Shaped Flexible Shipping Package With Expandable Protection Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shipping packages are inefficient, costly, and lack customization, often requiring additional materials for protection and taking up excessive space, while being prone to damage and difficult to handle and stack, especially for fragile or bulky items.
Innovation Solution
A flexible package made from multi-layered polypropylene film with expandable chambers and expansion ports, allowing for customizable fit and easy handling, while maintaining structural integrity and environmental resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If generic flexible pouch or box packaging is used, then ease of manufacture and low cost are achieved, but product protection and space efficiency deteriorate due to ill-fitting packaging requiring additional materials
Solution Approach 1:
The package utilizes expandable chambers that can be inflated to different volumes, allowing a single package design to adapt to products of various sizes. This dynamic adjustment enables custom-fit packaging without requiring multiple package sizes, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and product protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The package volume is changed by controlling the inflation of expandable chambers. By adjusting the volume parameter of the chambers, the package can be customized to fit different product sizes, improving product protection while maintaining ease of manufacture through a standardized package design.
2Reliability
If additional protective materials are added to generic packages, then product protection is improved, but device complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function and the packaging structure are merged into a single integrated system. The expandable chambers provide both the package structure and the protective cushioning, eliminating the need for separate protective materials and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable chamber serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the package structure, offers protective cushioning, and enables size adjustment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional protective materials and simplifies the overall packaging system.
3Reliability
If additional protective materials are used, then product protection is improved, but material usage and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function and the packaging structure are merged into a single integrated system. The expandable chambers provide both the package structure and the protective cushioning, eliminating the need for separate protective materials and reducing overall device complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If flexible materials are used for the package, then adaptability and ease of handling are improved, but stacking ability and conveyor compatibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The package volume is changed by controlling the inflation of expandable chambers. By adjusting the volume parameter of the chambers, the package can be customized to fit different product sizes, improving product protection while maintaining ease of manufacture through a standardized package design.
5Volume of moving object
If the package is made to fit products closely, then space efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity and adaptability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The package utilizes expandable chambers that can be inflated to different volumes, allowing a single package design to adapt to products of various sizes. This dynamic adjustment enables custom-fit packaging without requiring multiple package sizes, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and product protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible package having an inner sheet having a first surface and a second surface. The flexible package has an article reservoir for accepting an article to be shipped and one or more expansion chambers. The expansion chambers can be inflated or otherwise expanded to provide structure to the flexible package and to protect the article in the article reservoir.