Spherical Polygon Corners for Food Container Handling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food packaging containers are difficult to handle due to their shape and size, making them challenging to carry and dispense food and beverage products effectively.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a top wall, bottom wall, and sidewalls with spherical polygons at the top corners, which provides structural strength while reducing material usage, and is configured for use with a box that facilitates handling and stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the container is made with conventional sharp corners and flat surfaces, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the container is difficult to handle and carry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing sharp corners with rounded transitions and incorporating spherical polygons at corner regions. This curvature modification enables better grip and handling while distributing mechanical stresses more evenly throughout the container structure, resolving the contradiction between ease of handling and geometric simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying spherical polygons specifically at corner regions where handling contact occurs, while maintaining simpler flat surfaces in other areas. This localized modification provides enhanced handling capability without unnecessarily complicating the entire container geometry.
2Strength
If the container uses uniform thickness walls, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but material usage is not optimized for strength requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying wall thickness based on structural requirements - thicker walls at corner regions with spherical polygons where strength is critical, and thinner walls in areas subject to less stress. This optimization provides necessary strength while reducing overall material usage compared to uniform thickness designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical polygon geometry at corners naturally distributes and redirects stress forces more evenly throughout the material, allowing for reduced material thickness while maintaining or improving structural strength at critical locations.
3Productivity
If the container has a simple geometric shape, then the manufacturing process is easier, but stacking and packaging efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rounded corner geometries with spherical polygons create more compact container footprints and improve stacking by allowing tighter arrangement of multiple containers. The curvature enables better interlocking and stabilization during stacking, increasing productivity while remaining compatible with conventional blow-molding manufacturing processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A container is provided and includes a top wall, a bottom wall, and a plurality of sidewalls defining a plurality of side corners. Each of the side corners includes a top corner. At least one of the top corners has a plurality of spherical polygons including at least a first spherical polygon having a first radius of curvature contiguous with a second spherical polygon having a second radius of curvature.