Adjustable Packing Crate with Peg-Hole Side Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions for fragile and valuable objects, such as furniture and electronics, often require disassembly and use of rigid crates that are either too large, wasting space and necessitating excessive padding and strapping, and do not easily accommodate irregular shapes or sizes.
Innovation Solution
A size-adjustable protective crate system with removable side walls, external and internal straps, and foam pads that can be assembled on-site without tools, allowing for customizable fit and secure positioning of objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid box or crate is selected to accommodate an object, then the object is protected during transport, but the box or container is often larger than needed causing wasted cargo space and requiring excessive padding
Solution Approach 1:
The crate employs adjustable side walls that can be extended or retracted to match the dimensions of different objects, transforming a static fixed-size crate into a dynamic adjustable-size structure. This allows the crate to be precisely fitted to the object being transported, eliminating wasted cargo space while maintaining adequate protection
Solution Approach 2:
The side walls are divided into multiple adjustable segments or components that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the crate to be customized in size by adding or removing wall sections, enabling precise fit for various object dimensions without requiring excessive padding material
2Reliability
If a rigid box or crate is selected to accommodate an object, then the object is protected during transport, but excessive padding and strapping are required to fill empty spaces and prevent object movement
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable side walls allow the crate to be dynamically resized to match the object's dimensions, eliminating empty spaces that would otherwise require padding. The crate adapts to the object's shape and size, reducing the need for additional protective materials
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable wall structure enables the crate to self-adjust to the object being transported, automatically providing the correct amount of protection without requiring external padding or complex strapping systems. The crate essentially configures itself around the object
3Loss of substance
If objects are disassembled before packing, then they can fit into smaller containers, but the size of shipping containers needed for dissembled parts is difficult to determine beforehand
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable crate serves multiple functions: it can accommodate assembled objects, disassembled parts, regular shapes, and irregular shapes all in one crate design. This universal crate eliminates the need to pre-determine container size for different packing scenarios, saving time in the packing process
4Reliability
If a rigid box or crate is selected to accommodate objects in a particular orientation, then the objects are protected, but considerable time is spent strapping and bracing the objects in the desired orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable side walls can be positioned at different angles and heights to create orientation-specific configurations. This allows the crate to physically constrain objects in desired orientations through the wall structure itself, rather than requiring time-consuming strapping and bracing operations
Data Source
AI summary
A crate system that includes a crate body that can be easily adjusted in size without hand tools. The crate body includes four width adjustable side walls, sandwiches between a lower planar support base and an upper top panel. Each side wall includes at least one lower side wall component affixed to the perimeter edge of the support base and at least one upper side wall component. The lower and upper side wall components and interconnected with pegs and holes to adjust the width of the side wall. Straps are extended around the side walls, support base and top panel to hold them together. The support base includes at least two rows of elongated slots that extend transversely and longitudinally over the support base and foam pads. A plurality of internal straps are inserted into one of the slots and automatically engage the slots when the straps are pulled upward.