Collapsible Colander Structure for Easy Flattening and Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collapsible kitchen containers are either difficult to expand and collapse due to stiff materials or lack self-supporting stability when expanded, making them cumbersome to store and use.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible container design comprising a rigid top rim, a flexible center band, and a rigid base, allowing easy expansion and collapse while maintaining stability, with features like drainage holes and adjustable handles for versatility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a single stiff plastic material with multiple pleats is used to create a collapsible container, then the container can be collapsed to reduce storage space, but the material is relatively stiff and a substantial force is required to expand and collapse it
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into three distinct sections: a rigid top rim, a flexible center band, and a rigid base. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function - the rigid sections provide structural support while the flexible center band enables easy collapse and expansion without requiring substantial force.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the container have different material properties tailored to their specific functions. The top rim and base use rigid materials for stability and self-support, while the center band uses flexible material for collapsibility. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and structural integrity.
2Ease of operation
If a flexible material is used to form a collapsible strainer, then the item can be readily flattened, but the material is so flexible it is not self-supporting and will just collapse when placed on a surface
Solution Approach 1:
The strainer is segmented into a rigid top rim section and a rigid base section, with the flexible material confined to the center band. This segmentation ensures that the rigid sections provide the necessary self-supporting stability when the strainer is placed on a surface, while the flexible center band allows for easy flattening during storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid top rim and base sections provide local structural support at critical locations where self-supporting stability is needed, while the flexible center band material allows for easy flattening. This local differentiation of material rigidity resolves the contradiction between ease of flattening and self-supporting stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If large kitchen items like bowls and colanders are made non-collapsible, then they maintain structural stability and self-supporting properties, but they take up an inordinate amount of space in kitchen cabinets or drawers
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into rigid top rim and base sections that maintain structural stability when expanded, combined with a flexible center band that enables significant volume reduction when collapsed. This segmentation allows the item to maintain structural integrity during use while reducing storage space by approximately two-thirds when collapsed.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible container consists of three parts: a rigid top rim, a flexible center band, and a rigid base. This combination of sections allows the container to easily collapse to about one-third of its original height. The container is also quite stable when expanded and is self-supporting. In various embodiments of the invention, for example, the upper rim may be expandable, the base may include holes or mesh to serve as a colander or strainer, or the base may be configured as a tube to function as a funnel.