Shaped Packaging for Aerosol Refill Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face confusion when selecting compatible refills for aerosol dispensers due to the overwhelming number of choices, often leading to incorrect purchases and subsequent returns to exchange for the right refill.
Innovation Solution
Packaging designed to resemble the device it is intended for, using a configuration that mimics the device's shape, size, or functional components, allowing consumers to identify compatible refills without the need for the device to be included, made from materials like thermoformed plastic and featuring additional storage for multiple refills.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If packaging uses a configuration that resembles the device, then consumer identification accuracy is improved, but packaging material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging uses a configuration that copies or resembles the device's shape, size, and functional components. This allows consumers to visually identify compatible refills without including the actual device, resolving the contradiction by creating a simplified representation that provides identification accuracy while using less material than full device inclusion would require
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging configuration changes key parameters (shape, size, visual characteristics) to match the device it is intended for. By adjusting these physical parameters to resemble the target device, the packaging achieves high identification accuracy while maintaining material efficiency, as it only replicates essential visual features rather than the complete device structure
2Reliability
If the device is included with the refill packaging, then consumer confidence is improved, but packaging cost and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of including the actual device with the refill packaging, the patent uses a configuration that copies the device's essential visual characteristics. This simplified copy provides sufficient visual confirmation for consumers to identify compatibility, maintaining consumer confidence while avoiding the excessive material usage and cost associated with including the complete device
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential visual identification features from the complete device and incorporates them into the packaging configuration. This extraction approach removes unnecessary device components while retaining the key visual cues that build consumer confidence, thereby reducing packaging material usage without sacrificing reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A package includes a refill for a device and a configuration of the package that resembles at least a portion of the device with which the refill functionally interacts. The configuration of the package is indicative of the device and does not include same. In addition, a method of identifying a renewable item for a rechargeable device includes the steps of providing a package including a structural configuration that resembles at least a portion of the rechargeable device with which the renewable item interacts and packaging the renewable item within the package. The rechargeable device is not carried by the structural configuration. Further, a packaging includes a first item and a structure that carries the first item and that resembles at least one portion of a second item with which the first item functionally interacts. A characteristic of the structure identifies the second item. The second item is not carried by the structure.