Liquid Container Distribution Assembly with Rotating Pallet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid container distribution practices rely on ancillary support structures like milk crates, which are inefficient and result in unnecessary shipping and storage costs, as they are often transported back to the manufacturer after distribution.
Innovation Solution
A distribution assembly comprising a slip sheet, pallet divider, and rotating pallet that allows for efficient stacking and distribution of liquid containers without the need for milk crates, providing structural integrity and enabling easy access to all containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If milk crates are used to support liquid containers, then the containers can be stacked without downward forces, but the milk crates create unnecessary shipping and storage costs and must be transported back to the manufacturer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the milk crate from the system entirely. Instead of using an external support structure, the liquid containers themselves are designed with interlocking features (protrusions and recesses) that allow them to support each other when stacked, eliminating the need for separate support structures that would need to be shipped and stored.
Solution Approach 2:
The support function previously provided by the milk crate is merged into the liquid containers themselves through interlocking design features. The containers are modified to include protrusions and recesses that create mutual support when stacked, combining the support function with the container function into a single integrated system.
2Loss of energy
If liquid containers are stacked without ancillary support structures, then shipping and storage costs are reduced, but the containers may lack structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid containers are designed to provide their own structural support through interlocking features. Each container has protrusions that fit into recesses of adjacent containers, creating a self-supporting stack without requiring external milk crates or other ancillary structures.
3Ease of operation
If a distribution assembly with rotating pallet is used, then access to all liquid containers is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a rotating pallet that can be manually or mechanically rotated to bring different sections of liquid containers to the access point. This dynamic element allows the entire load to be accessed from a single location without requiring complex multi-level shelving or multiple access points.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a distribution assembly is used to distribute a load of liquid containers. The distribution assembly may include a slip sheet, a pallet divider, and a rotating pallet. The slip sheet may be designed to laterally group two or more liquid containers. The pallet divider may divide the load into sections, each section containing a stack of liquid containers. The pallet divider may restrict access to one of the sections to distribute the liquid containers of the other section. The rotating pallet may rotate the load to allow the other section to be accessed.