Bin Rim Content Information and Liner Ring Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bins often lack visible information at a distance and when standing next to them, making it difficult to determine the appropriate receptacle for items, and they frequently have inadequate or unsightly liner securing mechanisms that waste resources and pose sanitation issues.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a rim with visible content information and a ring assembly that securely engages with the bin without exposing internal surfaces to contaminants, allowing for easy identification and handling of contents without touching the chamber, and a liner that can be reused by being tucked under the ring for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the bin wall is tapered to allow nesting, then nesting capability is improved, but information visibility on the wall deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves information display from the vertical wall surface to the horizontal rim surface. By placing content information on the rim rather than the tapered wall, the design maintains nesting capability while providing visible information at a different spatial dimension that remains accessible even when bins are nested.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the information display function from the wall surface and relocates it to the rim. This separation allows the wall to be optimized for nesting while the rim handles the information communication function, resolving the conflict between these two functions.
2Reliability
If liner securing is done by tying at the exterior, then liner security is improved, but appearance and sanitation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the liner securing mechanism from the exterior tying method and relocates it to an interior ring that engages with the bin chamber. This removes the unsightly exterior tying while maintaining liner security through an interior engagement mechanism that does not compromise sanitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a ring as an intermediary component between the liner and the bin chamber. The ring engages with the bin chamber to secure the liner, providing a sanitary intermediate mechanism that avoids direct exterior tying while maintaining secure liner attachment.
3Ease of operation
If the liner edge extends downward from the rim, then liner placement is simplified, but appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the liner edge from the visible exterior space and relocates it to the interior chamber. By securing the liner to the interior ring, the edge is contained within the chamber, eliminating the visual defect while maintaining easy liner placement through the same ring engagement mechanism.
4Ease of operation
If excessive large liners are used to facilitate tying, then liner securing ease is improved, but resource waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the securing mechanism from the exterior and places it in the interior ring engagement system. This eliminates the need for excessively large liners to facilitate exterior tying, as the interior ring provides the necessary securing function with properly sized liners, reducing material waste.
5Device complexity
If the ring does not engage with the bin, then liner securing is simplified, but bin emptying capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ring from a non-engaging position and relocates it to engage with the bin chamber. This simple engagement modification enables the ring to serve dual functions: securing the liner and facilitating bin emptying by allowing the bin to be overturned without the ring interfering with the contents.
Data Source
AI summary
A bin for receiving or storing one or more items. The bin includes a wall having an upper end and a lower end, and a bottom extending along the lower end of the wall. The wall and the bottom cooperate to define a chamber for receiving or storing one or more items. The bin also includes mouth at the upper end of the wall that is in communication with the chamber. The bin further includes a rim extending around a periphery of the mouth. The bin also includes content information on at least a portion of an exterior surface of the rim that is configured to identify the one or more items the bin is intended to receive or store.