Flexible container with ice tray
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing silicone-based containers for ice cubes lack a seamless, leak-resistant, and flexible solution that allows for easy handling and storage of ice cubes while maintaining food safety and preventing contamination.
Innovation Solution
A silicone-made ice-making container with integrated zipper members that forms a unitary whole, allowing for flexible compartments and a deformable mouth that can be easily opened and closed, enabling the container to be used as both an ice tray and a storage container for beverages or foods, with the ability to withstand various temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a silicone-based container is made flexible and deformable for easy handling, then ease of operation is improved, but leak resistance and structural stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The container is made entirely of flexible silicone material that can be deformed by hand for easy handling and cleaning. The flexibility allows the container to be squeezed, folded, and manipulated without breaking, while maintaining its sealing capability through the material's elastic properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism is integrated directly into the container walls through molded-in zipper members, eliminating separate components. The zippers are formed as part of the silicone structure itself, creating a seamless seal that maintains reliability while preserving flexibility.
2Ease of manufacture
If the container is made as a unitary whole without assembled parts for ease of manufacture and cleaning, then ease of manufacture and ease of operation are improved, but the complexity of achieving leak-resistant sealing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container body and sealing mechanisms are combined into a single unitary structure molded from one piece of silicone material. The zipper members are integrated directly into the walls, eliminating the need for separate sealing components and simplifying both manufacturing and cleaning while ensuring reliable seals.
Solution Approach 2:
The molded-in zipper members automatically provide sealing functionality as an inherent feature of the container structure. The design self-contained sealing mechanism eliminates the need for separate sealing components, making the container self-sufficient and easier to manufacture as a single piece.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the container integrates multiple functions (ice tray and storage container) to improve versatility, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container serves dual purposes: as an ice tray for freezing water and as a storage container for keeping ice cubes cold and transporting beverages. The flexible silicone material and sealed design enable it to function across multiple temperature ranges and applications without requiring separate specialized containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice-making and storage functions are merged into a single container structure. The same flexible silicone body that forms the ice compartments also serves as the storage chamber, with integrated zippers providing sealing for both freezing and storage operations, reducing the need for multiple separate containers.
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 container effectively prevents contamination, maintains food safety, and allows for easy handling and storage of ice cubes, while being flexible enough to accommodate different shapes and sizes, making it suitable for both freezing and cooking applications.
Implementation Method 1
the container to be used as both an ice tray and a storage container for beverages or foods, with the ability to withstand various temperatures
Implementation Method 2
The mouth is deformable between open and closed configurations
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
An ice-making container having a base and a freestanding side extending from the base to define a mouth opposite the base, and having a divider extending from the base and/or freestanding side so as to divide the container into at least two ice-making compartments. The container is a closable container via zipper members extending from the interior sides of the mouth, wherein the mouth is deformable between open and closed configurations and the first and second zipper members are disengagable when the mouth is open and engageable when the mouth is closed. The container may be molded from platinum silicone as a unitary whole without assembled parts. The molding process may comprise liquid injection molding, compression molding, or transfer molding.