Container Rack Ribbed Support Design for Pliable Bottle Protection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional bottle racks are ill-suited for handling pliable water bottles, leading to deformation, damage, and label issues due to friction and sediment, with existing solutions like cardboard being inadequate in durability and effectiveness.

Innovation Solution

A container rack design featuring a frame with bottle receptacles having a liner wall and a support wall with multiple ribs that distribute the bottle's weight, reduce friction, and facilitate sediment removal, allowing pliable bottles to be supported without contact with the liner wall, and incorporating drainage gaps to enhance cleaning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional cylindrical bottle receptacles are used, then bottles can be stored horizontally without rolling, but pliable bottles deform and get damaged during insertion and removal

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebottle integrityVSAvoidbottle insertion and removal

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The support wall is segmented into multiple ribs that extend radially inward from the liner wall. These ribs create discrete contact points rather than a continuous surface, reducing friction and deformation during bottle insertion and removal while still providing adequate support for the bottle weight

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The support wall provides localized support only in the lower-most quadrant where the bottle makes contact during storage, rather than a complete circular support. This localized support structure reduces interference during insertion/removal while maintaining bottle stability during storage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If sediment such as sand is present on the rack surface, then friction increases, but this causes scratching and piercing of pliable bottles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebottle surface integrityVSAvoidfriction from sediment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The design extracts the harmful friction interface by eliminating direct contact between the bottle and the liner wall through the intervention of ribs. Sediment is prevented from being trapped between the bottle and rack surface, removing the source of scratching and piercing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The ribs act as an intermediary structure between the bottle and the liner wall. This intermediary prevents direct contact that would allow sediment to cause damage, while still providing the necessary support function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If pliable bottles deform during insertion and removal, then labels become loose and protrude, but this leads to label tearing and stripping

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelabel integrityVSAvoidbottle handling

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The segmented rib structure reduces the contact area and friction during bottle handling operations. This minimizes deformation forces on the bottle surface and labels, preventing label tearing and stripping while still enabling easy insertion and removal

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If a sheet of corrugated cardboard is placed between the bottle and receptacle, then bottle deformation is reduced, but the cardboard lacks durability and cannot survive washing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebottle protection from deformationVSAvoidprotection layer durability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the disposable cardboard solution with a durable, reusable rib structure that is integrally formed with the rack. This eliminates the need for replaceable protective elements while maintaining the benefit of reduced bottle deformation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The support wall integrates multiple functional elements (liner wall, support wall, ribs) into a composite structure that provides both protection and durability. The ribbed design maintains bottle protection while the integral construction ensures longevity and washability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS11229285B1Container rack for pliable bottles

Publication Date: 2022.01.25 POLYMER SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A container rack for pliable bottles, the container rack having a frame and one or more bottle receptacles extending in a horizontal direction into the frame. Each bottle receptacles has a liner wall having a generally circular profile as viewed along the horizontal direction, and a support wall extending radially inward from the liner wall within a lower-most quadrant of the generally circular profile of the liner wall. The support wall has a base portion and a plurality of ribs extending along the horizontal direction and protruding away from the base portion to respective distal ends with the base portion between the distal ends and the generally circular profile of the liner wall. The respective distal ends define a support surface configured to support at least one pliable bottle.