Foldable Cardboard Container Structure for Flat Storage and Strength
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardboard containers for products like strawberries are bulky when assembled, difficult to assemble, require tools, and lack mechanical strength, making storage, transport, and use cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A die-cut cardboard sheet with predetermined fold lines forms a container that can be easily assembled without tools, featuring a frusto-pyramidal shape for compact storage, and includes flanges and slots for secure assembly and mechanical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If cardboard containers are assembled in a traditional manner, then they provide adequate mechanical strength, but they occupy large volume and are difficult to transport and store
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple flat sections (first section with opening, second section, third section) that can be transported separately and assembled at the destination. This segmentation allows the container to occupy minimal volume during transport while providing adequate mechanical strength when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat sections are designed to nest within each other or be compacted into a small volume for transport, similar to nested dolls. The sections can be stacked or placed within a compacting device to minimize the volume occupied during storage and transport.
2Volume of moving object
If cardboard containers are transported in a flat arrangement, then storage and transport space is reduced, but assembly becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The container sections are pre-cut and pre-shaped into their final configuration before transport. The fold lines and opening positions are predetermined, so that assembly at the destination simply requires unfolding and joining pre-prepared sections, rather than constructing the container from scratch.
Solution Approach 2:
The container sections are designed with self-aligning features and simple joining mechanisms that allow the sections to assemble themselves with minimal intervention. The flat sections can be easily connected through simple folding and joining actions without requiring complex assembly procedures.
3Loss of time
If simple assembly methods are used, then assembly time is reduced, but mechanical performance and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the simple assembly process: the joining of sections, the formation of the three-dimensional shape, and the creation of the opening are all accomplished in a single unified action. This merging maintains mechanical performance while reducing assembly time.
Solution Approach 2:
The container sections are designed with specific geometric parameters (fold line positions, opening dimensions, section shapes) that ensure adequate mechanical strength when assembled. By optimizing these parameters, the assembly maintains structural integrity without requiring complex assembly procedures.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cardboard container, formed from a diecut cardboard sheet including predetermined fold lines between the different portions of the formation of the container to be obtained, comprising a first rectangular section (2) provided with a central opening (3) defining a perimeter area by way of a frame (4), wings (5) coming out of two opposite lateral edges of that central opening (3), and said rectangular section (2) extending with a gluing strip (6), which in turn extends on the other side with three successive sections (7), (8) and (9), to form, by folding the set of three successive sections (7), (8) and (9), a prismatic body (12) said prismatic body (12) being secured by gluing the gluing strips (6) and (10) on two opposite side members of the frame (4), said prismatic body (12) being closed by the wings (5) collapsing to form the container, and configured to obtain a flat storage configuration.