Slanted-Top Pourable Product Package for Reduced Splashing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packages for pourable food products, such as Tetra Brik Aseptic packages, lack improvements in design for direct consumption on the go and efficient opening mechanisms, leading to potential splashing and suboptimal drinking experiences.
Innovation Solution
A package design featuring a multilayer structure with a slanted top wall, a designated pour opening covered by a separation membrane, and an opening device like a peel foil or pull-tab, allowing direct consumption and minimizing splashing during opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional package design with parallel top and bottom walls is used, then the package structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the outpouring characteristics are suboptimal and splashing occurs during direct consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by making the top wall inclined relative to the bottom wall, creating a non-parallel configuration. This asymmetric design improves outpouring characteristics and reduces splashing during direct consumption, while the inclination angle is optimized to balance performance with manufacturing feasibility.
2Ease of operation
If no opening device is provided, then the package structure is simpler, but the consumer cannot easily access the product for direct consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the opening function by providing a separate opening device that can be removed to access the pour opening. This allows the package body to remain simple while the opening device provides the necessary functionality for easy product access during direct consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening device acts as an intermediary element between the consumer and the product. It provides a user-friendly interface for opening the package and controlling the pouring process, while the package structure itself remains relatively simple.
3Reliability
If a separation membrane is used to cover the pour opening, then product freshness is maintained and splashing is reduced, but the opening process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The separation membrane is pre-positioned to cover the pour opening before the product is opened. This preliminary action maintains product freshness and prevents splashing from the outset. The membrane is designed to be removed or opened in a controlled manner that minimizes additional complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
There is described a package (1, 1',1", 1‴, 1ʺʺ) comprising a bottom wall (3), a top wall (4) inclined with respect to the bottom wall (3) and a side wall (5). The package (1, 1', 1", 1‴) further comprises a designated pour opening and an opening device (6) covering the designated pour opening and being configured to be torn away from the designated pour opening. The top wall (4) comprises a front edge (17) delimited by two front corners (15) and a back edge (18) delimited by two back corners (16). The bottom wall (3) comprises a bottom front edge (21) delimited by two bottom front corners (24) and a bottom back edge delimited by two bottom back corners (25). A first imaginary plane (P1) comprises the bottom front edge (21) and the bottom back edge and/or the two bottom front corners (24) and the two bottom back corners (25). A second imaginary plane (P2) comprises the front edge (17) and the back edge (18) and/or the two front corners (15) and the two back corners (16). The first imaginary plane (P1) and the second imaginary plane (P2) intersect along an imaginary intersection line (30). The back edge (18) is interposed between the front edge (17) and the imaginary intersection line (30).