Self-Interlocking Sheet Material Container Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing paper material containers used for packaging products like cosmetics and drugs face issues with maintaining closure due to the weight of the contents, leading to accidental opening and increased manufacturing costs from the need for additional steps and materials, such as glue, to secure the bottom portion.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a compartment with two passage openings and occluding systems made of sheet material, including hooks and tabs, that irreversibly closes the openings without requiring additional materials or steps, allowing for easy manufacturing and secure product containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If glue is applied to tabs to secure the bottom portion, then the closure stability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to additional materials and steps
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure uses self-interlocking tabs and hooks that automatically secure the bottom portion without requiring external adhesives. The tabs engage with corresponding hooks on the container walls, creating a self-sustaining closure mechanism that eliminates the need for glue application steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical connection system replaces the chemical bonding system (glue). Instead of relying on adhesive to hold tabs in place, the design uses interlocking mechanical elements (tabs with hooks) that physically engage to provide closure stability, thereby eliminating material costs and processing steps associated with glue application.
2Reliability
If additional steps are added to secure the bottom portion, then the closure stability is improved, but the manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tabs and hooks are pre-formed as integral parts of the container structure during the initial forming process. This preliminary action ensures that the closure mechanism is already in place before assembly, eliminating the need for separate steps to secure the bottom portion and reducing overall manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure mechanism is designed to automatically engage and secure itself during the normal assembly process. The tabs naturally fit into the hooks without requiring additional manual intervention or processing steps, thereby maintaining closure stability while minimizing manufacturing time.
3Reliability
If a complex closure system is used to prevent accidental opening, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of preventing accidental opening from a complex multi-component closure system and implements it through a simple tab-hook mechanism. By removing unnecessary components and focusing on the core function, the design achieves reliable accidental opening prevention with minimal structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure system applies quality and complexity only where necessary - the tabs and hooks are strategically positioned at critical points where closure stability is needed, while the rest of the container maintains a simple, lightweight structure. This localized approach provides effective accidental opening prevention without overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A container has a compartment of sheet material defining an inner volume configured for housing a product, the compartment extending between a first and second longitudinal end portions along a longitudinal development direction of the compartment. The compartment having a predetermined number of lateral walls defining: at least one first passage opening arranged at the first longitudinal end portion of the compartment, one second passage opening arranged at the second longitudinal end portion of the compartment. The container includes at least one occluding system engaged at the second passage opening and configured for irreversibly closing the second passage opening. The disclosure also relates a process of making the container.