Folded Tube Container Joint Structure for Stronger End Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional tube containers have low joining strength at the end folded with gussets, affecting transport and display efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A tube container design with a cylindrical body, dispenser member, and joint member, where the joint member extends along the edges of opposing walls and includes a first curved portion, maintaining a convex shape to improve joining strength and reduce dimension, enhancing transport and display efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the end of the cylindrical body is folded with gussets to reduce bulkiness, then transportation efficiency and display efficiency are improved, but the joining strength at the folded location decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransportation efficiencyVSAvoidjoining strength
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The end of the cylindrical body is divided into multiple gusset sections that are folded sequentially. This segmentation allows the structure to be compact while distributing the folding stress across multiple segments, preventing concentration of stress at a single joining point and thereby maintaining joining strength while achieving compactness for improved transportation efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The gussets are designed with curved folding paths rather than sharp angles. This curvature distributes the mechanical stress more evenly during folding and maintains the structural integrity of the joint, preventing stress concentration that would weaken the joining strength while still achieving the desired compact form factor.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Reliability

If the total length of the first end edge is longer than the width of the one end, then the joint member can fully join the edges, but the width of the joint member increases reducing transportation and display efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvejoining strengthVSAvoidtransportation efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The joint member is designed to extend not only in the width direction but also in the axial direction of the cylindrical body. This multi-dimensional extension allows the joint member to cover the entire perimeter of the folded end while maintaining a compact overall width, thereby achieving full edge joining without compromising transportation and display efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The joint member is configured to wrap around and nest within the folded gusset structure rather than extending linearly outward. This nesting arrangement allows the joint member to secure the entire perimeter of the longer first end edge while maintaining a compact profile that does not increase the overall width of the container, thus preserving transportation and display efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentEP4722122A1Tube container
Publication Date: 2026.04.08 FUJI SEAL INTERNATIONAL INC
  • EP4722122A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4722122A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4722122A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In the tube container, a joint member (30) joins a first end edge (14A), which is an end edge of the first wall (10A) located on a side opposite to the dispenser member (20), and a second end edge (14B), which is an end edge of the second wall (10B) located on a side opposite to the dispenser member (20), to each other in such a manner that the entire first end edge (14A) follows the entire second end edge (14B). The joint member (30) extends along the first edge (14A) and the second edge (14B). A total length of the first end edge (14A) is longer than a width of one end (13) in a second direction (D2) orthogonal to both an axial direction (DA) and a first direction (D1). At least one of a part of the first wall (10A) located on the side of the first end edge (14A) and a part of the second wall (10B) located on the side of the first end edge (14A) toward the inside of a cylindrical body (10) is folded so as to bend the first end edge (14A) in such a manner that a width of the first end edge (14A) in the second direction (D2) is smaller than a total length of the first end edge (14A).