Cardboard Spacer for Stacked Pots with Offset Side Openings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions for stacked pots are inadequate in securely holding top pots relative to bottom pots, especially during sudden movements, leading to potential separation and damage to the intermediate holding elements.
Innovation Solution
A cardboard spacer with a design featuring a central panel and side panels, where the second openings are positioned at a distance from the central panel, allowing the first openings to surround the side walls of top pots with spacing, providing robust support and maintaining pots in all directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional intermediate elements are used to hold top pots, then pots are spaced out and wedged together, but the elements are not robust enough and get damaged during abrupt movements
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate element is divided into multiple panels (first side panel, central panel, second side panel) that can be folded along hinge lines. This segmentation allows the structure to absorb impact forces through controlled deformation while maintaining its holding function, resolving the contradiction between reliability and robustness.
Solution Approach 2:
The foldable panel structure acts as a pre-designed cushioning mechanism that activates during abrupt movements. The panels can flex and deform to absorb shock before potentially failing, protecting the holding elements from sudden impact forces and maintaining reliability under stress.
2Device complexity
If second openings are positioned close to the central panel, then the structure is compact, but top pots are not adequately held during sudden movements
Solution Approach 1:
The distance between second openings and the central panel is specifically optimized to provide adequate holding stability. This local geometric parameter is tuned to ensure that top pots are securely held during sudden movements while maintaining reasonable structural compactness, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
3Reliability
If first openings completely surround top pots, then pots are well held in all directions, but the intermediate element becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The surrounding structure is achieved through segmented foldable panels rather than a complete rigid enclosure. The panels are arranged to provide multi-directional holding stability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be manufactured and assembled efficiently, resolving the contradiction between holding stability and structural complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a flat cardboard insert (1) for holding pots (2a, 2b) in a pack (20), the pack (20) comprising bottom pots (2a) of a lower layer and top pots (2b) of an upper layer, the insert (1) comprising at least a first side panel (8), a central panel (9) and a second side panel (10): - the central panel (9) comprises first openings (13), each first opening (13) being suitable and intended to surround a top pot (2b), - the first and second side panels (8, 10) comprise second openings (14), each second opening (14) being suitable and intended to butt up against a bottom pot (2a), and - the second openings (14) are arranged at a distance (D) from the central panel (9) along a longitudinal direction (L).