Building Block Storage with Locating Grids for Compact Play
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building block devices require large storage boxes, consume excessive plastic materials, and are heavy, making them inefficient in terms of space usage and portability, while lacking variety in combinations which limits gameplay innovation.
Innovation Solution
A building block device with 35 variable units, including a storage box and base with locating grids and slots, allowing for both single-layer planar patterns and five-layer trilateral cone formations, using hollow plastic structures to reduce weight and material consumption, and incorporating a foolproof design for easy assembly and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large packing box is used for storage, then the building block group can be stored, but the packing box occupies space and is heavy, reducing portability
Solution Approach 1:
The storage box is merged with the base and top cover of the building block device. The base serves as the storage container while the top cover provides closure, eliminating the need for a separate packing box. This integration reduces the number of components and overall weight while maintaining full storage capacity for the building block group.
2Reliability
If multiple solid building blocks and bases are manufactured by integrated injection molding, then the structure is complete and functional, but plastic material consumption is high and weight is heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The building block device is segmented into distinct functional components: hollow building blocks with locating features, a base with storage tank and locating grids, and a top cover with locating slots. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for material efficiency while maintaining structural integrity through precise locating mechanisms that ensure proper assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The building blocks and base are designed with hollow internal structures instead of solid forms. The building blocks contain internal cavities, and the base incorporates a storage tank, significantly reducing plastic material consumption while maintaining sufficient strength and stability for the intended functions.
3Ease of manufacture
If only three building block groups are provided, then the device is simple to manufacture, but there is lack of novelty and limited gameplay variety
Solution Approach 1:
The building block groups are designed with dynamic configurability through locating grids and slots that enable multiple assembly configurations. The nine building blocks can be arranged in various patterns on the base or stacked on the top cover, allowing children to create different structures and play scenarios, significantly enhancing gameplay variety while maintaining a fixed set of components for ease of manufacture.
4Strength
If solid plastic structures are used for base and top cover, then the structural strength is sufficient, but the weight is heavy and manufacturing cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The base and top cover are designed as hollow structures with internal cavities rather than solid plastic forms. The base contains a storage tank and the building blocks have hollow interiors, significantly reducing the amount of plastic material required while maintaining sufficient structural strength through optimized wall thickness and geometric design.
Data Source
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AI summary
A building block device with 35 units as variable combinations, including a storage box and a building block group, the storage box comprises a base and a top cover covering the base, the building block group comprises multiple building blocks, the base has a storage tank for placing the building block group, the top cover can cover the base to conceal the building block group; the bottom of the storage tank is provided with 35 locating grids for the building block group to form a single-layer planar pattern, the surface of the top cover is provided with 15 locating slots for the building block group to stack up a five-layer trilateral cone, each building block of the building block group comprises one to five units, the units are connected at horizontally or vertically two-dimensional angles, the building block group has 35 units.