Folding Container Stiffened Frame Interference Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soft-sided insulated containers often lack an effective seal when the lid is closed, leading to potential spills when the container is tipped over, and they also struggle to provide a secure closure during transport.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a stiffened peripheral frame with a bezel that defines a rigid land, and a lid with a stiffened jamb that engages the frame in an interference fit, providing a secure closure. Additionally, a secondary closure mechanism is included for enhanced security during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a soft-sided insulated container uses a simple zipper closure, then the container is easy to operate and collapse, but the seal is ineffective when the container is tipped over
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing a stiffened peripheral frame at the critical sealing location (the opening of the receptacle) while maintaining the overall soft-sided construction. This localized stiffening provides the necessary seal integrity when tipped over without compromising the ease of operation or collapse capability of the rest of the container body.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining soft-sided insulated wall material with a stiffened peripheral frame structure. This composite approach allows the container to maintain its soft, collapsible nature while incorporating rigid elements where seal effectiveness is required, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and seal reliability.
2Reliability
If the container uses a stiffened peripheral frame with interference fit closure, then the seal effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the closure mechanism with the structural frame by integrating the stiffened peripheral frame into the lid assembly. The frame serves dual purposes: providing structural support for the lid and creating the sealing interface with the receptacle opening. This merging reduces device complexity by eliminating separate closure components while maintaining seal effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The interference fit closure mechanism is self-aligning and self-sealing, requiring no additional fasteners or complex operations. The stiffened peripheral frame automatically engages with the receptacle opening through its geometric fit, providing reliable sealing without user intervention or complex mechanisms, thus reducing device complexity.
3Volume of moving object
If the container is designed to collapse to a compact form, then the storage efficiency is improved, but the structural stability during use is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the container into collapsible wall sections that can be folded inward while maintaining the stiffened peripheral frame at the opening. This segmentation allows the body to collapse to a compact form for efficient storage, while the frame remains intact to provide structural stability during use and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffened peripheral frame is strategically positioned at the opening where structural stability is most critical for maintaining seal effectiveness. The rest of the container body remains soft and collapsible, allowing volume reduction without compromising the stability needed for reliable closure operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances the sealing efficiency of the container, reducing the risk of spills when the container is tilted, and provides a secure closure during transport, ensuring the contents remain safe and secure.
Implementation Method 1
The second closure member defines a stiffened member. In the closed position of the second closure member relative to the first closure member the stiffened member is operable to engage the rigid land
Data Source
AI summary
A soft sided insulated container assembly includes a first portion having an insulated, soft sided external wall structure, and a substantially rigid molded plastic frame that defines the opening of a receptacle of the soft-sided insulated main body of the container. The frame is removable from the main body. It has a rigid cover structure that includes a reinforcement member for engaging a land region of the molded frame, thereby tending to yield an interface tending to have a sealing relationship. The container is foldable, and has stiffening panels in the front and rear walls to facilitate folding.