Nestable Mid-Depth Beverage Case With Angled Support Columns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mid-depth beverage cases do not nest with each other or with box-style cases, leading to inefficient storage and shipment, and lack secure support for containers.
Innovation Solution
A mid-depth beverage case design featuring a grid-like floor with angularly disposed vertical surfaces and inwardly projecting nesting buttresses, allowing for nesting with similar cases and partial nesting with box-style cases, while providing secure support through line contact with containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If mid-depth cases are designed with vertical sidewalls for stability, then container support is improved, but nesting capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sidewall is divided into two distinct sections: an upper vertical section that provides stable container support, and a lower tapered section that enables nesting. This segmentation allows each portion of the sidewall to fulfill its specific function optimally without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the sidewall are given different geometric properties - the upper portion has vertical surfaces for stability while the lower portion has tapered surfaces for nesting. This local differentiation of quality allows the single structure to serve multiple contradictory functions.
2Ease of manufacture
If box-style cases use uniform vertical sidewalls, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but storage efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sidewall is segmented into upper and lower sections with different geometries, allowing the case to nest efficiently while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes for each section.
Solution Approach 2:
The case is designed to nest within identical cases, with the lower tapered sidewall section allowing one case to fit inside another, dramatically improving storage efficiency by reducing the volume required for storage and shipping.
3Device complexity
If mid-depth cases lack nesting structure, then structural simplicity is improved, but space utilization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sidewall is divided into functional sections, with the lower tapered portion dedicated to nesting while the upper vertical portion maintains structural simplicity for container support.
Solution Approach 2:
The case incorporates nesting capability through its geometric design, allowing cases to be stored within each other to maximize space utilization during storage and shipping.
4Strength
If vertical sidewalls are used throughout, then case strength is improved, but nesting compatibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sidewall strength is maintained in the upper vertical section where it is needed for support, while the lower section is tapered specifically for nesting compatibility, distributing the structural requirements across different zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The sidewall has different geometric qualities at different heights - vertical surfaces where strength and support are needed, and tapered surfaces where nesting compatibility is needed, optimizing both functions locally.
Data Source
AI summary
A nestable mid-depth beverage case has a bottom wall with upstanding side and end walls around its periphery and a plurality of container seating areas on its top surface. A continuous peripheral band forms a vertical upper wall section, and a plurality of spaced apart V-shaped columns connected between the bottom wall and the band form a lower wall section inset relative to the upper section to enable nesting of the container. Buttresses extend upwardly from the columns and across the band. The columns have flat, angled vertical surfaces facing toward adjacent seating areas to contact containers over a substantial part of their height and provide support in lateral and longitudinal directions. Each end wall has two columns and associated buttresses, and a handle with a large access opening is formed in each end wall by cutting away adjacent side edges of adjacent columns and buttresses and the bottom edge of the band.