Stepped-Shoulder Plastic Bottle for Precise Stack Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bottles are difficult to stack precisely and stably, leading to instability and potential misalignment, especially when stacked on pallets or shelves.
Innovation Solution
The bottle design features a stepped shoulder with a support surface and locking surface, combined with a base locking recess, ensuring precise alignment and positive locking between stacked bottles, along with a stretch sleeve for reinforcement and improved crush resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a conical depression in the base is used to receive the conical section of the shoulder, then the weight transfer and centering are improved, but the bottles may not be precisely aligned making the stack unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The shoulder is divided into two functional surfaces: a conical section for weight transfer and a stepped portion with a locking surface for precise alignment. This segmentation allows each surface to perform its specific function independently, resolving the contradiction between stability and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
A locking surface is introduced as an intermediary element between the shoulder and base. This locking surface provides additional contact points that ensure precise alignment while the conical section handles weight transfer, thus resolving the alignment precision issue without compromising stack stability.
2Strength
If the closure and neck are designed to bear vertical forces from stacked bottles, then structural integrity is maintained, but the closure and neck become more complex and heavier
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is transferred from the vertical dimension (closure and neck) to the horizontal dimension (shoulder and base). The stepped shoulder with locking surface provides horizontal support that prevents the upper bottle from shifting, thereby eliminating the need for the closure and neck to bear vertical forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The weight-bearing function is extracted from the closure and neck components and reassigned to the shoulder and base structure. This extraction simplifies the closure and neck design while maintaining overall structural integrity through the new load path provided by the stepped shoulder.
3Area of stationary object
If a square cross-section bottle is used, then the dead space between adjacent bottles is minimized, but the bottles are more difficult to grip and handle
Solution Approach 1:
A conical depression is added locally to the base of the square cross-section bottle. This local modification provides a gripping surface that facilitates hand placement while the overall square cross-section maintains efficient space utilization in the stack. The conical depression does not affect the horizontal space efficiency but improves vertical handling.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a bottle (1) with a bottle body (10) made of plastic and a closure (70), wherein the bottle body (10) comprises: - a shoulder (13), - a neck (14) molded onto the shoulder with a dispensing opening (15) which can be closed with the closure (70), - a base (12) which has a stacking recess (41) projecting into a receiving space (40) of the bottle body (10), which is suitable for completely receiving the closure (70) and the neck (14) of an identical bottle (1a), so that when an upper bottle (1b) is stacked on a lower bottle (1a), the weight of the upper bottle (1b) rests completely on the shoulder (13) of the lower bottle (1a), - a jacket area (11) which extends between the shoulder (13) and the base (12) in a vertical direction of the bottle body (10) and forms a front wall (18),The invention is characterized in that the shoulder (13) has a stepped shoulder (30) which has a support surface (31) lying substantially in the horizontal plane and a shoulder edge (32) with a locking surface (42) extending substantially in the vertical direction, and that the bottom (12) has a locking recess (42) for receiving the stepped shoulder (30), wherein the locking recess (42) has a support surface (43) and a recess edge (44) with a counter surface (46) extending substantially in the vertical direction.so that when the upper bottle (1b) is stacked on the lower bottle (1a), the support surface (43) of the upper bottle (1b) rests on the bearing surface (31) of the lower bottle (1a), and the locking surface (45) of the lower bottle (1a) and the counter surface (46) of the upper bottle (1b) abut each other, creating a positive fit in the horizontal plane between the upper bottle (1b) and the lower bottle (1a).