Battery Subassemblies Avoiding Shipping Fees

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing power demands of portable information handling systems lead to higher shipping costs for batteries exceeding certain regulatory thresholds, such as 98 watt hours or 8 grams of lithium content, due to additional shipping fees based on non-weight characteristics.

Innovation Solution

The method involves shipping battery subassemblies that can be mechanically and electrically connected to form a battery assembly, with each subassembly having a power capacity or chemical mass below the threshold, thereby avoiding increased shipping fees.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If batteries are designed with higher power capacity to meet increasing portable IHS power demands, then the power capacity increases, but additional shipping fees are incurred due to exceeding regulatory thresholds

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery power capacityVSAvoidshipping cost

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The battery assembly is divided into multiple separable subassemblies, each with power capacity below the regulatory threshold. This segmentation allows each subassembly to be shipped separately without incurring additional shipping fees, while the complete assembly provides the required high power capacity when subassemblies are combined.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Power

If a single battery assembly is shipped with high watt hour rating, then the complete power capacity is achieved, but significantly higher shipping fees are incurred

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewatt hour ratingVSAvoidshipping fee

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The high watt hour battery is segmented into multiple lower-capacity subassemblies that can be shipped separately. By dividing the total capacity into portions that each fall below the regulatory threshold, the shipping fees are reduced while the complete assembly maintains the required high power capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The shipping strategy transitions from a single-dimension approach (shipping one complete battery) to a multi-dimensional approach (shipping multiple separate subassemblies). This dimensional change in the shipping configuration allows avoidance of threshold-based fees while maintaining total capacity requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS7962420B2Information handling system including battery assembly having multiple separable subassemblies

Publication Date: 2011.06.14 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

A method for shipping a battery assembly includes providing a plurality of battery subassemblies. The plurality of battery subassemblies are operable to be mechanically and electrically connected together to form a battery assembly. The battery subassemblies are provided to be shipped such that an additional shipping fee that would be incurred due to a battery characteristic that is not based on the weight of the battery assembly is not incurred. The method includes shipping a first battery subassembly and a second battery subassembly such that the additional shipping fee that would be incurred due to the battery characteristic that is not based on the total weight of the battery assembly is not incurred.