Folded leak-proof container with side handles and a top handle
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing folded leak-proof containers with handles face issues such as handles detaching during vibration or weight, limited structural resistance due to material weakness, and inability to open the container while carrying it, especially when made of paper or cardboard.
Innovation Solution
A folded container design featuring side handles and a top handle, made from corrugated fiberboard with lengthwise cuts and a flexible plastic handle, incorporating a locking flap system that provides five-layer material overlap for enhanced strength and allows the lid to be opened while carrying the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If handles are attached to the lid of the container, then the container can be carried by the handle, but the container cannot be opened while being carried and the overlapping panels do not provide sufficient structure to withstand force and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple panels (front, back, side panels) with specific cuts and folds that create integrated handle structures. The side handles are formed by cuts in the side panels while the top handle is formed by cuts in the front and back panels, distributing structural stress across multiple segments rather than concentrating it at a single lid attachment point.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle structures are merged with the container walls themselves rather than being separate attachments. The side handles are formed directly from the side panels through cuts, and the top handle is formed from the front and back panels, creating an integrated structure where the handles and container walls become a unified load-bearing system.
2Ease of manufacture
If the container is made from paper or cardboard, then manufacturing costs are reduced, but the handle attached to the container will tear easily if the user turns their hand
Solution Approach 1:
The container utilizes the composite structure of corrugated fiberboard, combining fluted inner layers with flat outer layers to create panels with enhanced shear strength. This composite material structure allows the container to maintain low cost while providing the necessary structural integrity to prevent handle tearing during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle structures incorporate multiple layers of panel material overlapping and interlocking in three-dimensional space. The side handles involve overlapping side and end panels, while the top handle involves overlapping front and back panels, creating a multi-layered structure that distributes stress across multiple dimensions rather than relying on single-layer strength.
3Ease of operation
If large cuts are made in the side panel and end panel for side handles, then the container can be easily gripped, but the overlapping material is limited which limits the resistance of the side handles
Solution Approach 1:
The side handle structure creates a nested arrangement where the end panel is folded inward and the side panel is folded outward over it, with the handle end nested through aligned cuts in both panels. This nested configuration allows multiple layers of material to overlap and interlock, providing substantial resistance while maintaining large accessible openings for hand insertion.
Data Source
AI summary
The following summary concerns the development of a folded leak-proof container (46) that consists of one piece of fiberboard or cardboard (1) containing slits and folds that produce the center panel (3), the top panel (4), the bottom panel (5), the side panels (6 and 7), and the end panels (8-15), the latter of which contain lengthwise slits (18-25) to be folded in order to form the side handles of the container (46); the container may also include a top handle (2). The main function of the container (46) is to keep cool, transport, and cool items that must be refrigerated; it can do so through the addition of ice or any coolant compatible with the material used to manufacture the container.