Snuff Container Cover Attachment With Protrusion-Cutout Locking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing snuff containers face challenges in cost-effective manufacturing due to complex attachment mechanisms for cover parts, often requiring expensive processes, and ensuring secure attachment without compromising simplicity and ease of production.

Innovation Solution

A container design featuring a containment part with protrusions and cut-outs, combined with adhesive labels and interference fits, stabilizes the connection between the cover and containment parts, allowing for a robust and cost-efficient manufacturing process using injection-moulding.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If complex attachment mechanisms are used to secure the cover part to the containment part, then the reliability of attachment is improved, but the manufacturing cost and device complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment securityVSAvoidattachment mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The attachment mechanism is segmented into multiple discrete features: protrusions on the containment part, corresponding recesses on the cover part, and adhesive labels. This segmentation allows each feature to contribute to attachment security while maintaining simplicity of individual components, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple attachment features (protrusions, recesses, adhesive labels) are merged to work together as an integrated attachment system. The protrusions provide mechanical interlocking, the recesses provide geometric compatibility, and the adhesive labels provide bonding strength, collectively achieving high attachment reliability without requiring any single feature to be overly complex.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If complex attachment mechanisms are used to secure the cover part, then the reliability of attachment is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment securityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The attachment system is divided into simple, manufacturable features that can be produced using standard injection-moulding techniques. The protrusions and recesses are formed as integral parts of the molded components, and adhesive labels are applied as separate low-cost elements, avoiding the need for expensive specialized manufacturing processes while maintaining attachment reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The protrusions and recesses are designed to self-align and self-locate during assembly, eliminating the need for complex alignment mechanisms or additional fastening steps. The adhesive labels provide automatic bonding when pressed together, reducing labor costs and simplifying the manufacturing process while ensuring reliable attachment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of manufacture

If simple construction is used for cost-efficient manufacturing, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability of attachment may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidattachment security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple simple features (protrusions, recesses, adhesive labels) into an integrated attachment system that achieves high reliability. Each feature is simple to manufacture individually using injection-moulding, but their combination provides mechanical interlocking, geometric constraint, and adhesive bonding, collectively ensuring secure attachment without compromising reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The attachment system uses a composite approach combining mechanical features (protrusions and recesses made from molded plastic) with chemical bonding (adhesive labels). This composite strategy leverages both mechanical interlocking and adhesive strength to achieve reliable attachment while keeping individual components simple and cost-efficient to manufacture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentEP4699463A1A container configured for storage of a plurality of snuff portions
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 SWEDISH MATCH NORTH EURO
  • EP4699463A1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP4699463A1 patent drawingFigure 1c
  • EP4699463A1 patent drawingFigure 1d

AI summary

A container (2) configured for storage of a plurality of snuff portions, comprising a containment part (4), comprising a storage compartment (18), and a cover part (8). The containment part extends from a first end (10) to a second end (12) in a height direction (H), and in a lateral direction (L), perpendicular to the height direction. The containment part comprises a side wall (14), having a length along a periphery of the storage compartment, and a height in the height direction, and the storage compartment is delimited by the side wall in the lateral direction. The containment part further comprises a bounding wall (16), connected to the side wall and configured to further delimit the storage compartment, and a cover support surface (20). The cover part comprises a first cover portion (22), covering at least portion of the cover support surface of the containment part, and configured to be fixed thereto, and a second cover portion (24), hinged to the first cover portion, and configured such that the second cover portion is movable between a first position (P1), the storage compartment is closed, and a second position (P2), wherein the storage compartment is open. The containment part comprises a protrusion (26) extending from the cover support surface, and wherein the first cover portion comprises a cut-out (28), the protrusion being arranged therein.