Stand-up Plastic Bag Shift Regions and Cuff Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plastic storage bags require additional material and structural features like pleats or gussets to stand upright, which increases manufacturing costs and reduces their ability to be compactly stored in a flat configuration.
Innovation Solution
A plastic storage bag design featuring shift regions such as score lines, indentations, or crimps in the sidewalls allows the bag to transition between a flat and stand-up configuration without pleats or gussets, using textured patterns to guide user folding and maintain stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pleats or gussets are added to the bottom of the bag to enable it to stand upright, then the bag can stand upright without user support, but additional material is required which increases manufacturing costs and reduces the ability of the bag to be made flat for compact storage
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom of the bag is divided into multiple panels that can be folded along predetermined lines. This segmentation allows the bottom to be constructed from the same material as the rest of the bag without requiring additional pleats or gussets, thereby enabling the bag to stand upright while using minimal material and maintaining flat storage capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bag bottom is pre-folded along predetermined lines during manufacturing to create a configuration that enables upright standing. This preliminary folding action creates the necessary structural support without requiring additional material, allowing the bag to automatically stand upright when placed on a surface while remaining compact when flattened.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the bag is made thicker throughout its sides and bottom to more firmly support itself in an upright position, then the bag can stand upright more stably, but additional material is required which increases manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom is segmented into multiple panels that fold along predetermined lines to create a stable upright structure. This segmentation provides structural support and stability without requiring the entire bag to be made thicker, thereby reducing material usage while maintaining upright stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The folded bottom structure concentrates support where needed - at the base of the bag - without requiring the entire bag to be thicker. The predetermined fold lines create local structural reinforcement at the bottom panels while the rest of the bag maintains its original thickness, optimizing material distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage bag includes first and second sidewalls having a top edge, a top portion, and a bottom portion. The bottom portion of the first sidewall includes at least one shift region about which the bag is capable of shifting. The shift region includes a score line, an indentation, or a crimp formed into the first sidewall. The top portions of the sidewalls include a cuff region includes a textured patterned band to provide a visual cue to a user as to where to fold and to cuff the bag. The bag shifts between (i) a flat configuration with the sidewalls positioned adjacent to each other, and (ii) a stand-up configuration with the sidewalls separated from each other. In the stand-up configuration, the bag has a substantially flat base. The cuff region can be shifted to a cuffed position with the cuff region forming the opening to the bag.