Interlocking Drinking Vessel Base for Stable Hand-Carried Stacks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stackable drinking vessels are unstable when filled and stacked, making it difficult to carry multiple beverages by hand, especially in crowded conditions, and current solutions like trays are either expensive or wasteful.
Innovation Solution
A stackable drinking vessel design featuring a rim and base with grooves that allow for stable stacking by engaging with the rims of other vessels, enabling a secure and balanced columnar stack that can be carried by hand, with each vessel tilted no more than 12°, allowing for easy filling and secure lateral holding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If drinking vessels are stacked one upon the other in a single column, then the number of vessels that can be carried by hand increases, but the stability of the stack deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The base of each drinking vessel is designed with a recess that receives and nests the rim of the vessel below it, creating an interlocking nested structure. This nesting arrangement allows multiple vessels to be stacked vertically while maintaining stability through the interlocking geometry of consecutive vessels.
Solution Approach 2:
The stacking mechanism transitions from simple vertical placement to a multi-dimensional interlocking system where the base recesses and rims engage in both vertical and radial dimensions. This dimensional engagement creates lateral constraints that prevent sideways movement and enhance overall stack stability.
2Quantity of substance
If more drinking vessels are stacked to carry more beverages, then the carrying capacity increases, but the skill level required to carry them increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stacking system is designed to be self-aligning and self-stabilizing through the geometric relationship between base recesses and rims. Users do not need specialized skills to stack or carry the vessels; the interlocking structure automatically maintains stability during transport, making the system accessible to ordinary users.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the base engages with multiple rims simultaneously, then the stacking stability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base of each vessel is segmented into multiple recesses distributed around its perimeter, with each recess capable of receiving a rim from an adjacent vessel. This segmentation allows the base to engage with multiple rims simultaneously while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that repeats the same recess pattern around the circumference.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a stackable drinking vessel comprising a rim at an open end of the vessel, a base, and a vessel body between the rim and the base, wherein the base comprises stack-elements simultaneously engageable with at least a rim of a first similar drinking vessel and a rim of a second similar drinking vessel, whereby the vessel can be stacked upon the at least two similar drinking vessels.