Stacking Ribs and Base Recesses for Non-Rotatable Container Fixation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Containers stacked one inside the other experience instability during handling and transport due to potential jamming and rotational movement.

Innovation Solution

The container base features radially outer recesses that engage with the stacking ribs of the container below, ensuring non-rotatable fixation and alignment, thereby enhancing stability by preventing jamming and rotational movement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If containers are stacked one inside the other with conically shaped container walls, then space utilization is improved, but the container walls may jam and cause instability during handling and transport

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespace utilizationVSAvoidstacking stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The container wall is segmented by adding axially running stacking ribs distributed over the circumference on the inside of the container wall. These ribs create segmentation that prevents the conical container walls from jamming together while maintaining space utilization, as the ribs allow controlled separation between nested containers during handling and transport.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The solution introduces a new dimensional element by adding stacking ribs that extend axially along the container wall. This transforms the problem from a two-dimensional surface contact issue to a three-dimensional structural solution, where the ribs provide additional support surfaces and prevent wall jamming while maintaining compact stacking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Stability of the object's composition

If stacking ribs are added to prevent jamming, then wall jamming is prevented, but rotational movement and positional instability occur during handling and transport

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvejamming preventionVSAvoidpositional stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The container base is designed with asymmetric features including at least one recess in the radially outer area and an axially projecting base with interruptions that form recesses. These asymmetric features engage with the stacking ribs to prevent rotational movement, as the recesses create non-rotatable engagement points that fix the angular position of nested containers relative to each other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The stacking ribs act as intermediary elements between the container wall and the container base. They extend from the container wall down to engage with the recesses in the base, serving as mechanical mediators that transmit and fix the positional relationship between nested containers, preventing both jamming and rotational movement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If the container base has recesses for non-rotatable fixation, then rotational stability is improved, but the complexity of the base structure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverotational fixationVSAvoidbase structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of modifying the entire container base uniformly, the solution applies local quality by adding recesses only in the radially outer area of the base where they are needed for engagement with stacking ribs. The base maintains its simple overall structure with localized features added only where necessary for rotational fixation, minimizing overall complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The recesses in the base are designed to nest with the stacking ribs extending from the container wall. This nested arrangement allows the fixation mechanism to be integrated within the existing container structure, where the stacking ribs that already exist for jamming prevention also serve the additional function of engaging with the base recesses to prevent rotation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentEP2117944B1Container
Publication Date: 2011.04.06 JOKEY PLASTIK WIPPERFURTH
  • EP2117944B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2117944B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2117944B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention relates to a container (1) comprising a container wall (2), a container base (3) and a container opening (4), the container wall (2) extending in a substantially conically manner from the base to the opening and the inner face of the container wall (2) having spaced stacking ribs (5) running axially around the circumference. According to the invention, the container is developed in that the outer radial region of the exterior of the container base (3) is provided with at least one cavity (10), into which at least one stacking rib of a container (1) located below can engage when several containers (1) are stacked inside one another, thus fixing the containers (1) and preventing them from rotating in relation to one another. This improves the positional stability of the stacked containers.