Concentric-Slit Placemat Carrier for Balanced Food Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for carrying food and beverages, such as flat trays and bags, fail to provide a secure and balanced transport solution, often leading to spills and inconvenience, and lack a flat surface for eating.
Innovation Solution
A convertible food and beverage placemat and carrier made of a flexible sheet with concentric slits forming a lattice structure, allowing it to transform from a flat placemat into a tote-like carrier configuration and back, with handle means for secure handling and support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional flat trays or bags are used to carry food and beverages, then the device complexity is low, but the stability and balance of the carried items deteriorate, leading to spills and inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet is divided into multiple concentric rings with spaced-apart slits, creating a segmented lattice structure that allows the material to expand and conform to the shape of carried items, providing stability and balance while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The placemat transitions from a two-dimensional flat configuration to a three-dimensional expanded carrier configuration through the lattice structure, enabling it to wrap around and secure items in multiple dimensions while maintaining portability
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional bags are used to carry food and beverages, then the device complexity is low, but the flat surface for eating is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The placemat is designed with dynamic convertibility, allowing it to transition between a flat placemat configuration for eating and an expanded carrier configuration for transport, providing dual functionality through a single adaptable structure
Solution Approach 2:
The single sheet structure serves multiple functions: as a flat placemat for eating, as an expanded carrier for transporting food and beverages, and as a protective barrier, eliminating the need for separate items
3Reliability
If items are piled on flat trays without securing mechanisms, then the ease of operation is high, but the reliability of transport deteriorates, causing items to shift and spill
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible sheet with lattice structure acts as a conforming shell that wraps around carried items, securing them in place through the interlocking lattice pattern while maintaining ease of use through its flexible, adaptable nature
Data Source
AI summary
A convertible placemat and carrier having a generally planar flexible sheet with a center portion for supporting an object, preferably food and beverage products. The carrier also includes a plurality of spaced-apart slits arranged in a plurality of concentric rings extending radially outward from the center portion of the sheet. The remaining portion of the sheet between the slits is interconnected to form a lattice structure. The sheet is moveable from a flat planar configuration to an expanded configuration in the form of a carrier. An object is held in the center of the sheet and handle portions are moveable upwardly away from the center portion and the sheet expands via the lattice structure to form a carrier for holding the object placed in the center portion.