Foldable Accessory Support Panels in Food Trays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food trays lack effective accessory support features, making it difficult to securely hold and organize additional items like condiments alongside food products, which can lead to instability and inconvenience during use.
Innovation Solution
A tray design featuring foldable accessory support panels integrated into the base and lid structure, creating compartments to securely hold accessories such as sauces or dips, with locking mechanisms to maintain the tray's closed configuration and facilitate easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional food trays are used without accessory support features, then the tray structure remains simple, but the ability to securely hold and organize accessories like condiments is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into distinct functional zones: a base portion for food products and an accessory support portion with separate panels for holding accessories. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall tray integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The accessory support panels are designed to serve multiple purposes: they provide structural support for accessories, define compartment boundaries, and can be configured in different arrangements to accommodate various accessory types and sizes, making the tray adaptable to different food service needs.
2Reliability
If accessory support panels are added to the tray, then the organization and stability of accessories improve, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory support panels are integrated into the tray blank as a unified structure rather than separate components. The panels are formed from the same material and shaped in the same molding process, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and reducing manufacturing complexity despite the increased structural sophistication.
Solution Approach 2:
The accessory support panels are nested within the overall tray structure, with the panels forming compartments that fit within the base portion. This nested arrangement maximizes space utilization and allows the accessory support features to be incorporated without significantly increasing the overall tray footprint or manufacturing steps.
3Ease of operation
If foldable accessory support panels are implemented, then access to accessories is improved, but the structural complexity of the tray increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory support panels are designed to be foldable rather than fixed, allowing them to move between different positions. This dynamic feature enables users to access accessories by folding panels open while maintaining structural integrity when panels are closed, providing operational flexibility without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A tray for holding one or more food products includes a base at least partially extending around an interior of the tray, the base including a base bottom panel, at least one base side panel, a base back panel, and a base front panel, a lid foldably connected to the base, the lid including a top panel, at least one lid side panel, a lid back panel, and a lid front panel, and accessory support features for supporting at least one accessory for one or more food products in the interior of the tray, the accessory support features including at least one accessory support panel foldably connected to base front panel forming at least one accessory compartment in the interior of the tray for at least partially receiving the at least one accessory.