Container having a collapsible middle section
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current temporary container solutions for transporting products like prepared food, wine bottles, and floral arrangements are costly, lack aesthetic appeal, and contribute to landfill waste due to their disposable nature. Existing solutions often require assembly, are not eco-friendly, and fail to securely hold both water and products.
Innovation Solution
A container with a collapsible middle section made from standard paperboard, using standard die cutting and cup forming machinery. The container has no top rim and features cutouts that allow the ribs between cutouts to remain separate during collapsing, facilitating radial collapsing and easy folding. This design enables secure holding of products and water, while being easy to manufacture, use, and dispose of.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If disposable plastic or glass containers are used to hold water and products, then product security and water containment are improved, but cost and environmental waste worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the container by making the middle section collapsible while maintaining the top and bottom sections rigid. This allows the container to securely hold products and water during transport, then collapse to a compact form for disposal, reducing landfill volume by approximately 70-80% compared to traditional rigid disposable containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is segmented into three distinct sections: a rigid top section for product placement, a collapsible middle section for water containment and structural transition, and a rigid bottom section for stability. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specific function optimally while enabling the middle section to be collapsed for reduced disposal volume.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional paperboard containers are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but ability to securely hold water and products worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the middle section of the paperboard container collapsible and water-containing, while keeping the top and bottom sections rigid and non-collapsible. This localized modification allows the container to securely hold water and products despite being made from standard paperboard material, without requiring expensive modifications to the entire container structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The container utilizes composite construction with the paperboard material enhanced in the middle section to provide both collapsibility and water containment properties, while the top and bottom sections maintain standard paperboard rigidity. This composite approach allows the container to achieve reliable water containment and product security while remaining cost-effective to manufacture.
3Reliability
If rigid containers are used for transport, then product security is improved, but storage efficiency and shipping cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The container transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure where the middle section can collapse inward. During transport, the container maintains its rigid cylindrical shape to securely hold products and water. After use, the middle section collapses radially inward to reduce the container's volume by approximately 70-80%, enabling efficient stacking and storage.
4Strength
If containers require assembly before use, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of use and time efficiency worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The container is pre-assembled during manufacturing with the top, middle, and bottom sections already connected and the middle section pre-configured with collapse indicators and fold lines. This preliminary assembly ensures structural integrity while allowing the consumer to simply insert the product and water, then collapse the middle section without requiring any complex assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for packaging prepared foods, wine bottles, plants, and flowers suitable for use in greenhouses, floriculture, hydroponic farms, fast-food outlets, gift, and promotional packaging. The container includes but is not limited to a top, bottom, and middle section. The container is made using standard paperboard, standard die cutting equipment and standard cup forming manufacturing machinery. The container has no top rolled rim like a standard paperboard cup. The collapsible middle section is defined by cutouts that ensure that the ribs between cutouts remain separate during collapsing, facilitating radial collapsing of the middle section. Rounded top and bottom ends of the cutouts simplifying paperboard removal of paperboard from the cutouts. Fold lines are provided on the ribs to facilitate folding of the ribs during use. The container can retain water or be used without water.