Soft-sided lunch box stiffened lid zipperless seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soft-sided insulated containers lack an effective seal to prevent liquid spills when tipped over, and they often require a zipper for closure, which can be inconvenient and prone to failure, while also lacking a secure surface for placing objects.
Innovation Solution
A soft-sided insulated container with a stiffened lid that lies flat when open, featuring a flexible hinge and a rigid liner for a zipperless closure, providing a stable work surface with raised retainers to prevent sliding and a secure attachment to the body, ensuring a tight interference fit and preventing spills.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a soft-sided panel is used for closure, then the container remains flexible and collapsible, but the seal effectiveness deteriorates when tipped over
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different stiffness characteristics to different regions of the closure system. The main body remains soft and collapsible, while the lid incorporates localized stiffening elements (stiffened members) that provide rigidity specifically where needed for sealing and preventing spills, without compromising the overall flexibility of the container.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure system combines soft insulating materials with rigid stiffened members to create a composite structure. This allows the lid to have both the flexibility needed for collapsible storage and the rigidity required for effective sealing, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and reliability.
2Ease of operation
If a zipper is used for closure, then the container can be opened and closed, but the reliability deteriorates due to potential failure and inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the zipper mechanism entirely from the closure system. Instead of using a separate fastening component, the design relies on the structural interference fit between the lid and container body, eliminating the reliability issues associated with zippers while maintaining ease of operation through simple lifting and placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure system is designed to be self-latching through the interference fit between the lid and container body. Once the lid is placed on the container, the stiffened members automatically engage with the container walls to secure the closure, eliminating the need for separate fastening mechanisms and improving reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the lid is made flexible to match the soft-sided container, then the container remains collapsible, but the work surface stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lid incorporates localized stiffening members that provide stability specifically for the work surface area, while the rest of the lid structure remains flexible to maintain collapsibility. This local differentiation allows the work surface to be stable for placing objects while the overall container remains adaptable for storage.
4Device complexity
If no object retainer is provided, then the container structure remains simple, but the risk of loss or misplacement of objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the object retention function into the existing lid structure by incorporating raised retainers as integral features of the stiffened members. This integration provides object retention capability without adding separate retention devices, maintaining structural simplicity while improving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a secure, zipperless closure that prevents spills and offers a stable work surface for objects, reducing the risk of loss or misplacement and enhancing usability, especially for children's lunch containers.
Implementation Method 1
The lid includes a stiffened member. The stiffened member is formed to define the work surface.
Implementation Method 2
The lid has a formed member matable with the rigid liner in an interference fit.
Implementation Method 3
The lid is secured to the body by a flexible hinge running along a margin of the lid.
Implementation Method 4
The object retainer includes a raised relief feature formed in the stiffened member.
Data Source
AI summary
A soft-sided insulated container assembly has a generally box-shaped form like a school lunch box, having a main body and a lid. The lid is formed of one of the largest panels of the box-structure, and is joined to the main body of the box by a hinge that lets the lid lie flat next to the main body when the box is open. The inside face of the lid then defines a work surface on which to place objects such as foodstuffs and beverages. The work surface may be formed in a substantially rigid molded stiffener member, and may be divided into sub-regions with raised retainers to discourage sliding of objects where not precisely level. The container assembly may include a rigid internal liner with which the lid may mate zipperlessly. The mating portion of the lid may be formed in the same rigid member as the work surface.