Collapsible Filter Frame for Damage-Resistant Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air filters with fixed configurations are prone to damage during storage and transportation due to their large size and lightweight frames, leading to increased shipping and handling costs, environmental impact, and inventory management challenges due to limited size compatibility.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable filter frame with first and second frame assemblies that can change between operative states, including a collapsed state, allowing the filter media to extend over different intake areas, facilitating efficient storage, transportation, and compatibility with various holder sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the filter frame is made from lightweight materials to reduce cost and weight, then the filter becomes more economical and easier to handle, but the frame tends to twist and bend under external forces, making it prone to damage during storage and transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into multiple collapsible sections or segments that can be folded or telescoped relative to each other. This segmentation allows the frame to maintain structural integrity during use while enabling compact configuration for transportation, preventing damage through controlled collapse rather than rigid resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic collapsible structure. The frame can be collapsed into a compact form for transportation and storage, then expanded to its full operative size when installed. This dynamic capability allows the lightweight frame to maintain reliability during use while avoiding damage during handling.
2Ease of operation
If the filter is made with a fixed configuration to simplify handling during installation and removal, then the filter is easier to operate, but the large overall volume makes bulk transportation difficult and expensive, and master cartons become awkward to handle and store
Solution Approach 1:
The filter frame is designed to be dynamically collapsible, transitioning from a large operative volume during installation to a compact storage volume. This allows the filter to maintain ease of operation during installation while reducing transportation volume to manageable levels, solving the contradiction between operational simplicity and transportation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsible frame structure allows the filter to be nested or folded into a compact configuration for transportation and storage. The frame sections can be nested within each other or folded in a manner similar to nested dolls, dramatically reducing the volume occupied during bulk transportation while maintaining the full operational size when installed.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the filter frame is made rigid to maintain shape and facilitate operative mounting, then the filter can be properly installed in holders, but the rigidity causes the frame to be bulky and difficult to store and transport efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The frame employs dynamic rigidity control, being rigid when expanded for installation and storage, then collapsible when for transportation. This dynamic property allows the frame to maintain shape stability during operative mounting while simplifying storage and transportation by collapsing into a compact form, reducing the complexity of handling large rigid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is segmented into collapsible sections that can be folded or telescoped. This segmentation allows the frame to maintain structural stability during installation while enabling compact configuration for storage and transportation, reducing the complexity of handling bulky rigid structures.
4Productivity
If the filter is designed to span the full intake area to maximize filtration capacity, then the filter media can intercept substantially all incoming air, but the large size makes the filter prone to damage during storage and transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The filter frame is designed with dynamic collapsibility, allowing it to span the full intake area for maximum filtration capacity during operation. During storage and transportation, the same frame can collapse into a compact configuration, reducing its vulnerability to damage while maintaining the ability to provide full filtration capacity when installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is segmented into collapsible sections that can be folded or telescoped. This segmentation allows the filter to achieve full intake area coverage for maximum productivity during operation, while the segmented structure can be compacted for safe storage and transportation, preventing damage during handling.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid filter having a frame and filter media supported by the frame through which a fluid to be treated is directed. The frame has at least first and second frame assemblies that are reconfigurable to place the filter selectively in: a) a first predetermined operative state; and b) a second predetermined operative state. The frame cooperates with the filter media so that the filter media: i) extends over a first intake area with the filter in the first predetermined operative state; and ii) extends over a second intake area that is different than the first intake area with the filter in the second predetermined operative state.