Beverage Holder Storage Unit With Collapsing Dispense Slot
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsible beverage container holders are difficult to store and dispense in an orderly manner due to their expanding nature and incompatible storage solutions, such as napkin holders, which lack sufficient force delivery mechanisms to maintain a collapsed state.
Innovation Solution
A storage and dispensing unit with a housing and support member that allows collapsible beverage container holders to be stacked and features a discharge slot and recess for easy removal, along with a force delivering element to maintain the collapsed state, enabling efficient storage and dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If collapsible beverage container holders are stored loosely on shelves or in drawers, then storage is simple and accessible, but they become disordered and difficult to dispense neatly
Solution Approach 1:
The storage unit segments the holding function into multiple compartments: a main storage cavity for bulk holders and a discharge slot for individual dispensing. This segmentation allows holders to be stored in an organized stack while enabling neat individual removal, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and orderliness.
2Ease of manufacture
If napkin holders are used to store collapsible beverage container holders, then storage structure is available, but the opening dimensions are incompatible and force delivery is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The support member features a recess with specific local geometry designed to match the bottom tab profile of beverage container holders. This localized adaptation at the contact point ensures proper fit and force delivery, while the rest of the housing maintains a simple napkin-holder-like structure, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and compatibility.
3Ease of operation
If collapsible beverage container holders are removed from packaging and used, then they naturally expand for use, but they present storage difficulties when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The storage unit applies preliminary collapsing action to holders before they are stored. The force-delivering support member automatically compresses holders into a compact state as they are placed in or retrieved from the discharge slot, eliminating the storage complexity that would otherwise result from their expanded post-use state.
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 solution allows for orderly storage and easy dispensing of multiple collapsible beverage container holders, addressing the challenges of expansion and compatibility with existing storage solutions.
Implementation Method 1
The force delivering element is positionable within the interior cavity of the housing and configured to deliver force sufficient to collapse the bottommost collapsible beverage container holder within the interior cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage container holder storage unit is described as having a housing having a first end and a second end, a support member extending across the first end of the housing, and a force delivering element. The housing defines an interior cavity to receive a plurality of beverage container holders. The housing has a discharge slot along a portion of the first end for removing the beverage container holders. The support member has a recess formed along one side and is configured to receive a bottom tab of the beverage container holders. The recess is aligned with the discharge slot, such that when a user positions the tab of a bottommost beverage container holder within the recess, the beverage container holder is removable through the discharge slot. The force delivering element is positionable within the interior cavity and is configured to deliver force to collapse the bottommost beverage container holder.