Foldable Cardboard Box Kit with Tooth-Slot Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardboard boxes for holding glass bottles are unreliable during transportation, prone to unfolding under the weight of the bottle, leading to potential breakage and environmental concerns due to adhesive use, with long production times and lack of reversibility.
Innovation Solution
A kit comprising a foldable cardboard sheet element with handles and transverse plates connected via tooth-slot mechanisms, along with a retention ring to maintain stability and allow easy assembly and disassembly, eliminating the need for adhesives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If teeth are engaged in slots to block the cardboard box in volume configuration, then the box can be formed from flat configuration, but the box becomes unreliable and may unfold under the weight of the bottle during transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The box is divided into multiple components: a cardboard blank with folded sections, separate blocking elements (teeth and slots), and optional reinforcement elements. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the folded sections provide the box shape, the teeth-slot mechanism provides blocking capability, and reinforcement elements prevent unfolding under load.
Solution Approach 2:
The cardboard blank is pre-folded into the desired box configuration before final assembly. The blocking teeth and slots are pre-positioned on the folded structure, allowing the box to be rapidly assembled by simply engaging the teeth with the slots without requiring complex assembly procedures.
2Reliability
If glue or adhesive layers are used to connect parts of the blank, then the box becomes more stable and reliable, but production time increases and the box becomes environmentally unfriendly and non-reversible
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical tooth-slot blocking system replaces the chemical adhesive system. Instead of using glue to bond cardboard parts together, the invention uses interlocking mechanical elements (teeth and slots) that provide the same stabilizing function through pure mechanical engagement, eliminating the need for adhesive application time and environmental concerns.
Solution Approach 2:
The box assembly is designed to be self-blocking through the tooth-slot mechanism. Once the teeth are engaged with the slots, the box automatically maintains its volume configuration without requiring external reinforcement like glue. The structure serves its own stabilization function through the inherent mechanical interlocking of its components.
3Reliability
If glue or adhesives are used to connect box parts, then the box becomes more stable, but the box cannot be reversed and disposed in flat configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The box transitions from a static, permanent structure to a dynamic, reconfigurable structure. The tooth-slot blocking mechanism allows the box to be easily assembled into its volume configuration and just as easily disassembled back to its flat configuration, providing adaptability between different storage states without the permanence of adhesive bonds.
4Ease of operation
If handles are added to the box for easy carrying, then user convenience improves, but the box becomes more complex and requires additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The handles are integrated into the existing cardboard blank structure rather than being separate add-on components. The handles are formed as part of the folded box configuration, combining the carrying function with the structural components already present in the box, thereby minimizing the increase in overall complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Kit for realizing a box (100) comprising a sheet element (1) of flexible material provided with two first ending edges (10a) in parallel opposite position and two second ending edges (10b) in parallel opposite position; said sheet element (1) is suitable for being folded in such way to have a substantially tubular shape with the first ending edges (10a) in side by side position; said sheet element (1) comprising two opposite handles (2) disposed in opposite position on the two first ending edges (10a); the handles (2) are disposed side by side when the sheet element (1) is folded, defining a handle for holding the box (100); the box (100) also comprises at least one plate (3) connected to the sheet element (1) in the proximity of one of the second ending edges (10b), and a retention means (4) that surrounds the two handles (2) in such a way to tighten said handles (2).