Modular Planter Box With Interlocking Grooves
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional planter boxes are not adjustable in terms of dimensions, requiring users to purchase separate boxes for different sizes, and often come in bulky, fully assembled packages or require tool-assisted assembly.
Innovation Solution
A modular planter box design featuring interlocking side-walls and a bottom wall with grooves and protrusions, allowing for easy assembly and adjustment of dimensions without tools, and enabling shipping in a compact, unassembled state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional planter boxes are shipped in a fully assembled state, then assembly is not required by the user, but the packaging becomes bulky and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The planter box is divided into separate modular components (side walls, bottom wall, back wall) that can be shipped in a compact, nested configuration and assembled by the user. This segmentation allows the components to be packaged in a space-efficient manner while still forming a complete functional planter box when assembled.
2Volume of moving object
If conventional planter boxes are shipped in an unassembled state, then packaging volume is reduced, but assembly requires tools and fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The connection features (grooves and protrusions) are integrated directly into the planter box components themselves, eliminating the need for separate fasteners or tools. The grooves are formed in the side walls and bottom wall, with corresponding protrusions that interlock to assemble the structure, merging the fastening function into the structural components.
Solution Approach 2:
The planter box components are designed to self-assemble through the groove-protrusion mechanism without requiring external tools or fasteners. The interlocking features guide the assembly process and maintain structural integrity, allowing users to assemble the planter box independently without specialized tools.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional planter boxes are designed with specific dimensions, then manufacturing is simplified, but user adjustability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The modular components are designed with standardized connection features (grooves and protrusions) that can accommodate different configurations and dimensions. The same basic component design can be assembled in various arrangements to create planter boxes with different sizes and shapes, providing universality across multiple applications while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular planter box defining a storage cavity therein that is configured to receive a planting medium, the modular planter box including a first side-wall extending longitudinally in a first direction and having a bottom end configured to rest on a supporting surface, a second side-wall extending longitudinally in a second direction, and a bottom wall residing on an imaginary plane. The second side-wall extends in a third direction that is normal to the imaginary horizontal plane. The bottom wall is spaced from a bottom end of the first side-wall in the third direction and towards an opposite, top end of the first side-wall. The second side-wall is positioned closer to a first end of the first side-wall than a second end thereof, and the second side-wall is spaced from the first end of the first side-wall in the first direction and towards the second end of the first side-wall.