Cardboard Tray Plastic Lid Container Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food packaging solutions, such as wooden boxes, plastic or cardboard trays, often damage or crush food during handling and transport due to inadequate closure mechanisms and material rigidity, leading to separation issues and poor protection.
Innovation Solution
A manually openable container with a cardboard tray and a partially transparent plastic lid, featuring double-folded edges and re-entrant lugs for secure locking, providing rigidity and resistance to mechanical stresses while allowing easy opening and visibility without opening the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If wooden crates or plastic/cardboard trays are used for food storage, then the container can hold significant quantities of food, but the food is at risk of being damaged or crushed during handling and transport due to inadequate closure mechanisms and material rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into a tray and a lid that can be assembled together. The tray has five faces with an open sixth face, and the lid closes onto the tray to form a complete enclosed structure, providing protection while maintaining manageable size for handling
Solution Approach 2:
The container uses a composite structure combining a cardboard tray with a plastic lid. The cardboard tray provides structural form and the plastic lid provides closure and protection. This composite approach allows each material to contribute its strengths while achieving overall protective functionality
2Ease of operation
If a lid and tray with interlocking raised sections are used, then the container can close onto the tray, but the device often opens during transport and users find it difficult to close due to plastic deformation of the raised sections
Solution Approach 1:
The lid features localized reinforcement elements including ribs and corners with increased thickness specifically at the engagement regions. This local strengthening prevents deformation during closing operations while maintaining overall lid functionality and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The lid and tray are designed with pre-formed engagement features including recesses and protrusions that guide the closing action. The raised section on the tray and corresponding recess on the lid are pre-positioned to facilitate automatic alignment and engagement, preventing opening during transport
3Ease of manufacture
If the lid and tray are made of the same material, then manufacturing is easier and uniform resistance to humidity and watertightness is achieved, but the assembly is not sufficiently rigid and separates easily under impact or pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs a composite construction with a cardboard tray and a plastic lid. This combination provides the necessary rigidity and strength to withstand impact and pressure during handling and transport, while each material can be manufactured using its optimal process
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement features include localized reinforcement such as ribs and thickened corners in the plastic lid at the engagement regions. This local strengthening ensures sufficient rigidity at critical points while maintaining the overall benefits of the composite material construction
4Strength
If the thickness of lid and tray materials is increased to improve rigidity, then the container can better withstand handling stresses, but the cost increases and the environmental impact becomes negative
Solution Approach 1:
The lid incorporates ribs and corners with increased thickness specifically at the engagement regions and stress-bearing areas. This localized reinforcement provides the necessary rigidity and strength to withstand handling stresses without increasing the thickness of the entire lid, thereby reducing overall material consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed as a segmented assembly with a tray and a lid that work together. The engagement features distribute mechanical stresses across multiple contact points including the raised section, recess, and peripheral engagement elements, allowing thinner materials to achieve the same structural performance
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The manually openable container (10) comprises: - a cardboard tray (20) forming five faces (205, 210, 215, 220, 225) and having, at the periphery of a sixth open face (230), rims (235) formed by at least a double folding (240, 245) of the edges (250) of the cardboard, the first line of folding of the cardboard (240) forming a support line for a lid and the second line of folding (245) of the cardboard enclosing the edge (250) of the cardboard between two surfaces of the cardboard, said rim being partially detached from the external surface of the tray at the corners of the tray and - a lid (30) of plastic material partially transparent to visible wavelengths, surrounding the sixth open face of the tray.The lid is provided with: ▪ at least one shoulder to bear on the support line of the outer edges of the tray and ▪ edges overlapping the edges of the tray and extending beyond the edges, with lugs formed on the corners of the edges of the lid beyond the edges of the tray to lock the lid onto the tray.