Foldable Insulated Carton With Nested Inner Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional folding cartons with insulating materials suffer from reduced insulation efficiency due to creases and gaps that allow heat to enter, breaking the insulation and reducing the carton's overall insulating properties.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained, foldable insulating container is integrated into the carton, with its outer walls adapted to fit snugly inside, using slightly oversized insulating material that fills cavities and is fixed to the carton's inner walls with adhesive, ensuring no thermal bridges and enhanced sealing through overlapping edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If insulating material is fixed to the interior of a conventional carton, then insulation is provided, but creases and gaps form that allow heat to enter, reducing insulating properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds a second, smaller carton nested within the first carton, with the inner carton's walls forming a continuous insulating barrier. This nested structure eliminates gaps and creases between insulating layers by using the inner carton walls themselves as the insulating element, thereby maintaining thermal insulation continuity while preventing heat transfer through the folding gaps of the outer carton.
2Temperature
If a foldable insulating container is integrated into the carton, then insulation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the insulating function with the structural function by making the inner carton walls themselves the insulating material. This integration eliminates the need for separate insulating layers or additional insulation components, thereby improving thermal insulation while avoiding increased device complexity. The inner carton structure simultaneously provides containment and thermal insulation.
3Reliability
If insulating container walls are made slightly larger than carton interior, then cavities are filled, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic fitting approach where the inner carton walls are designed to be slightly larger than the outer carton's interior dimensions. This intentional oversize allows the inner carton to be compressed or deformed during assembly to achieve a snug fit, thereby filling cavities and eliminating gaps without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances. The dynamic adjustment capability compensates for normal manufacturing variations while maintaining effective insulation sealing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution significantly improves the carton's insulation by preventing heat transfer and maintaining insulation even when the carton is unfolded or damaged, allowing for efficient storage and transport while maintaining effective thermal insulation.
Implementation Method 1
the insulating material can be laminated on, glued on or fixed in some other way. Because these boxes have creases and/or gaps for folding, the insulation is partially broken. These gaps allow heat to enter the carton interior, reducing the carton's insulating properties.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
Cardboard (1) with a foldable insulating container (15) inside its cardboard interior, wherein the outer walls of the insulating container (15) are in contact with the inner walls of the folding carton (1) and wherein the insulating container (15) is formed in one piece.