Corrugated Lid With Foldable Flaps For Stacking Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reusable plastic containers often cause damage to fragile items when stacked with additional items, and using empty containers as lids is inefficient and costly due to scarcity and the need for sanitization.
Innovation Solution
A corrugated lid with a rectangular base and foldable flaps that engage with the container's side and end walls, providing stability and support for additional items without collapsing, made from materials like corrugated cardboard or plastic, which can be easily installed and reused after sanitization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If smaller containers or items are stacked on top of items in the reusable plastic container, then transport efficiency is improved, but the items inside the container may be damaged and the stacking becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a lid as an intermediary component between the container and the items to be stacked. The lid provides a stable upper surface that can support additional weight without compromising the integrity of the items inside the container. This mediator allows efficient stacking while protecting the contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid is divided into functional segments including a base portion that fits within the container and upwardly extending side walls that provide structural support. This segmentation allows the lid to simultaneously protect the container contents and provide a stable platform for stacking additional items.
2Reliability
If empty containers are used as lids to protect items, then item protection is improved, but resource scarcity and sanitization requirements increase costs and reduce efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable or reusable lids made from cost-effective materials such as corrugated cardboard, paperboard, or plastic. These lids can be easily replaced and do not require the same level of sanitization as food contact containers, thereby reducing operational costs and improving efficiency while still providing adequate protection for the items.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid serves multiple functions: it protects the items inside the container from damage, provides a stable surface for stacking additional items, and can be easily disposed of or reused without requiring complex sanitization procedures. This multi-functionality replaces the need to use empty containers as protective lids.
3Ease of manufacture
If a thin lid material is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the lid collapses under the weight of stacked items
Solution Approach 1:
The lid incorporates locally reinforced areas where additional strength is needed, such as upwardly extending side walls at the corners and edges. The base portion can remain thin for ease of manufacture, while the reinforced regions provide the necessary load-bearing capacity to support stacked items without collapsing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite material structures such as corrugated cardboard or paperboard, which combine thin, easy-to-manufacture layers with internal reinforcement structures. These composite materials provide high strength-to-weight ratios, allowing the lid to bear heavy loads while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments provide a sheet to form a lid to substantially close a container. The sheet comprises a rectangular base having opposing side edges, opposing end edges, an upper surface and a lower surface. At least one notch is included on each of the side edges, where the notches correspond to a protrusion on an upper surface of two side walls of the container. A portion of the lower surface of the sheet at the side edges are configured to engage with the upper surface of the two side walls of the container. A foldable flap extends outwardly from each of the two end edges. The foldable flaps are configured to fold downwardly and engage against end walls of the container. The rectangular base has a thickness of at least 0.125 inches to support weight of items placed on the upper surface of the rectangular base without collapsing.