Foldable Casket Lid Hinge Mechanism for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid wooden caskets and cremation containers face high shipping and storage costs due to their non-foldable nature, necessitating a solution for economical shipping and storage of such materials.
Innovation Solution
A casket design featuring a lid that can be folded inward and stored within the casket body, utilizing hinges and removable end members to collapse the lid, allowing it to fit inside the casket for reduced storage and shipping costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid wooden caskets are used, then structural strength and durability are improved, but shipping and storage costs increase due to inability to fold
Solution Approach 1:
The casket lid is divided into multiple segments including top boards, side boards, and end boards that can be folded relative to each other. These segmented components are connected through hinges and folding mechanisms, allowing the rigid wooden structure to be collapsed into a compact configuration for economical shipping and storage while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The casket lid transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic foldable structure. Hinges and folding joints enable the lid to change its configuration between an extended protective state during use and a collapsed compact state for shipping and storage, allowing the rigid wooden material to adapt its form factor without compromising strength when needed.
2Ease of manufacture
If paperboard caskets are used, then shipping and storage costs are reduced through foldability, but structural strength and material quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The casket combines rigid wooden materials with folding mechanisms to create a composite structure that achieves both strength and foldability. The wooden components maintain their inherent structural properties while the folding joints and hinge connections enable compact configuration, offering a middle ground between paperboard foldability and solid wood rigidity.
3Strength
If caskets are shipped fully assembled, then structural integrity is maintained, but shipping and storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The casket lid components are designed to nest within each other when folded. The side boards fold inward against the top boards, and end boards fold against the sides, creating a compact nested configuration that minimizes shipping and storage volume while preserving the structural integrity of the wooden components through proper hinge and joint design.
Data Source
AI summary
A casket and lid combination includes a casket body and a lid. The casket body has an interior defined by a bottom, pair of opposing side walls and a pair of opposing end walls arranged perpendicular to said side walls, the side walls and end wall extending upwardly from the bottom. The lid covers the interior when installed, and includes a top, a first side extending downwardly from the top, and second side extending downwardly from the top opposite the first side, at least one end extending downwardly from the top perpendicular to the first side and the second side, a first hinge for attaching the first side to the top, and a second hinge for attaching the second side to the top. When the end is not attached to the lid, the first side and second side may be folded inwardly toward a centerline of the top such that the top may be place directly on the casket body with the folded in sides located within the interior of the casket body.