Divisible Box With Retractable Locking Handles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing divisible crates face issues with stability, material requirements, and wobbling during carrying due to center handles, and previous solutions require high-quality materials and complex locking mechanisms that compromise locking strength and safety.
Innovation Solution
A divisible crate design with coupling walls of the same height as the side walls, featuring retractable locking handles and a locking mechanism that ensures secure attachment and easy recognition of the locked state, minimizing the risk of injury during transport, and allowing for optimal bottle arrangement and stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If central handles are used for separating box halves, then the box can be easily opened from one side, but the box lacks stability and the handles can twist and strike someone's body
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the carrying handle function from the locking mechanism. The locking handles are designed to operate the locking devices only, while separate carrying handles (such as recesses in the connecting walls or handles on the box halves) are provided for carrying. This separation eliminates the instability and safety issues of central handles while maintaining ease of operation for both locking and carrying functions.
2Ease of operation
If swiveling handles are used as carrying handles, then the box can be carried, but high-quality materials are required and the handle wobbles when carrying
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the carrying function from the locking mechanism by providing dedicated carrying handles (recesses in connecting walls or handles on box halves). This allows the locking handles to be made of simpler materials suitable only for locking operations, while carrying is performed through separate structural features designed for that purpose, eliminating the need for high-quality materials and wobbling swiveling mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If conventional handles are used for locking devices, then the locking mechanism can be operated, but the coupling walls become smaller and the locking mechanism becomes complex and weak
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the handle function into two distinct parts: locking handles that are integrated into the locking devices on the coupling walls, and separate carrying handles provided elsewhere on the box halves. This segmentation allows the locking handles to be small and integrated without compromising coupling wall size, while carrying capacity is provided by separate larger structural features. The locking mechanism itself is simplified by using straightforward sliding or pivoting motion within the locking devices.
4Ease of operation
If locking handles are not recessed into coupling walls, then the locking mechanism can be easily operated, but the risk of injury during transport increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements a dynamic positioning system for the locking handles where they can be in two states: protruding when unlocked for easy operation, and recessed when locked for safety during transport. This is achieved through the locking mechanism itself that automatically retracts the handles upon engagement, or through the design where the handle motion path naturally retracts it into the coupling wall when the locking device is engaged, eliminating injury risk while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a divisible box (2) comprising two box halves (4) which abut each other in a dividing plane (10) by means of coupling walls (26), wherein the coupling walls (26) include locking devices (20) by means of which the box halves (4) can be detachably fastened to one another. It is provided that the coupling walls (26) have locking handles (22) for actuating the locking devices (20), by means of which the locking devices (20) can be moved into a locked state and into an unlocked state. The invention also relates to a correspondingly designed box half (4).