Composite Funerary Tray Structure for Strength at Lower Material Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing funerary trays made of corrugated paper are cost-effective but lack the strength desired by some crematories and jurisdictions, while wooden trays are more expensive.
Innovation Solution
A funerary tray design that incorporates a wood-based or rigid fiber composite bottom and sides with corrugated fiberboard end frames, allowing for efficient use of standard wood lengths to minimize waste and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If corrugated paper is used for the entire tray structure, then material cost is minimized, but structural strength is insufficient for some crematory requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining corrugated fiberboard (for cost-effectiveness and flexibility) with wood-based materials (for structural strength) in a single tray structure. The wood-based bottom panel provides the required strength for crematory requirements while the corrugated fiberboard sides and ends maintain cost-effectiveness, resolving the contradiction between strength and material cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by using different materials for different parts of the tray: wood-based material is used specifically for the bottom panel where strength is most critical for crematory requirements, while corrugated fiberboard is used for the sides and ends where cost-effectiveness is prioritized. This localized material selection resolves the contradiction by applying the higher-cost material only where structurally necessary.
2Loss of substance
If standard length wood products are used without optimization, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but material waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the tray into modular components (bottom panel, side panels, end panels) that can be independently cut from standard length wood products. This allows optimization of cut patterns to minimize waste while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized components that can be assembled together.
Data Source
AI summary
A second embodiment is a funerary tray that includes a bottom wall, side walls, and end walls. The bottom wall is formed at least in part from a rigid first material and defines a length and a width. Each of the side walls extends substantially vertically upward from long edges of the bottom wall. Each of the end walls extends substantially vertically upward from short edges of the bottom wall, such that the bottom wall, side walls, and end walls form a tray having a length and width configured to receive an adult human body. The first side wall has a side wall length that is substantially the length of the tray, and includes a rigid section extending a first length that is less than the side wall length, and at least a first corrugated fiberboard section having a second length that is less that the side wall length.