bag structure to adapt to different size requirements for various applications without requiring multiple fixed-size designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the trash bag structure into modular components including multiple inflatable enclosures connected by seams. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each enclosure's volume, providing flexibility in overall bag size while maintaining standardized manufacturing processes for each module.
3Stability of the object's composition
If inflatable enclosures are used to provide self-supporting structure, then vertical stability is improved, but the device requires inflation and deflation mechanisms increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service functionality through one-way inflation valves that automatically allow gas to enter the enclosures during inflation but prevent backflow during deflation. The deflation strip with tear-away portions enables users to easily initiate deflation by pulling, which automatically creates holes for gas escape without requiring complex mechanical deflation mechanisms.
4Ease of operation
If the trash bag is designed to be easily deflated for disposal, then ease of operation is improved, but structural integrity during use may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the deflation function into a separate, dedicated component - the deflation strip with tear-away portions. This strip is specifically designed to be pulled and torn to create holes in the enclosures, separating the deflation action from the structural enclosures themselves. The enclosures maintain their structural integrity during normal use, while the deflation strip provides easy deflation capability when needed.
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 provides a sturdy, adaptable, and easy-to-use trash bag that can stand upright without support, accommodate different sizes, and be easily deflated for disposal, enhancing waste collection efficiency and versatility.
Implementation Method 1
The inflatable enclosures can be inflated by introducing a gas (typically air) into those enclosures... The inflatable enclosures are configured to withstand an inflation pressure in a range of about 12 psi to about 14 psi
Implementation Method 2
The deflation strip is configured to tear a hole in the inflatable enclosure(s) to which it is coupled, when pulled, so as to allow the gas contained in that enclosure(s) to exit, thereby deflating the enclosure(s)
Implementation Method 3
The trash bag can further include a plurality of one-way inflation valves each of which is fluidly coupled to one of the inflatable enclosures... A gas inflation channel is fluidly coupled, via the one-way valves, to the inflatable enclosures for introducing a gas (typically air) into those enclosures
Implementation Method 4
The inflatable enclosures are joined to one another by a plurality of seams (e.g., fused seams) such that each enclosure is joined to an adjacent enclosure by one of those seams... formed by joining two pieces of a fabric (e.g., a polymeric fabric) together by a plurality of seams
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a trash bag is disclosed, which comprises a plurality of inflatable enclosures (herein also referred to as inflatable bladders) coupled to one another so as to form a vertically self-supporting structure when inflated, where the structure extends from a proximal end to a distal end to provide at least a portion of a perimeter wall of the trash bag. A deflation strip is coupled to at least one of the inflatable enclosures for deflating said enclosure after inflation. The trash bag further includes a floor coupled to the inflatable enclosures so as to provide, in combination with the vertically self-supporting structure, a container for receiving trash.