Adjustable Storage Container With Inner Lid Securement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Disposable containers for perishable foods often require two hands to securely close, leading to leakage and logistical challenges due to varying food amounts and container sizes, resulting in inefficient storage and disposal.
Innovation Solution
A consumer-friendly container with an inner lid securement system allowing single-handed operation and an adjustable wall for customizable storage space, featuring a base with posts and caps for secure lid connection and a diaphragm-based adjustable wall for expanding or contracting storage volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If mechanical coupling features are positioned on the outermost perimeters between lid and base, then storage space is maximized, but two hands are required to simultaneously squeeze the perimeters together making closure tedious and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical coupling features are segmented from the outermost perimeters and repositioned to the inner surfaces of the lid and base. This segmentation allows the coupling features to be accessed more easily by a single hand while still providing sufficient mechanical interlocking between lid and base components.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling features are repositioned from the outer peripheral dimension to the inner surface dimension. This dimensional shift allows users to apply force more effectively with one hand while maintaining the structural integrity and sealing function of the lid-base assembly.
2Reliability
If outermost perimeters of lid and base support mechanical coupling features, then sealing is provided, but failure to properly secure leads to leakage and loss of food
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented from the outermost perimeters and integrated with the repositioned mechanical coupling features on the inner surfaces. This ensures that sealing and mechanical coupling are achieved through the same accessible location, reducing the risk of leakage while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The repositioned mechanical coupling features serve as an intermediary mechanism that simultaneously achieves both mechanical securement and sealing between lid and base. This intermediary structure ensures reliable closure without requiring precise manual alignment at the outer perimeters.
3Adaptability or versatility
If containers of varying sizes are used to accommodate different food amounts, then storage capacity is optimized, but handling more types of containers requires more storage capacity and greater variety of unused storage containers resulting in greater logistical maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates adjustable walls that can be dynamically repositioned to change the internal storage volume. This dynamic adjustment allows a single container design to accommodate various food amounts, eliminating the need for multiple fixed-size container types and reducing logistical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable wall mechanism enables a single container to serve multiple storage capacity functions. By making the container volume adaptable rather than fixed, the design achieves universality across different storage needs, reducing the total number of container variants required in the system.
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, one-handed lid closure and adjustable storage to accommodate varying food quantities, reducing leakage and logistical complexities while optimizing storage and disposal efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a diaphragm-based adjustable wall for expanding or contracting storage volume
Data Source
AI summary
A container and method for adjustable storage space includes a base having a bottom, a sidewall, and a base chamber. The sidewall has an adjustable wall with an over-toggle-mechanism configured to selectively deflect between an extended state and a retracted state. The base chamber has a greater storage volume with the adjustable wall in the extended state. The base chamber has a lesser storage volume with the adjustable wall in the retracted state.