Modular Storage Container with Reconfigurable Hole Patterns
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage containers lack modularity, allowing limited configuration options for tiers and directions of opening, and often require unstacking to access certain tiers, increasing space usage.
Innovation Solution
A tiered modular storage container system with structural members featuring specific hole patterns for fastening elements, enabling reconfigurable combinations of drawer and swing tray modules that can be stacked and opened in various directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If storage containers are designed with fixed sizes and pre-determined opening directions, then manufacturing is simplified, but user adaptability and configuration flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container is divided into multiple independent modules (drawer modules and swing tray modules) that can be selectively combined. Each module has standardized connection interfaces with hole patterns that allow them to be assembled in various configurations, enabling users to create customized storage solutions while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural members are designed with universal hole patterns that can accommodate different types of fastening elements (screws, bolts, clips, or interlocking features). This universal interface design allows the same structural components to serve multiple functions and be configured in various ways, achieving both adaptability and manufacturing efficiency.
2Area of stationary object
If storage containers are designed to be stackable, then space efficiency is improved, but accessibility to certain tiers becomes restricted requiring unstacking
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between stacked modules is designed to be dynamically adjustable. The hole patterns and fastening elements allow modules to be securely stacked for space efficiency, while also enabling easy detachment and reconfiguration when access to specific tiers is needed. This dynamic connection system maintains both compact stacking and operational accessibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If storage containers allow multiple configuration options, then user versatility is improved, but manufacturing precision and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hole patterns are designed with standardized spacing and positioning parameters that can be manufactured with conventional precision. By using modular arithmetic and standardized dimensions, the system achieves multiple configuration options without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances, balancing reconfiguration capability with manufacturability.
Data Source
AI summary
A container storage system comprises structural members with particular hole patterns. In particular, a series of holes placed on an exterior face of a “core” module horizontally along its centerline relative to its height (core module height/2) are also placed on any additional module the same distance (core module height/2) from its mating face (to the core module) to facilitate connection with hinges and connectors by the use of inserting removable hardware through the holes. This structural arrangement allows for a combination of modules to be disassembled and reconfigured as a user's storage needs and/or conditions change over time. The modular storage system is scalable to any size and may be made from any material strong enough to support its own weight and the weight of its contents.