Foldable Mattress Foundation Packaging for Pallet Stacking Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mattress foundations do not efficiently fit on standard pallets without overhang, and their packaging dimensions are not optimized for minimal height and efficient stacking.
Innovation Solution
A packaged mattress foundation with a disassembled design that fits within standard pallet dimensions, featuring a packaging box with a length no greater than 122 cm and width no greater than 102 cm, including a mattress support with foldable panels and removable borders, and unscrewable legs for compact shipping and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If mattress foundation is packaged in standard dimensions, then it fits on common pallets without overhang, but packaging height and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress foundation is divided into multiple panels that can be folded relative to each other. This segmentation allows the foundation to be collapsed into a compact configuration that fits within optimized packaging dimensions, enabling it to fit on standard pallets without overhang while minimizing packaging volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The mattress foundation utilizes three-dimensional folding along multiple hinge lines to transform from a flat extended configuration to a compact folded configuration. This dimensional transformation allows the foundation to fit within reduced packaging volume while maintaining the ability to fit on standard pallet footprints.
2Volume of moving object
If mattress foundation is disassembled with foldable panels and removable parts, then packaging volume decreases, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress foundation is segmented into panels connected by hinges, with borders and legs as separate removable components. This segmentation reduces packaging volume by allowing compact folding and nesting of parts, while the modular design enables straightforward assembly through simple connection operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels are pre-connected via hinges during manufacturing, and borders are designed with pre-positioned attachment mechanisms. This preliminary action reduces assembly complexity at the customer end, as the major structural connections are already prepared, requiring only simple attachment of borders and legs.
3Strength
If mattress foundation includes all components assembled, then structural integrity is maintained, but transportation space efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress foundation is segmented into structural panels connected by hinges, with borders and legs as separate components. This segmentation allows the main structural integrity to be maintained through the rigid panel-hinge-panel construction, while borders and legs can be removed or folded to reduce transportation volume without compromising the core structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the mattress foundation have different structural requirements. The panels maintain rigid structural integrity for support, while borders and legs can be more flexible or removable. This local differentiation of structural quality allows optimization of each component for its specific function while achieving overall space efficiency during transportation.
Data Source
AI summary
A packaged mattress foundation is sized to fit on the most common sized pallets with a minimum height per packaged mattress foundation to maximize a number of packaged mattress foundations that can be fit in a given allowable height for a pallet stack. Maximizing the number of merchandise on a give pallet is particularly important to “big-box retailers” that display merchandise stacked on pallets as shipped. To minimize the height of the packaged mattress foundation, components such as motors, frames, and boarders are distinct (i.e., not overlapping) when the two panels are folded, like a clamshell, for shipping.