Folded-sheet container
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing folded-sheet containers, such as paper containers for cooking, are bulky when not in use and require bonding to maintain a three-dimensional shape, making assembly cumbersome, and cannot restore to a flat form after use.
Innovation Solution
A folded-sheet container design featuring a bottom, side walls, folding lines, dart portions, flaps, and insertion pieces that allow for easy assembly into a three-dimensional shape and restoration to a flat form, with enhanced strength through overlapping and locking mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If bonding is used to maintain the three-dimensional shape, then the container can maintain its shape during use, but the assembling work becomes burdensome
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure enables self-assembly through its geometric design. The folded portions and overlapping sheet portions automatically interlock when the container is formed, eliminating the need for external bonding agents or complex assembly tools. The insertion pieces fit into corresponding slots, creating a self-locking mechanism that maintains the three-dimensional shape without additional fastening operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is divided into distinct functional segments: bottom portion, side wall portions, folded portions, and insertion pieces. Each segment has a specific geometric configuration that contributes to the overall structural integrity. The folding lines create natural segmentation points that allow the container to be assembled from a flat sheet through simple folding actions rather than complex bonding processes.
2Volume of moving object
If the container is formed into a three-dimensional shape by folding, then it is not bulky when not in use, but it cannot restore the sheet form after use
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to transition between two stable states: a compact flat sheet form for storage and a three-dimensional container form for use. The folding lines and flexible sheet material enable the structure to be collapsed back into its original flat configuration after use, providing reversible adaptability between storage and functional states.
Solution Approach 2:
The container utilizes changes in geometric parameters to achieve form transformation. By altering the angular relationships along the folding lines and the spatial arrangement of the sheet portions, the container can transition from a planar configuration with minimal volume to a three-dimensional configuration with functional capacity, and vice versa.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the sheet is folded into a container shape, then it can be used as a container, but the strength and deformability of the container are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The design transitions from a two-dimensional flat sheet to a three-dimensional container structure by utilizing the third dimension through folding. The overlapping sheet portions create layered structures that distribute mechanical loads across multiple layers, enhancing strength. The vertical dimension introduced by the side walls and folded portions provides structural rigidity while maintaining the ability to collapse back to two dimensions for storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The container structure creates a composite effect through the layering and overlapping of sheet portions. The multiple layers of material working together provide enhanced strength and resistance to deformation compared to a single-layer structure. The combination of folded portions, overlapping sections, and insertion pieces creates a composite structural system that maintains integrity during use.
Data Source
AI summary
A folded-sheet container includes a bottom in a center portion of a sheet, side walls adjacent to the bottom, first and second folding lines from a periphery of the bottom toward a periphery of the sheet, a dart portion formed by folding back the sheet along the first folding line, a flap in an end portion opposing the bottom of the side wall and configured to be folded back, and an insertion piece in the flap. The dart portion is folded back along the second folding line to be overlaid on the side wall, the flap is folded back to sandwich the dart portion between the side wall and the flap, the insertion piece in the flap is folded back to be inserted into the dart portion, and the opposing two side walls as one pair are both curved to outwardly project in a radial direction in a plan view.