Milk Crate Stabilizer Plate With Tapered Pegs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stabilizers for milk crates stacked on pallets are either cumbersome or not designed to prevent the top-most crates from tipping, particularly when used with rigid plastic crates.
Innovation Solution
A milk crate stabilizer system featuring a plate with downwardly extending pegs that contact and removably join adjacent crates, providing stability by arranging pegs in a rectangular pattern and optionally including a lower extender peg for additional support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional rigid plastic milk crates are stacked on pallets in a 3x3 matrix, then stacking efficiency is improved, but the crates become prone to tipping
Solution Approach 1:
A stabilizer device is introduced as an intermediary component between the milk crates and the pallet. The stabilizer includes a base plate that rests on the pallet and multiple pegs that extend downward to engage with the corners of adjacent crates, creating a triangular support structure that prevents tipping while maintaining the 3x3 stacking configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer is positioned and secured to the pallet before the milk crates are stacked onto it. This preliminary action establishes a stable foundation and engagement structure in advance, ensuring that when crates are placed on the stabilizer, they are immediately constrained against tipping without requiring additional adjustment
2Stability of the object's composition
If a stabilizer device with pegs is attached to the rim of a crate, then crate stability is improved, but the device becomes cumbersome to use
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of attaching stabilizing components to the top rim of the crates (as in the '675 Application), this invention inverts the approach by positioning the stabilizer base plate on the bottom pallet and having pegs extend downward to engage the crate corners. This inversion eliminates the need to attach anything to the crate rims, making the device much easier to apply while maintaining stability
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer device is segmented into distinct functional components: a base plate for attachment to the pallet, multiple pegs for engaging crate corners, and optional extension pegs for additional support. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall device and making it easier to apply compared to monolithic designs
3Strength
If stacklips are used to attach corners of four adjacent cartons, then connection between crates is improved, but the device becomes cumbersome and is not designed for rigid plastic milk crates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the engagement structure by using pegs with specific dimensional relationships (where the peg width at the bottom end is less than at the top end, creating a tapered profile). This parameter optimization allows the pegs to easily engage with the corners of rigid plastic milk crates while maintaining strong connection, unlike the specially designed ledges in the '505 Patent that are cumbersome to apply
Data Source
AI summary
A milk crate stabilizer system is described. The stabilizer system may include at least one row of milk crates, each milk crate comprising a floor, four sidewalls extending from the floor and defining an interior, and an open top, and a milk crate stabilizer comprising a plate located above the at least one row of milk crates, and a plurality of groups of four pegs extending downwardly from the plate. The pegs may contact the sidewalls of adjacent milk crates and removably join the adjacent milk crates. The bottoms of the pegs may be narrower than the tops of the pegs to facilitate placement into the corners of the milk crates.