Sheetlike Composite with Differential Bending Resistance for Food Containers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional food packaging solutions, such as cans and jars, face challenges including inefficient storage, high energy consumption in production and transport, and safety issues like sharp edges and contamination, while laminate containers offer improvements but still require enhanced production processes and visual appeal.

Innovation Solution

A sheetlike composite with a layer sequence of an outer polymer layer, color application, carrier layer, and barrier layer, featuring longitudinal crease lines oriented in specific directions to achieve differential bending resistance, allowing for improved production, storage, and visual appeal with reduced weight and damage susceptibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional cans and jars are used for food packaging, then food preservation and container strength are achieved, but storage efficiency is poor, energy consumption is high, and safety issues arise from sharp edges and contamination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood preservationVSAvoidstorage efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into multiple functional layers including outer polymer layer, color application, carrier layer, and barrier layer, each serving specific purposes for preservation while enabling efficient storage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses composite laminate structure combining different materials (polymer, cardboard/paper, barrier layer) to achieve both food preservation reliability and improved storage efficiency, replacing conventional single-material cans and jars

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If conventional cans and jars are used for food packaging, then food preservation is achieved, but energy consumption in production and transport is excessive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood preservationVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the material parameters by using lighter-weight composite materials with comparable or superior barrier properties, reducing the energy required for production and transportation while maintaining food preservation capabilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Strength

If conventional cans and jars are used for food packaging, then container strength is achieved, but safety issues arise from sharp edges and contamination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer strengthVSAvoidsafety issues

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The carrier layer is provided with longitudinal crease lines at specific locations where folding is required, creating localized flexibility while maintaining overall container strength and eliminating sharp edges through controlled fold lines rather than rigid corners

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Stability of the object's composition

If laminate containers with carrier layer are used, then dimensional stability is achieved, but production process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedimensional stabilityVSAvoidproduction process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The longitudinal crease lines are pre-formed in the carrier layer during laminate production, enabling subsequent easy folding and container formation without requiring complex production equipment or multi-step processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11273617B2Sheetlike composite, in particular for the production of dimensionally stable foodstuff containers, having a first bending resistance which is less than a further bending resistance

Publication Date: 2022.03.15 SIG SERVICES AG

AI summary

The present invention refers to a sheetlike composite, comprising as a layer sequence in a direction from an outer surface of the sheetlike composite to an inner surface of the sheetlike composite a) an outer polymer layer, b) a colour application, c) a carrier layer, and d) a barrier layer; wherein the sheetlike composite comprises at least one longitudinal crease line; wherein the at least one longitudinal crease line is oriented in a first direction; wherein the sheetlike composite has a first bending resistance in the first direction; wherein a further direction is perpendicular to the first direction; wherein the sheetlike composite has a further bending resistance in the further direction; wherein the first bending resistance is less than the further bending resistance. The invention further refers to a container precursor and to a closed container, in each case comprising the preceding sheetlike composite; and to a container precursor and a closed container, in each case having a sheetlike composite with a first bending resistance along a first direction which is less than a further bending resistance along a further direction.