Corrugated Post with Interior Corners for Tiered Container Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tiered palletizable containers lack effective structural support between layers, leading to instability during transportation and storage, particularly under vertical loads.
Innovation Solution
The use of posts formed from a single unitary sheet of corrugated paperboard with specific panel sections and fold lines creates tubular structures that provide enhanced support by forming interior corners and center posts, along with cross-member receiving slots for additional stability, allowing upper trays to be securely positioned over lower trays without the need for adhesives or fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional container structures without internal support posts are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the stability and strength under vertical loads deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into modular components including posts, trays, and bases that can be independently manufactured and assembled. The posts are segmented into panel sections (first panel section, second panel section, third panel section, fourth panel section) that form distinct functional zones: exterior corners, interior corners, and cross-member support regions. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The container structure utilizes composite construction combining paperboard panels with corrugated reinforcement layers. The posts incorporate multiple material layers including solid paperboard panels and corrugated board sections, creating a composite structure that provides enhanced strength-to-weight ratio. The tray and base also employ corrugated paperboard construction, providing structural rigidity while maintaining lightweight characteristics suitable for palletized container systems.
2Reliability
If additional fastening mechanisms are added to secure upper trays, then the stability during transportation is improved, but the ease of manufacture and assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure employs self-securing mechanisms where components automatically interlock without requiring external fastening devices. The posts feature exterior corners that directly contact and support the trays, while interior corners engage with the tray edges. Cross-members insert into receiving slots in the posts, creating a self-locking arrangement. The corrugated panel structure provides friction and mechanical interlocking that secures components together through their own geometric features rather than separate fasteners.
Solution Approach 2:
The container components are designed to nest within each other, with trays positioned on top of posts, which rest on bases. Cross-members nest into the post structure, and the corrugated panels nest within the overall container assembly. This nested arrangement allows components to support each other through their own structural features, eliminating the need for additional fastening mechanisms while maintaining stability during stacking and transportation.
3Strength
If interior corners are positioned closer to the first panel section, then the support for upper trays is enhanced, but the volume available for product placement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The post structure implements local quality by concentrating structural features at specific locations rather than uniformly throughout. Interior corners are positioned at optimized locations on the first panel section where they provide maximum tray support leverage. The exterior corners are positioned at the panel edges to provide perimeter support. Cross-member support regions are localized at specific heights. This localized structural reinforcement provides enhanced support strength at critical points while maintaining open space in the interior volume for product placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The post design transitions from a simple vertical support to a three-dimensional structure with interior corners extending into the container volume. These interior corners provide support in the horizontal dimension while the post itself provides vertical support. The cross-members add a horizontal support dimension, creating a multi-dimensional support system that enhances tray stability without requiring the posts to occupy excessive vertical or horizontal space that would reduce product storage volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A post for supporting trays of a container comprises a plurality of panel sections including a first panel section. The panel sections form first and second corners positioned adjacent to one side surface of the first panel section and that end up at the interior of the post. The upper trays are desirably supported by the interior corners and also by portions of the panel sections that form the interior corners and by a portion of the first panel section to thereby enhance the support provided to the upper trays. Two of the posts can be positioned together in face to face relationship to form a center post for supporting upper trays. Selected panel sections desirably have upwardly extending locking tabs and cross member support receiving slots. Containers comprising plural trays and such posts are also described.