Foldable Tote Box with Transparent Side Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foldable tote boxes cannot visually check contents when the lid is closed, limiting operational convenience and transportation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A foldable tote box design featuring a metal frame member and transparent resin sheet material allows visual inspection of contents through a transparent portion, maintaining structural integrity and enabling easy folding for compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a plastic tote box is used to enable folding into compact size, then transportation cost is reduced, but visual inspection of contents becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall parts are divided into frame members and sheet material portions. The sheet material includes transparent portions that segment the wall structure, allowing visual inspection while maintaining the foldable design. This segmentation enables the box to be folded compactly while providing transparent viewing areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet material has different properties in different areas: transparent portions for visual inspection and other portions for structural integrity. This local differentiation allows specific areas to serve visual inspection functions while maintaining overall structural strength and foldability.
2Strength
If a foldable tote box with frame members and sheet material is used, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame members and sheet material are integrated into a unified structure where the sheet material is attached to the frame members. This merging creates a composite structure that provides strength while simplifying manufacturing compared to fully rigid framed structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The tote box combines frame members (providing structural support) with sheet material (providing surface and transparency). This composite construction achieves structural integrity while allowing for simpler manufacturing processes compared to fully rigid alternatives.
3Ease of operation
If transparent portions are formed in sheet material, then visual inspection of contents is enabled, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet material is designed with specific transparent portions at predetermined locations. These local transparent areas are formed with sufficient precision to enable visual inspection while not requiring the entire sheet to meet high precision standards, thus balancing manufacturing feasibility with functional requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a foldable tote box that enables a content thereof to be visually checked under a state in which a lid is closed. A foldable tote box of the present invention includes a box body. The box body includes: a square or rectangular bottom surface part; front and rear side wall parts and right and left side wall parts corresponding to respective sides of the bottom surface part; a lid extending from an upper edge of the rear side wall part; and a reinforcement plate configured to reinforce the bottom surface part. The reinforcement plate is pivotably mounted on a lower edge of the front side wall part or the rear side wall part. The right and left side wall parts are inwardly foldable when a center portion of the bottom surface part is pulled up. Each of the side wall parts is formed of a frame member configured to define an outline of the side wall part and maintain a shape of the side wall part, and a sheet material supported by the frame member. The sheet material includes a transparent portion, and the transparent portion enables a content of the foldable tote box to be visually checked.