Convertible Cardboard Box Tray Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food containers fail to provide adequate comfort and convenience for both handling and consuming food, especially in situations like catering onboard aircrafts or fast-food restaurants, as they do not easily convert into a flat tray surface for easy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A multi-purpose cardboard box that can be converted into a tray by hinging the lid, rear wall, and bottom parts to create a continuous, flat surface for eating, allowing for easy handling and consumption, and is made from recyclable materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional food container is used, then it is simple in structure and easy to manufacture, but it does not provide a flat continuous surface for comfortable food consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The box is divided into multiple functional parts (bottom part, rear wall part, lid part, and sidewall parts) that can be independently formed and then assembled through hinge connections. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while enabling the transformation from box to flat tray configuration for comfortable food consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The box incorporates hinge elements with folding lines that enable dynamic transformation between box position and tray position. The sidewall parts can be folded out and connected to create a flat continuous surface, allowing the structure to adapt its form based on whether it is being used for transport or consumption.
2Ease of manufacture
If the box is made from cardboard, then it is cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but it may have limited structural strength
Solution Approach 1:
The box utilizes cardboard as the base material, taking advantage of its cost-effectiveness and recyclability. The structural strength is enhanced through the geometric design of the hinge elements and folding lines, which distribute mechanical stresses effectively throughout the cardboard structure, allowing it to maintain adequate strength despite using a lightweight material.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the box is designed to convert into a tray, then it provides versatility for handling and consuming food, but it increases manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The box is designed to serve multiple functions: it can be used as a closed container for food transport and storage, and it can be transformed into an open flat tray for comfortable food consumption. The hinge elements and folding lines enable this dual functionality, allowing the same structure to adapt to different usage scenarios without requiring separate containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the box and tray functions into a single integrated structure. The bottom part, rear wall part, and lid part are all connected through hinge elements that allow the structure to transform between configurations. This merging eliminates the need for separate box and tray containers, reducing the overall number of items needed while providing versatile functionality.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is a basic idea of the invention to provide a multi-purpose cardboard box which is convertible to the tray. In a tray position the box presents increased comfort for the consumer when consuming food by presenting a continuous tray surface, which in particular is substantially flat. In the box position, food received in the box may be handled, dispensed to a consumer and taken away by the consumer in a comfortable manner. For consuming the food, the consumer converts the box from the box position into the tray position, thereby presenting a continuous tray surface on which the food may be consumed, for example using cuttlery. It is particularly possible to include disposable cuttlery in the box. Thus, the invention provides a multi-purpose box for handling and consuming food, said box being easy to handle.