Flexible Sheet Dispensing Container for Easy Article Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional containers do not facilitate easy dispensing, selection, or return of articles, making them inefficient for accessing and storing items like screws, food, and jewelry.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a flexible sheet that can be secured to the inside surface of the body, allowing it to move between positions within the container and extend outward for easy access and selection of items, enabling easy filling, removal, and return of articles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If articles are stored in a conventional container, then storage capacity is provided, but easy dispensing and selection of articles is not enabled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the container's bottom wall flexible rather than rigid. This flexible bottom wall can be selectively deformed to dispense articles from the container, allowing dynamic control over article dispensing without complex mechanical mechanisms. The flexibility enables the container to adapt its shape for easy access to stored items.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent directly applies the flexible shells and thin films principle by using a flexible bottom wall constructed from flexible material. This flexible membrane acts as the dispensing mechanism, allowing articles to be accessed by deforming the bottom wall. The flexible film replaces complex dispensing mechanisms with a simple, adaptable structure.
2Ease of operation
If articles are compacted in the container for storage, then storage density is improved, but easy access and viewing of contents is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible bottom wall enables dynamic adjustment between compact storage and easy access states. When flat, it maintains high storage density with compacted articles. When deformed or removed, it allows articles to be viewed and accessed easily, providing dynamic adaptability between these two opposing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible bottom wall can be completely removed from the container, extracting the barrier between stored articles and the user. This allows articles to be easily viewed and accessed without the constraint of the container bottom, while the container structure itself remains simple and intact.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid container structure is used, then structural stability is maintained, but flexibility for dispensing and return of articles is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the bottom wall flexible while keeping the rest of the container structure rigid. This localized flexibility allows dispensing and return operations without compromising the overall structural stability provided by the rigid container walls and opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible bottom wall acts as a thin film that provides the necessary adaptability for dispensing and returning articles, while the rigid container body maintains structural stability. This combination of flexible and rigid elements resolves the contradiction between stability and versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a container for storing, selection, and dispensing many types of articles. In one embodiment, the container comprises a body having a cavity to store the articles and an open end having an inside surface for access to the articles. The container further comprises a flexible sheet having a body portion and first and second end portions. The first end portion is secured to the inside surface of the body. The flexible sheet can be moved between a first position where the flexible sheet is fully disposed within the body and a second position where the flexible sheet is disposed outward of the body with the articles resting on the body portion of the flexible sheet upon raising and tilting of the body to provide easy selection and dispensing of any article. The container and flexible sheet may be configured in many shapes and/or materials for different applications.