Angled Bottle Storage Assembly for Easier Rack Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular racks for storing water bottles are difficult and potentially dangerous to access, especially for bottles stored in rearward positions due to their vertical configuration, which requires reaching high heights in delivery trucks.
Innovation Solution
A storage assembly with angled support surfaces that allow bottles to be stored at an acute angle, facilitating easier access by utilizing an angled support structure and interlocking mechanisms to maintain stability and prevent accidental movement of bottles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If bottles are stored in vertical modular racks to maximize storage capacity, then the quantity of bottles stored is improved, but the ease of access to bottles (especially rearward and upper bottles) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the storage orientation from vertical to inclined, introducing a new spatial dimension. The support surface is angled at 15-45 degrees from horizontal, transforming the storage geometry to allow bottles to roll forward toward the opening, thereby improving accessibility while maintaining high storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring users to reach backward and upward to access bottles, the invention inverts the access mechanism by using gravity to roll bottles forward toward the opening. The support surface angle reverses the traditional access difficulty by making bottles naturally move toward the retrieval point
2Adaptability or versatility
If modular racks are stacked to six feet or more in height to accommodate varying quantities of bottles, then the adaptability of storage capacity is improved, but the safety and ease of accessing upper storage units deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined support surface creates a gravitational gradient that allows bottles in upper storage units to be accessed by rolling them forward rather than reaching upward and backward. This dimensional change in support angle makes high storage positions as accessible as lower positions
3Quantity of substance
If bottles are stored in rearward positions within storage unit apertures to maximize carrier capacity, then the quantity of bottles per carrier is improved, but the ease of removing bottles from rearward positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined support surface enables bottles to self-move forward toward the opening when the carrier is tilted or when force is applied to the front bottles. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual retrieval of rearward bottles, allowing easy access to all bottles including those originally stored in rearward positions
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 angled support surfaces assist gravity in moving bottles towards the front opening, enhancing accessibility and safety by reducing the need for reaching high heights, while interlocking mechanisms ensure stability and secure storage.
Implementation Method 1
The angled support surfaces assist gravity in moving bottles towards the front opening
Data Source
AI summary
A storage unit including a support structure defining at least one storage area including a support surface to support at least one storable member and an opening to remove the storable member from the storage area. The support surface has an axis that is at an acute angle ø with respect to horizontal.