Adjustable Volume Storage Container With Telescopic Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage containers are often available only in standard fixed dimensions, leading to inefficient use of space and the need for excessive packing materials, which are environmentally unfriendly and costly, and shipping costs are based on both weight and dimensions, resulting in unnecessary resource consumption and carbon emissions.
Innovation Solution
A storage container composed of four interchangeable parts that can be assembled to form a box-like structure with adjustable volume, allowing telescopic movement in both vertical and horizontal directions, enabling precise fitting of goods and reducing material usage and shipping costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard fixed-size storage containers are used, then shipping containers are readily available and easy to obtain, but unused space within the container increases and packing materials are required
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container is divided into a base section and a movable section that can be separated or combined. The movable section includes panels that can be repositioned or removed, allowing the container to be segmented into different configurations. This segmentation enables the container to adapt to various cargo sizes while minimizing unused space.
Solution Approach 2:
The container incorporates movable panels and adjustable sections that can be dynamically repositioned based on cargo requirements. The movable section can slide or be adjusted to create different internal volumes, transforming the container from a static fixed-size structure to a dynamic adaptable structure that optimizes space utilization.
2Ease of manufacture
If standard fixed-size storage containers are used, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but the amount of packing material required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is manufactured as modular segments including a base section and a movable section with standardized connection interfaces. These segments can be easily assembled and disassembled using simple joining mechanisms such as slots, tabs, or friction-fit connections, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while enabling volume adjustment to reduce packing material needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The container design allows for easy adjustment of internal volume parameters by repositioning or removing panels. This parameter change capability enables the container to precisely match cargo dimensions, eliminating the need for excessive packing materials while maintaining straightforward manufacturing processes for the modular components.
3Volume of moving object
If larger standard storage containers are used, then more cargo space is available, but storage premises space is consumed unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The container features a movable section that can be adjusted or removed to change the effective storage volume. When cargo requires less space, the movable section can be repositioned or detached, reducing the container's footprint in storage premises. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the same container to provide different volume capacities while occupying minimal storage space when not in full-size configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is divided into modular sections that can be configured in different arrangements. The movable section can be separated from the base section, allowing the container to be stored in a compact disassembled state or reconfigured to provide different volume capacities, thereby optimizing both storage volume and storage premises utilization.
4Productivity
If adjustable volume storage containers are designed, then space utilization improves and shipping costs decrease, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into a base section and a movable section with standardized connection interfaces. The movable section includes panels that can be repositioned using simple mechanical joining mechanisms such as slots, tabs, or friction-fit connections. This segmentation approach provides volume adjustability while maintaining relatively simple construction without requiring complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The container enables volume adjustment through straightforward panel repositioning or removal rather than complex mechanical systems. The movable section can be easily configured to change internal dimensions, providing productivity benefits through reduced shipping costs and optimized space utilization while keeping the structural complexity manageable through simple adjustable mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A rectangular storage container comprises four parts, two of which are releasably coupled to each other to respectively form a bottom section and a top section such that, when assembled together, the bottom section and top section can move telescopically with respect to each other in a first dimension, and the respective two parts that are attached to form the bottom section and top section can additionally move with respect to each another in a second dimension, to enable adjustment of the volume of the storage container in two dimensions.