Tissue Container Flexible Button Latch for Single-Touch Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household thin paper sheet storing containers are difficult to open when hands are dirty, as the button must be pushed at a specific edge to disengage the latch, making it hard to open the lid with a single touch.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a flexible button moving portion made of elastic material, allowing the open/close lid to be easily opened by pushing any part of the button's upper surface, with a latch system that includes a button-side latch portion and an open/close-lid-side latch portion, and a biasing mechanism that biases the lid in an opening direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the button is designed with a fixed rigid structure, then the latch mechanism is simple, but the button can only be pushed at a specific edge to open the lid
Solution Approach 1:
The button structure is changed from rigid to flexible, allowing it to dynamically deform when pushed at any location on its upper surface. This flexibility enables the button to transmit force to the latch portion regardless of where it is pushed, resolving the contradiction by making the button adaptable to different pushing positions while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the button is changed from rigid to flexible, allowing it to deform under applied force. This parameter change enables the button to respond to pushes at any location on its upper surface by transmitting the force through its flexible body to the latch mechanism, thereby improving ease of operation without significantly increasing complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the button is made flexible to allow pushing from any position, then ease of operation improves, but the button structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism is segmented into distinct components: the button portion, the button moving portion, and the open/close-lid-side latch portion. This segmentation allows each component to have a specific function - the button portion deforms flexibly, the button moving portion translates this deformation into linear motion, and the latch portion engages or disengages accordingly. This modular approach manages complexity by distributing functions across separate elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The button moving portion acts as an intermediary between the flexible button portion and the rigid latch portion. It converts the complex multi-directional deformation of the flexible button into simple linear motion that effectively actuates the latch mechanism. This intermediary element simplifies the overall system by mediating between the flexible input and the mechanical output.
3Reliability
If the button and lid are disengaged when button pivots, then the lid opens reliably, but the button must be pushed at a specific edge location
Solution Approach 1:
The button is designed with flexible properties that allow it to dynamically adapt to pushes from any location on its upper surface. When pushed, the flexible button deforms and transmits force through the button moving portion to disengage the latch, maintaining reliable lid opening while removing the constraint on push location. The flexibility enables the button to reliably transmit force regardless of where it is pushed.
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
Enables easy opening of the container lid with any part of the button's upper surface, improving usability and manufacturing efficiency by integrating the elastic button moving portion and open/close lid biasing mechanism, while maintaining airtightness and stability.
Implementation Method 1
The button moving portion may be a film-shaped portion formed of an elastic material provided on an upper surface of the container body
Data Source
AI summary
A household tissue paper storing container includes a container body that stores household tissue paper and has an outlet through which the household thin paper sheet is taken out, an open/close lid that is pivotably provided to the container body and closes the outlet, a latch that latches the open/close lid in a closed state and that, in response to being unlocked, opens the open/close lid, and a biasing portion that presses the open/close lid in an opening direction. The latch includes an open/close-lid-side latch portion that is provided at the open/close lid, a button moving portion that is a flexible portion provided at the container body, and a button portion that is moved up and down by the button moving portion and has a button-side latch portion that engages the open/close-lid-side latch portion.