Collapsible household containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collapsible kitchen and household containers lack structural strength in collapsible regions, leading to deformation under lateral forces, which can cause contents to be damaged or spilled.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible container design featuring a collapsible wall section with at least three stacked tiers, including a middle rigid tier and flexible tiers above and below, connected by living hinges for snap-through movement, providing stability in both expanded and collapsed states and allowing for compact folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the wall section is made flexible to enable collapsing, then the container can be collapsed to compact dimensions for storage or transport, but the flexible wall section offers little or no resistance to deformation caused by lateral forces
Solution Approach 1:
The container wall is segmented into multiple rigid tiers connected by flexible living hinges. Each rigid tier maintains structural integrity and resists lateral forces, while the living hinges enable the segmented structure to collapse between rigid tiers, reducing overall volume for storage or transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The container employs a composite structure combining rigid materials for the tiers (which provide structural strength and lateral force resistance) with flexible material for the living hinges (which enable collapsing motion). This composite approach allows the container to simultaneously achieve both strength and collapsibility.
2Ease of operation
If the wall section is made flexible to enable collapsing, then the container can be collapsed to compact dimensions, but the flexible material offers little or no resistance to deformation, causing contents to be damaged or spilled
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the wall into rigid tiers connected by flexible hinges, the structure maintains reliability for content protection through the rigid tiers while achieving ease of operation through the flexible connections that enable controlled collapsing.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the wall structure have different properties: the tiers are rigid to protect contents from deformation and damage, while the living hinges are flexible to enable easy collapsing. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
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 design enhances the structural integrity and self-supporting capabilities of collapsible containers, preventing deformation and ensuring stability in both expanded and collapsed states, thus protecting contents and facilitating easy storage and use.
Implementation Method 1
each flexible tier is provided with two living hinges comprising very narrow annular bands of flexible material, at which the material suddenly tapers down to a sharply reduced thickness
Data Source
AI summary
Collapsible household containers having a foldable wall section with shape-retaining characteristics are disclosed. In particular, collapsible laundry baskets, buckets, colanders, dish drainers, and cups are provided. The folding region may include foldable tiers of a flexible material, each tier having at least one stable, relatively expanded position and at least one stable, relatively collapsed position; and an intervening, non-folding tier composed of a different, relatively rigid material.