Folding Box with Snap-Fit Compartments for Adhesive-Free Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional folding boxes with multiple storage spaces are time-consuming and costly to produce due to the need for gluing individual units together, which also limits their volume efficiency and requires adhesive with high food safety and temperature resistance, and they cannot be loaded immediately after assembly.
Innovation Solution
A folding box design where the inner fold edges snap into stable positions without adhesives, allowing for quick and cost-effective production by folding a blank of foldable material with angles less than 90 degrees, enabling easy assembly and disassembly, and allowing for immediate use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If individual folding boxes are glued together to form multi-storage boxes, then multiple storage spaces are achieved, but production time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple storage spaces into a single integrated folding box structure formed from one blank of foldable material. The blank is designed with multiple compartments that are folded and fixed together through the snapping mechanism, eliminating the need to assemble separate boxes. This combining approach achieves multiple storage spaces while maintaining fast, adhesive-free production.
Solution Approach 2:
The blank of foldable material is segmented into multiple sections that form individual storage spaces when folded. Each section can be independently formed but remains part of the integrated structure. This segmentation allows the box to provide multiple compartments while still being produced as a single unit through folding and snapping, avoiding the need to glue separate boxes together.
2Stability of the object's composition
If adhesive is used to join folding boxes, then structural stability is improved, but food safety requirements and production complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the adhesive joining process entirely from the construction method. Instead of using adhesive to join boxes or components, the design relies on the geometric snapping mechanism where fold edges interlock through complementary shapes. This removal of adhesive simplifies the production process, eliminates food safety concerns related to adhesives, and maintains structural stability through mechanical interlocking.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding box structure is designed to be self-stabilizing through its geometric configuration. The fold edges are shaped so that when folded, they automatically snap into place and lock the storage spaces in fixed positions relative to each other. This self-service mechanism provides structural stability without requiring external adhesives or complex assembly procedures.
3Volume of moving object
If folding boxes are delivered unfolded, then storage efficiency improves, but assembly time increases for first-time users
Solution Approach 1:
The blank of foldable material is designed with uniform fold lines and symmetric fold edge configurations that guide the folding process. The repetitive pattern of folds and snaps makes the assembly process intuitive and easy to understand, reducing the learning curve for first-time users. The homogeneity of the design elements throughout the blank ensures consistent folding behavior, making assembly straightforward despite the collapsed initial state.
4Stability of the object's composition
If adhesive is used to fix storage spaces, then positional stability is achieved, but curing time and immediate usability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the adhesive curing step from the production process by using a mechanical snapping mechanism. The fold edges are designed with complementary geometries that interlock when folded, immediately fixing the storage spaces in their relative positions without requiring chemical bonding. This extraction of the adhesive step eliminates curing time entirely, allowing immediate usability.
Solution Approach 2:
The snapping mechanism allows the folding box to transition directly from folded to stabilized state in a single rapid action. The fold edges snap into place and lock the storage spaces in fixed positions instantaneously, skipping the time-consuming adhesive application and curing phases. This rushing through the assembly process achieves positional stability without time loss.
Data Source
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AI summary
The box has storage compartments arranged around a central axis of the box, where each compartment has a base (G) and side walls (S1). The side walls are arranged adjacent to the central axis, and project from the base till to an upper folding edge (F) of the side walls. Each side wall has an inner folding edge arranged adjacent to the central axis. The upper and inner folding edges enclose an angle (alpha) of smaller than 90 degrees. The folding edges contact each other at an edge point, and inner folding walls of the compartments are arranged between the side walls. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a blank comprising an outer cutting edge and an inner cutting edge (2) a method for holding a folding box.