Low Depth Crate Asymmetric Handle Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crate designs for carrying beverage containers with an odd number of bottles along the end wall face issues with reduced user hand space, increased footprint, and unstable cross-stacking due to handle alignment and bottle capture recess modifications.
Innovation Solution
The crate features end walls with spaced end columns acting as partial spacers, allowing handles to be aligned off-center between bottles, reducing the overall length and width, and maintaining a balanced weight distribution, while enabling full bottle cap capture and stable cross-stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the handle is moved outward from the bottle to increase space for the user's fingers, then the user hand space is improved, but the overall footprint of the crate is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is positioned asymmetrically aligned with one of the end columns rather than centered between bottles, allowing the handle to be moved inward while maintaining adequate hand space. This asymmetric positioning resolves the contradiction by providing sufficient finger space without requiring the handle to be outwardly positioned.
2Ease of operation
If the width of the crate is increased to accommodate the handle, then the handle space is improved, but the bottle capture areas must be eliminated or opened up, reducing stacking stability
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the handle asymmetrically aligned with an end column, the design maintains adequate hand space while preserving the full width of the crate base. This allows bottle capture recesses to remain intact, ensuring stable cross-stacking without compromising either handle accessibility or stacking reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the handle is aligned with the center of the handle between two bottles, then sufficient room for fingers is provided, but with an odd number of bottles, one bottle is aligned with the center, reducing hand space
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is positioned asymmetrically aligned with one of the end columns rather than centered between bottles. This asymmetric positioning allows adequate hand space even with an odd number of bottles (e.g., three bottles) along each end wall, avoiding the problem where a centered handle would be aligned with a bottle.
Solution Approach 2:
The end columns serve as intermediary structures that define the handle position. By aligning the handle with the end columns rather than centering it between bottles, the design creates a mediator structure that enables proper handle positioning and maintains hand space with odd numbers of bottles.
Data Source
AI summary
A crate includes a base, a pair of opposed side walls extending upward from the sides of the base and a pair of end walls extending upward from ends of the base. The end walls each include a pair of spaced apart end columns that act as partial spacers between the three adjacent bottles at that end. The handles are aligned offset from the center of the end wall. The handles are each aligned with one of the end columns so they can be aligned (e.g. centered) between adjacent bottles to provide more space for a user's hand. The handles may extend from one end column, over the other end column to the corner column. In the embodiment shown, the handles may be each offset toward a different side wall to provide better balance of the weight of the crate.