Collapsible Modular Containers With Expandable Flexible Bodies
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current methods for packaging and delivering items in online marketplaces are inefficient due to the challenges of selecting appropriate container sizes and dunnage, leading to increased costs and risks of damage during delivery.
Innovation Solution
Modular containers that can be assembled from various materials, adjusted in size and shape, and maintained at different pressures, equipped with communication devices and collapsible designs for efficient use and reuse, allowing for optimal packing and transportation of items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If containers are manufactured in nominal sizes, then manufacturing cost and inventory management are simplified, but items with dimensions that deviate from nominal sizes require containers with voids that must be filled with dunnage, increasing packaging cost and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The container utilizes an expandable flexible body that can dynamically change its internal volume to match the dimensions of the item being packaged. This eliminates void spaces that would otherwise require dunnage, while maintaining the benefit of standardized nominal sizes for manufacturing and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The container's internal volume parameter is made variable through the expandable flexible body mechanism. By changing the volume parameter to match the item being packaged, the system eliminates the need for dunnage without requiring multiple different container sizes to be manufactured.
2Reliability
If excessive amounts of dunnage are selected, then item protection during delivery is improved, but container weight increases leading to unnecessary cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable flexible body dynamically adapts its shape and volume to conform precisely to the item being packaged, providing protective coverage without the added weight of excessive dunnage. The flexible material itself provides cushioning while maintaining a weight-optimal configuration.
3Weight of moving object
If insufficient amounts of dunnage are selected, then container weight and cost are reduced, but the risk of damage to the item during delivery increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable flexible body provides adaptive protection by conforming to the item's shape and providing cushioning where needed, eliminating the need for additional dunnage while maintaining adequate protection during delivery.
4Volume of moving object
If containers are designed to be collapsible and maintainable at different pressures, then space utilization during transportation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs a flexible body constructed from flexible material that can be collapsed to a compact size for efficient storage and transportation. The flexible shell structure inherently provides the necessary pressure maintenance capabilities without requiring complex mechanical components.
Data Source
AI summary
Modular containers are formed in a collapsible fashion by flexible or rigid bodies and panels. A size of a modular container may be selected by inflating the modular container to a desired pressure or volume, coupling two or more bodies of the modular containers together, or mating the bodies of the modular containers to common bases or surfaces. The modular containers may be accessed via one or more openings in vertical or horizontal surfaces of such modular containers in order to load items into such modular containers or to unload the items therefrom. The modular containers may be assembled or collapsed manually or automatically, and transported to one or more locations separately or in stacks.