Corrugated Nesting Container for Catering Tray Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional catering trays lack adequate insulation and rigidity, making them difficult to handle and transport, especially when carrying hot foods, and they often require additional insulation to maintain food temperature.
Innovation Solution
A foldable container made from corrugated cardboard that provides insulation and rigidity by folding into a stable box shape, allowing for secure storage and transport of catering trays, with a pivotable upper portion and locking flaps for closure, enabling nesting for space-saving storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional catering trays are made of flexible materials like aluminum, then they can be lightweight and easy to form, but they lack adequate rigidity for safe handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a rigid inner tray structure with an insulating outer container made of corrugated cardboard. This composite construction provides the necessary rigidity for safe handling while adding insulation properties, resolving the contradiction between needing strength and avoiding structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the tray system into two distinct parts: an inner tray component and an outer container component. Each segment serves a specific function - the inner tray provides structural support and food containment, while the outer container provides insulation and protection. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently for its specific function.
2Temperature
If conventional catering trays are used to transport hot foods, then they can be simple and inexpensive, but they lack adequate insulation to maintain food temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an insulating layer as an intermediary between the hot food tray and the external environment. This intermediate insulating container made of corrugated cardboard acts as a thermal barrier, reducing heat transfer and maintaining food temperature without requiring complex active cooling or heating systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the thermal parameters of the container system by using corrugated cardboard with specific insulation properties. The corrugated structure creates air pockets that reduce thermal conduction, effectively changing the thermal conductivity parameter of the container to better preserve food temperature during transport.
3Ease of operation
If conventional catering trays are used for transport, then they can be simple in design, but they become difficult to handle when carrying hot foods
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating container serves as an intermediary layer between the handler and the hot tray, providing thermal protection that makes the tray easier to handle. The outer container absorbs the thermal burden, allowing the inner tray to remain simple while the system as a whole becomes easier to operate.
4Quantity of substance
If multiple containers are stored separately, then they can be easily accessed, but they occupy excessive storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nesting structure where the inner tray fits inside the outer container, and multiple such assembled units can be nested within each other. This nested configuration dramatically reduces storage space requirements while maintaining easy accessibility through simple nested or stacked arrangements.
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
The solution provides a stable, rigid, and insulated container that ensures safe handling and transport of food trays while maintaining food temperature, allowing for efficient storage and delivery of both hot and cold items.
Implementation Method 1
the container provides an additional layer of insulation so as to preserve the targeted food temperature
Implementation Method 2
The blank according to the invention is formed of corrugated cardboard
Data Source
AI summary
A container formed from a foldable blank into a box-like configuration for transport of a tray or container storing food items therein, such as a catering tray. The container includes a bottom portion defined by a bottom wall, front and rear walls, and spaced-apart side walls, all of which project upwardly from bottom wall. A top portion is provided which is swingably movable relative to the bottom portion to provide open and closed configurations of the container. The container provides an added insulative layer so as to maintain food items stored within the catering tray at the desired temperature, and also improves handling thereof.