Container Organizer Channels for FIFO Restocking Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Containers in refrigeration devices and storage settings are often disorganized, making it difficult to determine which items are chilled, old, or recently inserted, leading to inefficiencies in restocking and consumption.
Innovation Solution
A container organizer with a base element, perimeter wall, and intermediate wall that divides the enclosure into channels, featuring inventory indicators and directional markers, allowing for chronological arrangement and easy tracking of replacement containers, ensuring accurate restocking and optimal consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If containers are organized randomly on shelves or in refrigerators, then storage space is utilized, but it becomes difficult to determine which items are older or recently inserted, leading to inefficiency in restocking and consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The container organizer pre-arranges containers in chronological order with older containers positioned at the front for immediate identification and access. Inventory indicators are pre-positioned to show replacement needs before restocking occurs, eliminating the need for manual assessment during restocking operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Inventory indicators serve as intermediary elements between the containers and the restocker, providing visual information about container age and replacement status without requiring direct inspection of each container. The intermediate wall with its gap acts as a mediator that allows container passage while maintaining organized separation between old and new containers.
2Productivity
If staff quickly restock containers without organization, then time pressures are met, but accurate determination of replacement container quantities becomes difficult, requiring trial and error and return trips
Solution Approach 1:
Inventory indicators provide immediate visual feedback about the number of replacement containers needed. The indicators are positioned to be clearly visible to restocking staff, allowing them to accurately determine the exact quantity of replacements required in a single pass through the storage area, eliminating trial and error and multiple return trips.
3Volume of stationary object
If containers are placed in no particular order in refrigerators, then storage capacity is maximized, but it becomes difficult to determine which items are suitably chilled or ready for use
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerator storage space is segmented into organized channels within the container organizer, with containers arranged in chronological order. This segmentation maintains high storage capacity while creating distinct zones that indicate container age and cooling status, making it easy to identify which containers are ready for use without disrupting overall storage efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A container organizer comprises a base element and a perimeter wall which extends from the base element. The base element and the perimeter wall define an enclosure for the insertion of a plurality of containers. An intermediate wall divides the enclosure into first and second channels. The intermediate wall extends from the base element and is spaced from the perimeter wall at at least one end. The said space is dimensioned to allow the said container to pass between the first and second channels. A plurality of inventory indicators are included, whereby as containers are moved along at least the first channel the inventory indicators indicate a number of replacement containers that can be inserted. Preferably, the base element includes an embankment portion at a space between the end of the intermediate wall and the perimeter wall.