Food Container With Triangular Gussets Preventing Liquid Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional containers formed from a one-piece blank of foldable material fail to prevent leakage of liquid substances when housing wet or juicy products, as these products tend to discharge liquids through the bottom wall panel and openings between the bottom and side walls.
Innovation Solution
A fully erected four-wall container with a tray and hingedly joined side, front, and rear walls, featuring triangular pieces, flaps, and a lid panel, designed to fold perpendicular to the bottom wall panel, with specific hinge configurations and cut-outs to prevent spillage by positioning the outer ends of the hinges above the bottom panel and using notches and flaps to create a secure, impermeable surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conventional one-piece blank container is used, then the container structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but liquid leakage occurs through the bottom wall panel and openings between walls
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple functional segments: a bottom wall panel, side walls with gaps, triangular gussets at corners, and flaps with slits. Each segment serves a specific purpose in preventing leakage while maintaining structural integrity. The segmentation allows liquid to be contained through the coordinated action of these separate elements rather than requiring a completely sealed bottom wall.
Solution Approach 2:
Triangular gussets and flaps act as intermediary elements between the bottom wall panel and side walls. These intermediaries prevent direct communication between the interior container space and the exterior environment through the wall gaps, thereby preventing liquid leakage while allowing the side walls to remain separated for ventilation or display purposes.
2Shape
If the side walls are positioned close to the bottom wall panel, then the container structure is compact, but openings between walls allow liquid to leak through
Solution Approach 1:
The solution introduces a third dimensional element - flaps extending perpendicular to the bottom wall panel - to address the two-dimensional problem of wall gaps. These flaps create an additional barrier in the vertical dimension that prevents liquid from passing through the horizontal gaps between side walls and bottom panel, while maintaining the compact horizontal footprint of the container.
3Ease of operation
If the container allows tilting for handling, then the container is easier to maneuver, but tilting causes liquid spillage through openings
Solution Approach 1:
The flap-slit mechanism provides preliminary anti-action against potential liquid spillage during tilting. When the container tilts, liquid flows toward the opening, but the flap positioned within the slit prevents the liquid from escaping before the container can be stabilized or the liquid can be contained by the flap barrier. This preemptive barrier addresses the spillage risk before it materializes.
Data Source
AI summary
A fully erected one-piece, four wall container made of a foldable material having a tray with a bottom wall panel, a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls. Each of the front wall, the two side walls and the rear wall are configured to be folded to a position that is perpendicular to the bottom wall panel. Locations on the front wall and the rear wall that are mutually adjacent the first and second side walls each have a triangular piece hingedly joined thereto and to a respective one of the first and second side walls. Each triangular piece is configured to be oriented perpendicular to respective first and second side walls and parallel to respective front and rear walls, all in response to each of the front, rear and first and second side walls becoming oriented perpendicular to the bottom wall panel.