Slide Push Pack With Guide Rails Resolves Lid Binding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional packaging for smoking articles, such as cigarettes, often experiences issues with crush resistance, ease of access, and unintended openings, particularly in pockets or purses, due to standard hinge-lid designs that can lead to hinged-lid tears and binding during use.

Innovation Solution

A slide push pack design featuring an outer shell with guide rails and an inner shell with a hinged-lid, upper tab, mid-tab, and lower retention tab, which reduces friction and allows for one-handed operation, multiple opening options, and enhanced dispensing of smoking articles by sliding and pushing mechanisms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a standard hinge-lid design is used for packaging smoking articles, then the packaging structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the packaging experiences hinged-lid tears and binding during use, reducing reliability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresistance to hinged-lid tears and bindingVSAvoidpackaging structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging structure is divided into an outer shell and an inner shell that can slide relative to each other. The inner shell contains the hinged lid mechanism, separating the functions of protection (outer shell) and access (inner shell with lid). This segmentation allows the hinged lid to operate within a controlled environment between the guide rails, preventing tears and binding while maintaining overall structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Guide rails are introduced as an intermediary element between the outer and inner shells. These rails guide the movement of the inner shell during opening and closing operations, preventing misalignment and binding of the hinged lid. The guide rails act as a mediator that ensures smooth operation and prevents the harmful effects of direct contact between the lid and outer shell edges.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Strength

If a conventional packaging design is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but crush resistance is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecrush resistanceVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging is segmented into outer and inner shells, where the outer shell provides the primary structural framework for crush resistance. The inner shell can be made from lighter materials since it is protected by the outer shell during transport. This segmentation allows optimization of each component's strength-to-weight ratio, improving overall crush resistance without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The dual-shell structure creates a composite packaging system where the outer shell and inner shell work together to provide enhanced protection. The outer shell can be made from more rigid materials optimized for crush resistance, while the inner shell uses materials optimized for product protection and lid operation. This composite approach improves strength while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized component production.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Ease of operation

If a standard packaging design is used, then the structure is simple, but ease of access and one-handed operation are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveone-handed operation capabilityVSAvoidopening mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging transitions from a static hinged lid design to a dynamic sliding mechanism. The inner shell slides horizontally within the outer shell along guide rails, allowing users to open the packaging by applying lateral force with one hand. This dynamic movement eliminates the need to lift or manipulate a hinged lid, significantly improving ease of one-handed operation while keeping the mechanism simple through the use of passive guide rails.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The sliding mechanism is designed to be self-guiding through the guide rails, which automatically constrain the inner shell's movement path. Users simply need to apply force to initiate sliding, and the guide rails self-correct any misalignment or binding. This self-service characteristic reduces the complexity of control mechanisms while enhancing ease of operation, as the system guides itself during the opening action.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Reliability

If conventional packaging is used, then the structure is straightforward, but unintended openings in pockets or purses occur frequently

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresistance to unintended openingsVSAvoidclosure mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The separation into outer and inner shells creates a more secure closure system. The inner shell with its hinged lid can be independently secured within the outer shell, requiring deliberate two-handed manipulation to open. This segmentation prevents accidental activation that might occur with simple flip-top designs, improving resistance to unintended openings while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sliding mechanism requires horizontal force to initiate movement, unlike vertical flip-top lids that can accidentally open from minor impacts or pressure changes in pockets. The dynamic sliding action along guide rails creates friction and mechanical resistance that prevents unintended opening, while the simplicity of the guide rail structure keeps the overall device complexity manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10595560B2Slide push pack for smoking articles
Publication Date: 2020.03.24 ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES LLC
  • US10595560B2 patent drawing
  • US10595560B2 patent drawing
  • US10595560B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A slide push pack for smoking articles and a method of packaging smoking articles are disclosed. The slide push pack includes an outer shell and an inner shell. The outer shell has a front panel, a back panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel, the back panel having a pair of guide rails and an inner channel, the front panel having a front finger window. The inner shell is configured to receive a pack of smoking articles. The inner shell includes an inner back panel, an outer back panel, a front panel, a first side panel, a second side panel, and a hinged-lid. The hinged-lid has a hinged-lid back panel configured to attach the hinged-lid to the back panel of the inner shell, and wherein the inner back panel includes an upper tab, and the outer back panel includes a mid-tab and a lower retention tab.