Side-Opening Container with Pivoting Flap for Single-Item Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions for smoking articles, such as hinge lid packs and soft-packs, lack a convenient and secure mechanism for accessing and removing individual items without risking accidental loss or exposure to environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A side-opening container design featuring pivotally attached side walls, with one side wall capable of being moved between open and closed positions, incorporating an extension portion and guiding elements to securely release one smoking article at a time, preventing accidental loss and environmental exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a large opening is created in the top wall to access multiple smoking articles, then accessibility is improved, but protection against environmental factors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments, each with its own access mechanism. This allows individual access to smoking articles without requiring a large opening that would expose all articles to environmental factors. Each compartment can be opened independently, maintaining protection for closed compartments while providing access to the needed article.
Solution Approach 2:
The container employs dynamic access mechanisms such as pivoting side walls or flip-top compartments that can transition between closed and open states. This allows the container to maintain a closed, protected state when not in use, and provides controlled access when needed, rather than requiring a permanently open large opening.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a hinge lid mechanism is used to access smoking articles, then protection is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into multiple independently accessible compartments. Instead of requiring the user to open a full lid to access any article, each compartment can be accessed individually through its own opening mechanism, making the operation more convenient while maintaining protection for other compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The container uses dynamic access mechanisms such as flip-top compartments or pivoting sections that can be quickly opened and closed. This provides easier, more convenient access compared to traditional hinge lids, while still maintaining protection when closed through sealed designs and tight-fitting covers.
3Ease of manufacture
If the container is made from a single laminar material, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional components (container walls, compartments, lids, and access mechanisms) are integrated into a single laminar material structure. This merging of functions into one material reduces manufacturing steps and costs, while the inherent structural complexity of the laminar design provides the necessary compartmentalization and access mechanisms without requiring additional assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for consumer goods includes a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall and two side walls. One of the two side walls is pivotally attached to either the back wall or the front wall so as to be capable of being actuated in a manner such as to be moved between an open position and a closed.