Stackable Display Container with Air Cell Side Wall Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shipping and display containers lack sufficient structural integrity to withstand vertical stacking without leaning or falling, especially when converted from sealed containers to display trays, leading to instability and potential damage during storage and display.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a primary blank and secondary blanks that form exterior and interior side walls with air cells between, providing structural support while allowing for easy access and display, and maintaining stability during stacking through adhesive points and foldable configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If display containers are converted from sealed containers by removing front and top panels, then consumer access and display capability are improved, but structural integrity and stacking stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple functional panels: front panel, rear panel, first side panel, second side panel, and intermediate panels. These segmented panels work together to provide both display access and structural support, resolving the contradiction between open access and structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
Different panels are assigned different qualities based on their functions: the front panel is open for display, while intermediate panels and side panels are reinforced to provide structural support for stacking, creating local quality variations that satisfy both display and strength requirements
2Productivity
If multiple packaging containers are stacked vertically to form large displays, then display capacity and productivity are improved, but stability and risk of leaning or falling increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container design extends structural support into the vertical dimension through intermediate panels that reach from the base toward the top, and through stacking features that engage between containers, providing stability in the vertical stacking direction while maintaining display capacity
3Reliability
If centrally located reinforcing panels are inserted to provide stability, then stacking stability is improved, but the size of product that can be shipped and displayed is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a central symmetric panel, the design uses asymmetric intermediate panels positioned at specific locations (e.g., along side walls) that provide structural support without blocking the central product space, allowing larger products to fit while maintaining stability
4Strength
If multiple plies of corrugated material are used to reinforce side walls, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing cost and material complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts the essential reinforcing function from complex multi-ply corrugated structures and implements it through simpler intermediate panels made from standard single-ply corrugated material, maintaining side wall strength while dramatically reducing manufacturing cost and material complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A stackable container for displaying a product and a method of use, the container having: a primary blank configured to form an exterior of the container and first and second secondary blanks configured to form a first and second interior side wall of the container respectively. In a first configuration, the first and second secondary blanks are pivotably affixed to the primary blank in a substantially coplanar orientation. In a second configuration, the first and second secondary blanks are folded to form a container having a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall, a first exterior side wall, and a second exterior side wall. The first and second secondary blanks form first and second interior side walls offset from the first and second exterior side walls respectively, such that a void is provided between the interior side wall and the exterior side wall.