Foldable Textile Mail Container for Adaptive Package Volume
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mail containers for packages or small parcels can only be in a fully folded or fully unfolded state, leading to inefficient use of space when smaller items are delivered, as they do not adapt to the size of the package, resulting in unnecessary volume usage.
Innovation Solution
A mail container with foldable textile side walls that form a vertically extending textile tube between a base and lid element, allowing for partial unfolding to adapt to the size of the package, with defined folding mechanisms to ensure a rectangular cross-section and controlled folding, and secure fastening to a door without structural intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the container is designed with rigid side walls in a fully folded or fully unfolded state, then the structural stability is improved, but the space efficiency deteriorates when smaller items are delivered
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are designed as foldable elements that can dynamically adjust between different states (folded, partially unfolded, fully unfolded) depending on the size of the package being stored. This allows the container to transition from a static structure to a dynamic one that adapts its volume to match the actual storage needs, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The side walls are segmented into multiple foldable sections that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows the container to achieve intermediate states between fully folded and fully unfolded, enabling precise volume adjustment for packages of different sizes while maintaining structural integrity through the segmented foldable design.
2Ease of manufacture
If the container is designed with fixed volume, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the adaptability to different package sizes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs dynamic foldable side walls that allow it to adapt its volume to different package sizes. This dynamic design maintains manufacturing simplicity by using standardized foldable components and connections, while simultaneously achieving high adaptability through the ability to adjust the side wall configuration based on the actual storage requirements.
3Ease of operation
If the container is left in a fully unfolded state for easy access, then the ease of operation is improved, but the space consumption in the folded state deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed to be dynamically deployable, allowing it to transition from a compact folded state for space-saving storage to a fully unfolded state for easy access when needed. The foldable side walls enable this dynamic transformation, resolving the contradiction by allowing the container to occupy minimal space when not in use while providing full accessibility when required.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for mailing a package or a small parcel to be sent or to be received, which container can be fastened to a door of a property, in particular without structural intervention, includes a base element, a lid element by which a mailing can be placed into the container or be removed from the container, and foldable side walls, by which the base element and the lid element are connected to each other. The lid element and the base element are movable against one another, at least in a vertical direction, by folding or at least partially unfolding the foldable side walls. The foldable side walls form a textile tube vertically extending between the base element and the lid element in the unfolded state, the textile tube defining an interior space with an at least substantially horizontal rectangular cross section.