Insulated Container With Slit Sidewall Lid Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions for keeping food chilled are labor-intensive, difficult to automate, and inefficient in terms of storage and transportation, as they require filling entire boxes with insulating materials and can be prone to lid movement during transit.
Innovation Solution
An insulated container design featuring an external housing with slits in the sidewall structure, an insert with a snug fit, and a thermally insulating lid that can be locked in place using the inverted sidewall structure, providing additional insulation and reducing movement during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cardboard insulators are used to fill the whole box, then thermal insulation is improved, but the box cannot be stored in a flatpack state and cannot be easily transported
Solution Approach 1:
The insulator is segmented into a removable insert that fits within the box, rather than filling the entire box. This allows the box to be collapsed for flatpack storage while maintaining insulation when the insert is placed inside.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulator insert is designed to nest within the box structure, allowing compact storage of the box when the insert is removed, while providing full insulation when the insert is installed.
2Ease of operation
If the lid closing the insulator is able to move, then ease of assembly is improved, but any food stored inside the insulator will no longer be safe
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is designed with dynamic characteristics - it can be easily inserted through the opening but then locked into position by the inverted sidewall structure. This provides both ease of assembly and food safety through the locking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The sidewall structure automatically locks the lid in place when inverted, without requiring additional fastening components. The structure itself provides the locking function, simplifying assembly while ensuring lid security.
3Extent of automation
If existing machinery in box making lines is used for assembly, then automation is improved, but the assembly of containers with tubular wall elements cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The container uses standard box-making techniques for the external housing while adding a specific insert component with different properties. This allows existing box making machinery to be used for the housing while the insert provides the specialized insulation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is divided into separate components (external housing and insert) that can be manufactured separately using existing machinery, then assembled together. This maintains compatibility with existing equipment while enabling automated assembly.
4Temperature
If plastic bags with woollen sheet and sticky strip are used, then food chilling is improved, but the production line is slowed and closure is difficult and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The manual sticky strip closure system is replaced with a mechanical locking system using the inverted sidewall structure. This eliminates the need for manual closure operations, allowing automated assembly and maintaining production line speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid locking mechanism is self-acting through the inversion of the sidewall structure, which automatically secures the lid without requiring additional fastening operations. This simplifies the closure process for automated assembly.
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
The solution effectively maintains the insulating properties of the container, reduces labor and production line slowdowns, and allows for easier storage and transportation by enabling automation and secure lid positioning.
Implementation Method 1
a thermally insulating lid having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lid being configured to be received through the opening of the external housing and positioned with edge parts of the lower surface of the lid resting on the shoulder portion defined by the insert sidewall structure
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed an insulated container comprising: an external housing having abase and sidewall structure extending upwardly from the base to a first height, an upper end of the sidewall structure defining an opening of the external housing; an insert having an insert base and insert sidewall structure extending upwardly from the insert base, the insert being configured to be snugly received within the external housing, and the insert sidewall structure having a second height that is less than the first height so as to define a shoulder portion; and a thermally insulating lid having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lid being configured to be received through the opening of the external housing and positioned with edge parts of the lower surface of the lid resting on the shoulder portion defined by the insert sidewall structure; wherein the sidewall structure of the external housing is provided with at least one slit positioned above the upper surface of the lid to allow a portion of the sidewall structure of the external housing above the slit to be moveable to an inverted position so as to engage the upper surface of the lid and to hold the lid in position.