Foldable Bulk Container With Interlocking Hooks And Locking Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable bulk containers face challenges such as requiring adhesives for assembly, needing reinforcing straps that can be misused or forgotten, and requiring two people for assembly, while gaps and holes in the bottom panels lead to material loss and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A foldable container design with interlocking hooks and locking tabs that eliminate the need for adhesives and straps, allowing single-person assembly and featuring corner or auxiliary flaps to seal gaps and holes, ensuring structural integrity and preventing material loss or contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive or tape is used to hold the container in deployed configuration, then the container can be secured, but the adhesive damages the container and is inappropriate for certain applications
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure includes self-securing features such as interlocking panels, recesses, and protrusions that automatically hold the container in its deployed configuration without requiring external adhesives or tapes. The structure serves its own securing function through its geometric design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes the harmful element (adhesive/tape) from the system by designing inherent structural features that provide securing functionality. The container panels, flaps, and connecting elements are designed to interlock mechanically, eliminating the need for separate securing materials.
2Strength
If reinforcing straps are used to prevent container breakage, then structural strength is improved, but the straps can be forgotten or installed incorrectly leading to container failure
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing function is merged into the container structure itself through integrated panel designs, interlocking mechanisms, and built-in support features. The structural strength is provided by the container's own geometry and material configuration rather than separate external straps.
Solution Approach 2:
The container structure provides its own reinforcement through self-supporting panel designs, interlocking features, and geometric configurations that inherently prevent collapse without requiring external reinforcing straps.
3Reliability
If two people are required to assemble the container, then assembly safety is improved, but assembly time and labor cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed as a flat-pack configuration that can be easily segmented and folded into its three-dimensional form. The panel connections, fold lines, and interlocking features are designed to be manipulated by a single person, allowing safe and efficient assembly without requiring multiple people.
4Ease of manufacture
If gaps and holes in bottom panels are left uncovered, then container fabrication is simpler, but bulk material escapes and foreign objects contaminate the interior
Solution Approach 1:
The container panels and flaps are designed to serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, create the container shape, and simultaneously seal gaps and holes to prevent material loss and contamination. The bottom panels are configured to overlap or interlock, eliminating the need for separate sealing components.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable container moveable between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration defining an interior area for holding bulk material is provided. The container includes opposed side panels and a bottom flap extending from a bottom edge of each side panel. A tab member extends from a distal end of each bottom flap and a tab finger extends from each tab member so as to define a hook at a distal end of each bottom flap. The hooks are interconnected so as to hingedly connect the distal ends of the bottom flaps together, thereby causing the bottom flaps to rotate between their respective stowed and deployed configuration positions as the end panels are translated between their respective stowed and deployed configuration positions. Locking tabs extending from distal ends of end flaps extend into the interior area of the container to secure the container in the deployed configuration.