Modular Cooler System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coolers lack the ability to process and store food, such as fish, in an airtight and modular configuration, and there is a need for a portable, non-powered cooler system that allows for multiple configurations and accessories.
Innovation Solution
A modular cooler system with connectable components, including a hard or soft waterproof material outer body, featuring connectors like rotating latches and buckles to form various configurations, and accessories like live fish wells and battery-operated appliances, allowing for customizable storage solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional non-modular cooler design is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it lacks the ability to process and store food in an airtight and modular configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The cooler system is divided into multiple detachable modular components including cooler bodies of different sizes, live fish wells, battery packs, and various accessories. Each module can be independently manufactured and assembled, allowing the system to adapt to different storage needs while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular components are designed with universal connectors and standardized interfaces that allow the same basic modules to serve multiple functions. For example, cooler bodies can function as storage containers or be combined with live fish wells for processing, and battery packs can power various accessories including vacuum sealers and coffee machines, creating a multi-functional system without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a modular cooler system with multiple accessories is created, then the system becomes highly versatile and customizable, but the weight and portability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cooler into modular components with standardized connectors, the system allows users to assemble only the modules and accessories needed for specific trips or activities. This eliminates the need to carry unnecessary weight, as modules like live fish wells, battery packs, and accessories can be attached or detached based on immediate requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design transforms the cooler from a static, fixed-configuration system to a dynamic, reconfigurable system. Users can dynamically adjust the system configuration by adding or removing modules and accessories based on trip duration, destination, and specific needs, thereby optimizing the weight-to-utility ratio for each outing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If food processing capabilities are integrated into the cooler, then the system becomes more functional for outdoor activities, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges food processing functions with the cooler structure by integrating accessories like battery-operated vacuum sealers, coffee machines, and blenders directly into the cooler modules. These accessories utilize the cooler's existing power supply (battery packs) and storage spaces, combining multiple functions into unified components rather than adding separate standalone devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery packs serve multiple functions: they power the vacuum sealers for food preservation, coffee machines for beverage preparation, and blenders for food processing. This multi-functionality allows the system to provide comprehensive food processing capabilities without adding proportionally more components, as a single battery pack can support multiple different accessories.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular cooler assembly having a plurality of cooler or other storage components, which may or may not be insulated, each component defining an interior storage space and an exterior surface and at least one connector configured to removably interconnect adjacent cooler components, wherein the connector includes a first engagement portion attached to a first cooler component and a second engagement portion attached to a second cooler component wherein the plurality of cooler components are configured to be arranged in multiple configurations based on user preference while maintaining thermal insulation of the interior storage space of each cooler component.