Display tray with support column and apertures and method for its assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing displayable shipping containers face challenges such as inadequate shipping performance, labor-intensive manufacturing, excessive materials, unsightly surfaces, and weakness when stacked, particularly in converting from a shipping to a display configuration while maintaining structural integrity and ease of access.
Innovation Solution
A display tray made from corrugated paperboard, featuring a cutout portion for a support column, handle apertures, and a perforated area for easy assembly and conversion, allowing for easy handling and stacking, with a lid that can be removed by applying pressure, and reinforced side portions for increased strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If structural elements are added to maintain shipping performance, then shipping strength is improved, but the container becomes complex and labor-intensive to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into a body portion and a lid portion that can be separately formed and assembled. The body portion includes integrated support structures (flaps and walls) that provide shipping strength without requiring additional external components, reducing overall complexity while maintaining structural integrity during shipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structures (flaps, walls, and reinforcement elements) are integrated directly into the body portion of the container rather than being separate components. This merging of structural elements into the main body reduces the number of parts and assembly steps while maintaining the necessary shipping strength.
2Strength
If structural elements are retained to provide shipping performance, then shipping strength is improved, but product access becomes inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The container features a convertible design where the lid portion can be removed or reconfigured to transition from a closed shipping configuration to an open display configuration. The support structures in the body portion remain to maintain shipping strength, while the dynamic lid allows convenient product access in display mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation of the lid portion from the body portion allows the structural elements in the body to remain for shipping strength while the lid can be independently removed or opened to provide convenient product access in display configuration.
3Quantity of substance
If minimal materials are used to reduce cost, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the container becomes weak when stacked
Solution Approach 1:
The container uses strategically placed reinforcement elements and thickened walls in critical load-bearing areas (such as the bottom portion and vertical walls) while using standard thickness in non-critical areas. This localized strengthening provides adequate stacking strength without requiring excessive material throughout the entire container.
Solution Approach 2:
The container utilizes the inherent strength properties of corrugated fiberboard material, leveraging its composite structure of fluted paper between linerboards to achieve high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing minimal material usage while maintaining stacking strength.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the container is converted to display configuration, then display functionality is improved, but rough surfaces remain that are unsightly
Solution Approach 1:
The lid portion is designed to be removed or separated from the body portion during conversion to display configuration. This extraction of the lid allows the container to transition to an open display state while the smooth outer surfaces of the body portion remain visible and presentable, hiding any rough internal surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed with smooth, finished outer surfaces on the body portion that are visible in display configuration, while internal surfaces that may be rough are hidden or not visible from the exterior, providing aesthetic appeal where it matters for display functionality.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
An apparatus to display packaged products that includes a base that includes a bottom segment, at least two supporting segments, and a top segment, the top segment provided with a plurality of apertures and supported at least in part by the at least two supporting segments such that the bottom segment and the top segment are generally parallel; and at least two side portions, at least one of said side portions comprising a support column, the at least two side portions being generally perpendicular to the bottom segment and the top segment. Methods of assembling the apparatus are also provided.