Folding Package Anchor Structure for Deformation-Resistant Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reusable packages tend to increase in bulk after initial use, making storage inefficient and resource-intensive, and cardboard packages degrade quickly, leading to ecological and economic inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A package design with pivotally mounted panels and anchors that maintain a flat configuration through anchors located at the front and rear ends of the bottom, ensuring panels remain parallel and preventing deformation, using lockable and unclippable anchors for controlled transitions between configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If reusable packages are used multiple times, then durability and ecological footprint improve, but bulk increases after initial use causing storage inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The package is designed to be dynamic, allowing panels to pivot between use configuration (extending perpendicularly) and flat configuration (folded against the bottom). This dynamic structure enables the package to transition between functional and storage states, maintaining small bulk when not in use while providing full functionality during transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels are designed to nest against the bottom when in flat configuration, with the front panel overlapping side panels, rear panel overlapping front panel, and lid overlapping rear panel. This nesting arrangement minimizes the volume occupied during storage while maintaining structural integrity for repeated use.
2Ease of manufacture
If cardboard packages are used for single shipments, then ease of manufacture improves, but degradation speed increases leading to ecological inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The package uses composite construction combining a rigid bottom with pivotally mounted panels, creating a structure that is more durable than simple cardboard while remaining manufacturable. The pivot connections and anchor points create a reinforced structure that resists degradation from repeated handling and environmental exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The package is segmented into distinct functional components (bottom, front panel, rear panel, side panels, lid) connected by pivot points. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall structural integrity, improving durability without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If panels are pivotally mounted for foldability, then adaptability between configurations improves, but structural stability decreases allowing deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The package includes preliminary stabilization mechanisms in the form of anchors that engage when panels are in their intended positions. The first anchor stabilizes the front panel when folded against the bottom, and the second anchor stabilizes the rear panel in its folded position, preventing deformation before the package is stored or transported.
Solution Approach 2:
Anchor points act as intermediaries between the pivotally mounted panels and the bottom, providing stabilization without preventing the pivotal motion itself. These anchors engage temporarily to hold panels in stable positions during storage while allowing the panels to be repositioned when needed for use.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a package including a bottom and panels including a lid, the package being foldable between a use configuration defining a stowage volume, and in which the lid is capable of sealing the stowage volume; a flat configuration; the package including, in the flat configuration of the package, anchors between the bottom and at least one of the panels in a position folded down against the bottom, each anchor exerting a force for holding one of the panels in its position folded down against the bottom.