Wide Lid-Activation Button With Stabilizing Rib for One-Handed Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional containers for wet wipes have small lid-activation buttons that are difficult to press and may not function properly when pressed off-center, making it challenging to access the wipes, especially for users who need to attend to other tasks with one hand.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a wide lid-activation button with a living hinge and a strengthening rib, allowing the button to be pressed anywhere along its width and ensuring consistent opening of the lid, even when pressed off-center, with a flexible rubber-like material for proper sealing and easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a small button is used for lid activation, then the container size is reduced, but the button becomes difficult to press and may not function properly when pressed off-center
Solution Approach 1:
The button is extended in the lateral dimension to create a wider pressing surface while maintaining the compact container volume. This dimensional extension allows users to press the button with greater ease and tolerance for off-center pressing without increasing the overall container footprint significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
The button structure incorporates a living hinge with differential flexibility - the outer portion is designed to be more flexible to accommodate off-center pressing, while the inner portion near the hinge axis maintains structural integrity. This local quality variation allows the button to function reliably across its entire width.
2Ease of manufacture
If a small button is used for lid activation, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the reliability of button function deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The button is segmented into functional zones: an outer flexible region that accommodates varied pressing locations, and an inner rigid region near the hinge that ensures reliable mechanical actuation. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally while using simple, cost-effective materials and manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The living hinge design incorporates built-in compliance and stress distribution features that cushion and distribute the pressing force across the button structure before it reaches the latching mechanism. This beforehand cushioning protects against force concentration and potential failure points, enhancing reliability without adding complex components.
3Ease of operation
If a wide button is used for lid activation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the structural stability of the lid may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The button incorporates a living hinge that provides dynamic flexibility during the opening action, allowing the button to flex and return to its original position. This dynamic characteristic enables easy operation while the hinge's inherent mechanical properties maintain structural stability when the lid is closed and not being actuated.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid structure uses composite construction combining rigid materials for the main lid body to ensure structural stability, with a flexible living hinge region made of elastomeric or semi-flexible material to enable button movement. This composite approach allows the wide button to be easily pressed while the overall lid structure maintains its strength and stability.
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 design enables easy, one-handed opening of the container without requiring precise button pressing, reducing the risk of button failure and maintaining a sanitary access method, suitable for users with limited dexterity or those needing to attend to other tasks simultaneously.
Implementation Method 1
The living hinge encourages the button side (the movable side) to flex at the living hinge
Data Source
AI summary
A lid structure for use with a container for storing personal care products is disclosed. The lid structure includes a lid-activation button that when pressed allows the lid top to rotate about the lid base giving a consumer access to the contents of the container. Additionally, the lid-activation button functions so that the lid top is released independent of where the lid-activation button is pressed by the consumer. To create better and more consistent opening of the lid top portion, an inner longitudinal edge of the lid-activation button may be attached to the lid bottom via a living hinge that is formed integrally with the lid base. A strengthening rib is attached to the living hinge that keeps the main body side of the living hinge immobile and encourages the button side of the living hinge to flex when the lid-activation button is depressed.