Live Insect Shelving With Plenum Ventilation for Retail Survival
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail settings face challenges in maintaining a large quantity of live insects, such as crickets, in a convenient and accessible location while preventing their fatality.
Innovation Solution
A shelf assembly system with an airflow plenum and powered fan to circulate air, combined with bins that have vent openings for airflow communication, ensuring the insects' survival and easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large quantity of live insects is kept in a retail setting, then availability for sale is improved, but the risk of fatality increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a powered fan to create controlled airflow through a plenum system, delivering oxygen-rich air to insects in bins. This pneumatic system ensures adequate respiration for large quantities of insects while maintaining survival rates through continuous oxygen supply and carbon dioxide removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The bins are designed with vent openings that allow airflow through porous-like structures. These openings enable gas exchange between the interior bin environment and the airflow plenum, ensuring proper ventilation and respiration for the insects while maintaining a controlled atmosphere.
2Ease of operation
If insects are kept in a convenient and accessible location, then ease of access is improved, but ventilation and life-sustaining conditions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the insect housing into separate bins arranged on shelves, with each bin having its own vent openings aligned with the airflow plenum. This segmentation allows individual bins to be easily accessed while maintaining independent ventilation control for each section.
Solution Approach 2:
The airflow plenum acts as an intermediary system between the external environment and the insect bins. It receives air from the powered fan and distributes it through vent openings to each bin, mediating the ventilation process while allowing bins to remain in convenient retail locations.
3Reliability
If ventilation is increased to sustain life, then survival rate is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides ventilation through controlled airflow rather than maximum airflow. The powered fan delivers sufficient air to meet the respiratory needs of the insects through the plenum and vent openings, using only the necessary amount of energy to maintain survival without excessive energy consumption.
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 system maintains the health of live insects by providing controlled airflow and easy access for customers, enhancing their availability in retail settings.
Implementation Method 1
a powered fan in airflow communication with the plenum
Data Source
AI summary
A system for keeping live insects or animals. The system has a shelf assembly having at least a bottom wall and a rear wall. The bottom wall has opposite interior and exterior bottom wall surfaces and an outer perimeter with a rear face; the rear wall being mounted to extend upwardly from the rear face of the bottom wall. The rear wall having opposite interior and exterior rear wall surfaces. An airflow plenum is along the interior rear wall surface. The plenum has an airflow opening arrangement. A powered fan is in airflow communication with the plenum.