Foldable Shipping Container with Nested Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shipping container designs fail to meet the stringent testing standards, such as the Project 6-AMAZON.COM-SIOC standard, particularly for products like aluminum cans or plastic bottles, which require multi-wall protection and efficient use of stock material to ensure secure and damage-free transportation.
Innovation Solution
A foldable container blank comprising four side walls, a top panel, a bottom panel, and internal support structures formed from a single piece of material, which can be efficiently cut and creased to form a container with multiple layers of cardboard, providing lateral and vertical protection when assembled, and can be easily assembled into a square arrangement for secure product containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional shipping container designs are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but they fail to meet stringent testing standards and provide insufficient protection
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple walls (first wall, second wall, third wall, fourth wall) that are formed from a single continuous blank. Each wall provides independent protection while the segmented structure allows the container to meet stringent testing standards for product protection during shipping.
Solution Approach 2:
The container walls are nested within each other when the blank is folded into its three-dimensional configuration. The first wall is nested within the second wall, and the third wall is nested within the fourth wall, creating a compact nested structure that provides multi-layer protection while efficiently using material.
2Strength
If multiple separate pieces of material are used to form container walls, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity and material waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple container walls that would traditionally be made from separate pieces of material are merged into a single continuous blank. The blank includes first, second, third, and fourth walls that are all formed from one continuous piece of material, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining structural strength through the nested configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The single blank is transformed from a two-dimensional flat sheet into a three-dimensional nested structure. By folding the blank along specific lines, the walls are arranged in a nested three-dimensional configuration that provides structural strength equivalent to multiple separate pieces while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional container designs are used, then material usage is straightforward, but they do not provide efficient use of stock material and adequate protection
Solution Approach 1:
The nested wall configuration allows multiple layers of protection to be formed from a single blank, efficiently using the available stock material. The first wall is nested within the second wall, and the third wall is nested within the fourth wall, creating adequate protection while minimizing material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The blank is folded to create a nested three-dimensional structure that provides multi-layer protection. This dimensional transformation allows the container to provide adequate protection for products during shipping while efficiently utilizing the stock material in a compact nested arrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable container blank includes at four side walls, a top panel foldably connected to one of the side walls, a bottom panel foldably connected to one of the side walls, and at least one internal support structure that is connected to one of the side walls. Each internal support structure includes a first portion that is in adjacent relation with the top panel when the container is in a closed condition, and a second portion that is in adjacent relation with the first portion when the container is in a closed condition. In some embodiments, the foldable container blank is integrally formed. A method of forming the foldable container blank and a method of folding a container blank are also provided.