Modular Pot with Slide-Locking Partitions for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fire pots and deco pots are heavy, bulky, and require significant storage space when not in use, lacking versatility in application.
Innovation Solution
A modular pot design featuring interconnectable partitions with slide-locking connections, such as hook-and-slot interfaces, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, and enabling various applications with a minimal number of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fire pots are designed as solid shell or bowl structures, then they provide structural strength and stability, but they become heavy and require significant storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The fire pot is divided into multiple planar partitions (typically three) that can be assembled together to form the complete bowl structure. Each partition is a flat element that is lightweight, and when assembled with interlocking connections, they create a structurally sound fire bowl without the weight of a traditional solid construction
Solution Approach 2:
The planar partitions are designed to nest within each other when disassembled, with each partition containing or overlapping with others in a compact arrangement. This nesting capability allows the fire pot to be collapsed into a minimal storage footprint while maintaining full structural integrity when assembled
2Strength
If conventional fire pots are designed as solid shell or bowl structures, then they provide structural strength and stability, but they become bulky and require significant storage space
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the fire pot into thin planar partitions rather than a solid shell, the volume required for storage is dramatically reduced. The partitions can be flat-packed or nested in a compact configuration that occupies minimal space while still forming a structurally adequate fire bowl when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a three-dimensional solid bowl to two-dimensional planar elements that can be stored in a flattened or nested state. This dimensional reduction allows the fire pot to collapse from its functional volume to a minimal storage profile, effectively utilizing another dimension (flatness) for storage efficiency
3Ease of operation
If modular pot uses slide-locking connections for easy assembly and disassembly, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple partitions and interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional features are merged into each partition element: the planar structure provides both the bowl surface and the mounting interface, the interlocking edges serve as both structural connectors and alignment guides, and the geometry of each partition incorporates features for both assembly and disassembly. This merging reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
Each partition is designed as a universal component that can function in multiple positions and orientations within the assembly. The same basic partition design with standardized interlocking interfaces can be arranged to form different configurations, and each partition serves both as a structural element and as a connector to other partitions, reducing the need for specialized components
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The underlying invention in particular is directed to a modular pot (1, 2) comprising at least three partitions (1a, 1b, 1c) inter-connectable with each other by slide-locking connections, wherein the partitions (1a, 1b, 1c) are planar in shape and have substantially the same basic shape, each partition (1a, 1b, 1c) comprising a slide-locking male interface having one or more male hook-laps, and a slide-locking female interface having one or more counterpart female locking slots for locking hook-laps therein in a slide-to-lock movement, wherein with each partition (1a, 1b, 1c), the one or more hook-laps of the male interface arranged along a respective first locking axis, and the one or more slots of each female interface arranged along a respective second locking axis, such that the first and second locking axis of each partition (1a, 1b, 1c) have one common point of intersection, and wherein hook-openings of the hook-laps of the male interface of one of the partitions (1c) are oriented towards the associated point of intersection, whereas hook-openings of the hook-laps of the male interface of the other partitions (1a, 1b) are oriented away from their associated point of intersection.