Foldable Casket Panels for Reduced Shipping Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current corrugated paper caskets are costly for shipping and storage due to their bulkiness, and they often require complex assembly and can leak embalming or body fluids, increasing costs and logistical challenges.
Innovation Solution
A casket arrangement with a pliable bottom panel and foldable side and end panels that can change configurations for shipping and storage, including a removable tray to prevent leakage, allowing for easier assembly and reduced bulk during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If corrugated paper caskets are made with traditional rigid structure, then they provide adequate protection and containment, but they occupy excessive space during shipping and storage increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The casket employs collapsible side walls that can transition between an expanded protective configuration during use and a compressed flat configuration during shipping and storage. This dynamic structural transformation reduces the volume occupied by the casket in transit while maintaining adequate containment when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The casket is divided into modular components including a removable tray assembly and separable side walls that can be collapsed or disassembled. This segmentation allows the casket to be compacted to a fraction of its original volume for shipping while still providing complete containment when assembled.
2Ease of manufacture
If simple rectangular container design is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but assembly becomes complex and time-consuming at retail point
Solution Approach 1:
The casket is pre-assembled with the tray and lid components attached during manufacturing. This preliminary assembly eliminates the need for complex on-site construction at the retail point, allowing staff to simply unload and position the complete unit rather than assembling it from separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional components (tray, lid, side walls) are merged into a single integrated casket unit that arrives pre-assembled. This consolidation simplifies the operation at the retail point by eliminating the need to handle and assemble separate components, while still maintaining manufacturing efficiency through standardized production processes.
3Weight of moving object
If lightweight paper material is used, then shipping cost is reduced, but fluid leakage occurs increasing additional costs
Solution Approach 1:
A removable tray assembly with raised edges acts as an intermediary barrier between the body and the external environment. This tray prevents fluids from leaking out of the casket while maintaining the lightweight paper construction. The tray can be easily removed for cleaning or replacement without compromising the overall lightweight design.
Solution Approach 2:
The casket employs thin film-like paper materials that are lightweight yet combined with a tray structure to create a fluid barrier. The flexible nature of the paper allows for cost-effective construction while the tray provides the necessary protection against fluid leakage.
4Volume of moving object
If collapsible side walls are implemented, then shipping volume is reduced, but structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are designed with collapsible panels that maintain structural integrity when in the expanded position through strategic reinforcement at corner and edge locations. When collapsed for shipping, these same panels fold flat without compromising the overall strength of the casket structure, as the reinforcement points remain intact.
Solution Approach 2:
The casket utilizes composite construction combining rigid reinforcement elements at critical structural points with flexible collapsible panel materials. This composite approach allows the side walls to be lightweight and collapsible while maintaining sufficient structural strength to support the casket when in use.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for use with a casket arrangement having a first configuration and a second configuration includes moving the casket arrangement while in the second configuration, changing the casket arrangement from the second configuration to the first configuration, and moving remains of a deceased disposed within the casket arrangement while in the first configuration. The casket arrangement includes a bottom panel and intrinsically formed side panels and end panels. The side panels and end panels include upper portions that extend upward and connect in the first configuration, and which extend in a direction other than upward in the second configuration.