Foldable File Box With Interlocking Side Frames
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional file boxes are typically rigid, non-foldable, and costly, with limited versatility in accommodating different sizes of file folders, and they incur higher costs and risk of damage during packaging and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A foldable file box design featuring a plastic sheet with foldable side walls and bottom wall, interlocking side frames, hanging rods, and a top cover, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, and accommodating folders of various sizes in both length and width orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid cardboard boxes or injection-molded plastic parts are used for file storage, then structural strength and durability are improved, but manufacturing cost and transportation damage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The file box is divided into multiple independent components including side frames, bottom walls, hanging rods, and covers that can be separately manufactured through injection molding and then assembled together. This segmentation allows for cost-effective production while maintaining structural integrity through precise interlocking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin-walled injection-molded plastic components that provide sufficient structural strength while minimizing material usage and manufacturing cost. The flexible yet rigid plastic structure offers durability without requiring thick walls or excessive material.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid non-foldable boxes are used, then structural stability is improved, but transportation space efficiency and damage risk worsen
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the box into separable components, the structure can be disassembled into flat packages that nest within each other, dramatically reducing transportation volume while allowing the reassembled structure to maintain full structural stability during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The box transitions from a static rigid structure during assembly and disassembly to a stable rigid structure during storage use. The interlocking mechanisms provide dynamic assembly capability while the assembled form delivers static structural stability.
3Manufacturing precision
If fixed-size boxes are manufactured, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to different folder sizes worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The modular design with separate side frames, bottom walls, and adjustable hanging rods allows the same precision-molded components to be configured in multiple ways, enabling adaptation to different folder sizes without compromising the precision of individual parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection-molded components are designed with universal interlocking features and adjustable elements that allow the same box structure to accommodate various folder dimensions, making the product versatile while maintaining manufacturing precision for each component.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable file box includes: a plastic sheet including a bottom wall and two side walls that are foldable relative to the bottom wall to form a U-shaped structure; two side frames interlocking with the bottom wall and the two side walls to form a box structure including a top opening; two hanging rods each including a bottom portion interlocking with the top part of the plastic sheet, and two ends of each hanging rod respectively interlocking with the two side frames; and a top cover interlocking with the two side frames and the two hanging rods to close the top opening.