Shipping Container With Perforated Top Flaps For Customizable Access

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional shipping containers for ecommerce products lack customization and user-friendly opening mechanisms, leading to suboptimal packaging and unboxing experiences.

Innovation Solution

A container design featuring foldable panels with a line of weakness pattern and top flaps that can be easily opened by breaking perforations, allowing for custom sizing and a smooth closure mechanism, enabling users to access the interior space efficiently.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If standard boxes with standard packing are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but customization and user-friendly opening mechanisms are lacking

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovecustomizationVSAvoidcontainer structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into multiple panels (front, back, side panels) and flaps (top flaps, bottom flaps) that can be independently configured. The top flaps include front, back, and side top flaps that can be separately opened via perforation lines, allowing customized access to the interior space while maintaining structural integrity when closed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The container transitions from a static sealed structure to a dynamic opening mechanism. The perforation lines in the top flaps enable controlled breaking/opening of the container, transforming it from a fixed state to an accessible state, thereby providing user-friendly opening while maintaining structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If conventional sealing methods are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but ease of opening and unboxing experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveopening mechanismVSAvoidflap structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Perforation lines are pre-defined in the top flaps during manufacturing, preparing the container for easy opening before the user interacts with it. The user simply needs to break along these pre-marked lines to open the container, eliminating the need for complex opening mechanisms or tools.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The top flaps are designed as disposable breakaway elements with perforation lines that are meant to be broken during opening. This simple, low-cost approach provides ease of opening without requiring complex reusable mechanisms, aligning with the ecommerce packaging context where containers are typically single-use.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Adaptability or versatility

If standard packaging is used, then manufacturing efficiency is maintained, but adaptability to various product sizes deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct size accommodationVSAvoidcustom sizing
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The container design with multiple configurable panels and flaps creates a universal packaging solution that can accommodate various product sizes. The same basic structure with front, back, side panels and top/bottom flaps can be adapted to different dimensions and configurations, eliminating the need for entirely different container designs for different products.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The container dimensions and flap configurations can be adjusted by changing parameters such as panel sizes, flap positions, and perforation line locations. This allows the same fundamental design to be manufactured in various sizes to fit different product dimensions, providing adaptability without requiring completely different manufacturing processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3838783B1Shippers with a constant depth
Publication Date: 2023.05.10 WESTROCK SHARED SERVICES LLC
  • EP3838783B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3838783B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3838783B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A container includes a blank having a plurality of panels foldably connected to one another and erected about an interior space, and a plurality of top flaps foldably connected to the plurality of panels to enclose a top end of the interior space, and a plurality of bottom flaps wherein each of the bottom flaps is foldably connected to a corresponding panel of plurality of panels to enclose a bottom end of the interior space. The blank includes a line of weakness pattern configured to allow a user to break the top flaps from a closed configuration enclosing the interior space to an open configuration allowing access to the interior space.