Cell Tray With Variable Ridges For Multi-Size Bottles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cell trays are designed for specific standardized bottle sizes, leading to inefficiencies in logistics and warehousing due to fluctuations in demand for different bottle sizes, requiring multiple stock holdings and increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
A cell tray with a quadrilateral base featuring two matrix-like loading patterns and protruding ridges that accommodate bottles of varying diameters, allowing for the use of a single tray to handle multiple bottle sizes by aligning holding devices with different recess sizes and shapes to support bottle bottoms and mouths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cell trays are designed for specific standardized bottle sizes, then the trays can securely hold bottles of that size, but multiple stock holdings are required when demand fluctuates between different bottle sizes, increasing warehousing costs and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cell tray is designed with multiple loading patterns (first and second loading patterns with different matrix configurations) on the same tray, allowing a single tray type to accommodate different bottle sizes and packaging configurations. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple specialized tray types, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The loading surface features protruding ridges with variable cross-sectional radii that can adapt to different bottle diameters. The ridges are shaped to accommodate bottles of varying sizes within the same loading pattern, providing dynamic adaptability without requiring multiple fixed-configuration trays
2Reliability
If cell trays are designed for specific standardized bottle sizes, then the trays provide optimized support for that size, but great stocks of different tray types need to be maintained, absorbing capital and increasing warehousing costs
Solution Approach 1:
A single cell tray design incorporates multiple loading patterns and variable ridge configurations that can securely hold different bottle sizes, replacing the need for multiple specialized tray stocks. This maintains reliable bottle holding while dramatically reducing the quantity of different tray types that must be inventoried
Solution Approach 2:
The loading surface geometry, particularly the protruding ridges with variable cross-sectional radii, is designed to change parameters (ridge radius, spacing) to match different bottle diameters. This allows one tray type to provide reliable support across multiple bottle size parameters, reducing stock requirements
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a cell tray (100) suitable for accommodating bottles of at least two different sizes. The novel cell tray (100) has a quadrilateral base (70) which has on one side a loading surface (71) adapted to receive bottle bottoms in a matrix-like loading pattern. The cell tray also includes holding devices (72) on the opposite side to the loading surface (71) such that the holding devices (72) are adapted to receive and lock into place bottle mouths of bottles loaded onto a similar cell tray (100) beneath said holding devices (72) in a stack of cell trays (100). The holding devices (72) are arranged as to align with at least two separate loading patterns (LP1, LP2). The loading surface (71) comprises protruding ridges (73) which have a shape inverse to that of a combination of the first and second loading patterns (LP1, LP2).