Collapsible Insulated Container With Integrated Gel-Pack Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional insulated containers for keeping food and drinks cool or warm are bulky, inefficient in space usage, and often require ice or gel packs that can be messy or lost, making them unsuitable for compact storage and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible insulated container with pliable walls containing gel packs, designed to fold into a compact shape for storage and easy reconfiguration, featuring elongate pockets with foldable crease lines and a closure flap secured by fastener straps, allowing for efficient cooling or heating by placing in a freezer or microwave.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional insulated containers use ice or gel packs for cooling, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but the container becomes bulky and takes up significant storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The container uses flexible, collapsible walls made of thin, pliable material that can conform to the volume of contents. When empty or with minimal contents, the container collapses to a compact size, dramatically reducing storage space while maintaining insulation capability when in use
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation layer and cooling gel packs are integrated into a single unified structure where the gel packs are embedded within or attached to the insulation layers, eliminating the need for separate ice compartments and reducing overall container volume
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional containers use loose gel packs for cooling, then cooling flexibility is improved, but the gel packs can be lost and take up space that could be used for food
Solution Approach 1:
The gel packs are nested within pockets or compartments formed in the insulation layers of the container walls, allowing them to be stored within the container structure itself without occupying additional external space or risking loss
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation layers serve as an intermediary structure that holds and positions the gel packs, preventing them from moving freely while maintaining their cooling function and eliminating the need for separate containment
3Temperature
If containers with gel material in walls are used for cooling, then cooling capability is improved, but the containers are bulky and difficult to fold into compact condition
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs thin, flexible wall materials that can bend and fold easily, allowing the container to be collapsed into a compact form for storage while still maintaining the integrated gel cooling capability when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The container walls are divided into segmented sections with fold lines or creases that allow the structure to be folded compactly, while the gel packs are positioned to maintain cooling effectiveness in both folded and unfolded states
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 container maintains desired temperature conditions for extended periods, is easy to fold and unfold, and optimizes storage space, making it suitable for various applications from lunch bags to larger coolers, while preventing gel pack slumping and fluid pooling.
Implementation Method 1
The gel packs have a flexible wall and contain an insulating gel... The container maintains desired temperature conditions for extended periods
Implementation Method 2
each pocket containing an elongate, substantially flat gel pack which substantially fills the pocket. The gel pack has a flexible wall and contains an insulating gel
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible insulated container has a base wall and a peripheral wall with an open end defining an enclosure. The peripheral wall has at least two layers and is divided into elongate pockets between the layers, with foldable crease lines between adjacent pockets. Each pocket contains a flexible-walled, insulating gel pack which substantially fills the pocket. The crease lines may be defined by stitching securing the outer and inner layers of the container together. The gel packs may be surrounded by matting, foam or mesh material which is sewn into the lines of stitching, or may have integral peripheral rims sewn into the lines of stitching. The container is foldable between an erect, open condition and a storage condition in which it is folded along the crease lines into a substantially flattened package.