Folding Pizza Box With Nesting Sidewalls for Stable Stacking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing stackable folding boxes, such as pizza boxes, face challenges in aligning the side walls of the upper part with the corresponding side walls of the lower part with minimal user effort, maintaining alignment during stacking, and ensuring stability while being resource-efficient and easy to close securely.

Innovation Solution

A pre-assembled folding box design with a base part and lid part that can be stacked in a volume-saving manner, featuring fixed, circumferentially interconnected side walls that provide rigidity and a membrane-like load-bearing effect, and a closure device that ensures secure closure through folding and form-fitting mechanisms.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the side walls are made movable to allow closing, then the container can be closed and opened, but the alignment and stability between stacked boxes deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclosing operationVSAvoidstacking stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The side walls are designed to be movable during closing operation but become fixed in position when stacked. The lid part's side walls can move relative to the base part during closing, but when stacked, the upper base part rests on the lower lid part, fixing the side walls in alignment. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between ease of closing and stacking stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The folding box is designed to nest within itself when stacked, with the upper box's base part resting on the lower box's lid part. This nesting arrangement ensures that the side walls align precisely and maintain stability during stacking, while still allowing movement during the closing operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the side walls are made rigid to maintain alignment, then stacking stability improves, but the ease of closing and opening deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveside wall alignmentVSAvoidclosing effort

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Strength

If more material is used to strengthen the box structure, then stability and rigidity improve, but resource efficiency and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural rigidityVSAvoidmaterial usage

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The box utilizes the flexibility and elasticity of thin cardboard or paper material to achieve structural strength. The side walls can deform elastically during closing but maintain sufficient rigidity when stacked. This approach provides the necessary strength while minimizing material usage, resolving the contradiction between structural rigidity and resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the physical state and mechanical properties of the material through folding and stacking. When stacked, the combined structure of multiple boxes provides the necessary rigidity without requiring additional material in each individual box. This parameter change approach resolves the contradiction between strength and material usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Volume of moving object

If the box is designed for volume-saving stacking, then transport efficiency improves, but the complexity of alignment and assembly increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestacking volumeVSAvoidalignment mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The box design allows for self-alignment during stacking through the nesting arrangement. The geometric configuration of the base and lid parts ensures that when stacked, the side walls automatically align without requiring additional alignment mechanisms or user intervention, reducing complexity while maintaining volume-saving stacking.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4617189A1Folding box, in particular a carton for pizza

Publication Date: 2025.09.17 MAYR ANDREAS

Figure 1
Figure 2~3

AI summary

Folding box (1) with a base part (10) and a lid part (12), which are movable relative to one another via a film hinge (11). The base part (10) has a quadrangular base part base body (10a) and a rear base part side wall (16a), two lateral base part side walls (16b), and a front base part side wall (16c). The lid part (12) comprises a lid part base body (12a) which is geometrically similar to the base part base body (10a). The film hinge (11) to the base part (10) is provided on a rear side edge of the lid part base body (12a), and two lateral lid part side walls (17b) are provided on the lateral side edges of the lid part base body (12a). When the folding box (1) is closed, the two lateral lid part side walls (17b) rest on the inside against the base part side walls (16b).A lid part closure wall (17f, 17m, 17f), which is divided into at least three parts, has a central closure region (17m) and two flanking support regions (17f, 17f).