Moulded Pulp Cup Tray With Thumb Grip And Flexible Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cup trays face challenges in maintaining cup retention strength, accommodating a variety of cup sizes, and providing ease of handling while keeping costs competitive.
Innovation Solution
The cup tray design features inwardly protruding cup holding surfaces connected by lateral walls with planar sections, a thumb-receiving surface with protrusions for enhanced grip, and finger spacings for support, all made of moulded pulp to maintain structural integrity and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If cup holding surfaces are made resilient and protruding inwardly, then cup retention strength is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holding surfaces are made resilient and protrude inwardly from the outer wall, creating a flexible gripping mechanism that yields when a cup is inserted and provides retention force. This flexible surface design improves cup retention without requiring complex mechanical fastening systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup holding surfaces have a curved, inwardly protruding geometry that conforms to the shape of beverage cups. This curved surface design naturally guides cups into position and provides retention through geometric constraint rather than complex mechanical structures.
2Ease of operation
If lateral walls with planar sections are added to connect cup holding surfaces, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Lateral walls with planar sections extend from the cup holding surfaces outwardly, creating a new dimensional element that provides finger placement surfaces. This adds a handling dimension to the tray without fundamentally changing the core cup-holding function.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral walls act as intermediary elements between the cup holding surfaces and the user's hand. These planar sections provide a comfortable interface for finger placement, mediating the interaction between the user and the cup-holding mechanism.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wall sections and lateral walls are incorporated, then cup retention for various sizes is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cup pocket wall is divided into multiple wall sections with cup holding surfaces interspersed between them. This segmentation allows the structure to adapt to different cup sizes and shapes while maintaining a relatively simple molded pulp construction process.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup holding surfaces and lateral walls are designed with specific geometric parameters (protrusion depth, planar section dimensions, wall section spacing) that can be adjusted during molding to accommodate various cup sizes. These parameter changes are achieved through standard molding techniques rather than complex assembly processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A cup holder tray having a plurality of cup pockets for receiving beverage cups therein, a finger spacing provided between two cup pockets, and a thumb-receiving surface above the finger spacing. The thumb-receiving surface can have friction protrusion to enhance friction with the thumb. Each one of the cup pockets having a circular wall and a system of cup holding surfaces protruding inwardly from the circular wall and cooperating in holding a beverage cup to be pushed downwardly therein. At least one of the cup holding surfaces can be connected to the circular wall by a lateral wall on each side, the lateral walls having a planar section oriented roughly normal to the beverage cup during use.