Foldable Produce Containers with Locking Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional containers for storing and transporting produce, such as wood crates and wax-coated corrugated cardboard, are not reusable, prone to damage, and lack features for sterile packaging, while existing reusable options like corrugated plastic are not easily assembled without adhesives or mechanical fastening.
Innovation Solution
Development of foldable, corrugated plastic containers with integrated locking tabs and flaps that allow for assembly into a three-dimensional structure without adhesives, providing a sturdy, reusable, and recyclable solution for produce storage and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional containers like wood crates and wax-coated corrugated cardboard are used, then produce storage and transport is achieved, but the containers are not reusable and are prone to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple panels that can be separately manufactured and then assembled together through folding and locking mechanisms, making the structure both durable and easy to manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional elements (locking tabs, flaps, panels) are integrated into a single foldable structure that combines strength and reusability while maintaining ease of assembly without adhesives or mechanical fastening
2Reliability
If reusable corrugated plastic containers are used, then container durability and reusability are improved, but assembly requires adhesives or mechanical fastening
Solution Approach 1:
The container panels and locking tabs are designed to self-assemble through folding and interlocking mechanisms without requiring external adhesives or complex mechanical fastening systems
Solution Approach 2:
The container utilizes flexible corrugated plastic panels that can be folded and locked into place, providing reusability while maintaining simple assembly through the inherent flexibility of the material
3Ease of manufacture
If foldable corrugated plastic containers with integrated locking tabs are used, then ease of assembly without adhesives is achieved, but the container structure must be sufficiently sturdy to withstand multiple uses
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs corrugated plastic material that combines the strength of rigid structures with the flexibility needed for folding and locking mechanisms, achieving both assembly simplicity and structural strength
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated structure introduces curvature and geometric reinforcement to the flat panels, enhancing structural strength while maintaining the ability to fold and assemble without adhesives
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of foldable containers, such as foldable produce containers, and related sheets and methods. In some embodiments, a sheet may comprise at least two adjacent, parallel, side panels, one of which may comprise a bendable tab, and the other of which may comprise a cutout configured to receive the bendable tab. This may allow for temporarily maintaining the two panels in position during a folding process to facilitate additional folding steps during the process. In some embodiments, a container may comprise one or more strapping flaps configured to facilitate tensioning of strapping material for strapping together multiple containers. These strapping flaps may be configured to engage a strapping material and may allow a single person to more easily tension the strapping material to strap multiple containers together.