Collapsible Multi-Compartment Container with Detachable Segmented Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-compartment containers suffer from low structural rigidity in connecting sections, leading to unwanted separation during storage, transport, and use, and lack collapsibility for efficient storage and transport, with fixed compartment volumes limiting user flexibility in portion control.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible multi-compartment container system with detachable and re-attachable compartments connected by high structural rigidity sections, allowing for interchangeable compartments of varying volumes, and made from materials like silicone and glass microspheres for enhanced flexibility and temperature maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If compartments are connected by a weakened portion with perforated or bendable line, then compartments can be easily detached from one another, but structural rigidity in the connecting section becomes low causing unwanted separation
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple detachable compartments that can be separated and reattached. The connecting section includes a detached portion that allows separation while maintaining structural integrity through the frame structure and engagement features between compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting section has different properties in different locations: the main body maintains high structural rigidity through rigid materials and frame structures, while specific localized areas (perforated line, bent line, or detached portion) provide controlled flexibility or separability for easy detachment when needed.
2Ease of manufacture
If compartments are made with fixed volumes, then manufacturing is simplified, but user flexibility in portion control is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The container system is segmented into multiple interchangeable compartments of different volume capacities. Users can mix and match compartments to create custom portion sizes, providing flexibility while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized production of individual compartment types.
Solution Approach 2:
The compartments are designed with universal compatibility features including standardized connecting sections and engagement mechanisms. Different volume capacities of compartments can all connect to the same frame structure, allowing one frame to accommodate multiple compartment types for versatile portion control.
3Strength
If container is rigid and non-collapsible, then structural strength is maintained, but storage and transport efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates collapsible cup portions that can transition between expanded and collapsed states. The frame structure and connecting sections maintain structural strength during use, while the cup portions can be compressed for efficient storage, providing dynamic adaptability between functional and storage states.
4Ease of operation
If compartments are detachable along weakened portion, then separation is easy, but re-attachment becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting section is segmented into a detached portion that can be separated along predetermined lines (perforated or bent) while maintaining the ability to reconnect. The frame structure and engagement features are designed to accommodate both separation and reattachment of compartments.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows temporary discarding of the weakened portion's structural integrity during detachment, but the overall connecting section and frame structure are preserved and recovered for reattachment. The engagement features between compartments enable reuse of the connecting sections after separation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a stable, flexible, and efficient storage and transport solution with user-controlled portion sizes, maintaining temperature differences between compartments and facilitating easy assembly and disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
The compartment also includes a lid having one or more second mating elements adapted to engage with the one or more first mating elements of the frame to form a seal
Implementation Method 2
The connector element of the frame is joined to an adjacent connector element of an adjacent frame of an adjacent compartment
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-compartment container system includes a plurality of compartments. Each compartment includes a cup portion comprising a volume adapted to hold a food or liquid, and a frame portion joined to the cup portion. The frame portion surrounds a top portion or edge of the cup portion, and includes a connector element disposed on a side of the frame and one or more first mating elements. The compartment also includes a lid having one or more second mating elements adapted to engage with the one or more first mating elements of the frame to form a seal, and a chamber adapted to hold a utensil. The connector element of the frame is joined to an adjacent connector element of an adjacent frame of an adjacent compartment. The cup portion includes a first section and a second section, and the cup portion is adapted to move between an expanded state in which no part of the second section is inside the first section and a collapsed state in which at least a portion of the second section is inside the first section.