Collapsible Litter Box with Corrugated Shells and Oblique Junction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing litter boxes are costly due to complex shapes requiring expensive tooling and high material costs for injection molding, and they do not effectively prevent urine leakage.
Innovation Solution
The design features upper and lower shells with corrugations that allow for thinner walls, reducing material usage and enabling molding with conventional two-part molds, along with an oblique junction line to minimize urine leakage and integrate a handle for easier handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional two-part molds are used for injection molding, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the ability to produce complex shapes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The litter box is divided into multiple components (base, lid, walls) that can be separately molded using simple two-part molds and then assembled. This segmentation allows each component to have a simpler geometry suitable for conventional molding while achieving overall shape complexity through assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs nested structures where smaller components are integrated within larger ones during the molding process. The handles are integrally molded within the wall structures, and components are designed to nest together during assembly, reducing the need for complex external tooling while maintaining functional complexity.
2Quantity of substance
If wall thickness is reduced to save material, then material cost is reduced, but structural strength is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates curved and corrugated wall designs instead of flat surfaces. These curved geometries provide structural rigidity and strength while using less material. The corrugations in the walls create geometric reinforcement that maintains structural integrity with reduced wall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The litter box utilizes composite construction with integrally molded handles and wall components that combine different functional elements into unified structures. This composite approach optimizes material distribution, providing strength where needed while minimizing material usage in non-critical areas.
3Ease of manufacture
If the junction line between upper and lower shells is horizontal, then manufacturing is simpler, but urine leakage resistance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an asymmetric oblique junction line design between the upper and lower shells, angled to follow the natural contour of cat elimination. This asymmetric geometry strategically positions the sealing interface to resist urine flow direction while maintaining manufacturability through integrated molding of the angled junction.
4Ease of operation
If handles are integrally molded into the upper shell, then assembly complexity is reduced, but molding complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handles are integrally molded as part of the upper shell components, merging the handle function with the structural wall elements. This integration eliminates separate handle components and assembly steps, reducing overall device complexity despite the increased molding capability requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces production costs, minimizes urine leakage, and facilitates easier assembly and handling while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetics.
Implementation Method 1
upper and lower shells having corrugations formed therein that strengthen the walls of the shell
Data Source
AI summary
A litter box includes upper and lower shells having corrugations formed therein that strengthen the walls of the shell and that enable the walls themselves to be relatively thinner than would be required in the absence of corrugations. The relatively thinner walls thus enable the litter box to be formed from less material. The corrugations are configured to enable molding with conventional two-part molds. An upper shell portion has a handle integrally molded therein. When assembled, the upper shell sits atop the lower shell, and the line of junction between the upper and lower shells is oriented oblique to a bottom surface of the lower shell and thus oblique to a floor upon which the litter box may sit. The oblique angle enables a relatively low step-over height at the front and a relatively high height at the rear to resist the penetration of urine.