Flat Deck Pallet Storage Bin With Releasable Sleeve Locks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pallet-based shipping containers are prone to parcel spillage and damage due to lack of secure attachment to the pallet, are expensive due to excess material usage, and are limited in strength and durability.
Innovation Solution
A novel enclosable storage bin for a flat deck pallet, comprising an anchor deck mounted onto the pallet and a lower bin sleeve secured to the anchor deck with a locking mechanism, allowing for secure attachment and easy assembly/disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the shipping box is constructed with bottom flaps to enclose the bottom end, then the box can be selectively enclosed, but the extra material required significantly increases the overall manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the shipping container into separate components: a pallet-mounted base structure and removable side walls. The base structure includes mounting features directly attached to the pallet, eliminating the need for bottom flaps. Side walls can be independently attached and removed, providing enclosure capability without requiring excess material for bottom flaps, thus reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the bottom flap structure from the traditional box design and replaces it with a pallet-mounted base structure. The mounting features are directly attached to the pallet surface, removing the need for separate bottom flaps. This extraction eliminates the excess material requirement while preserving the enclosure function through the pallet-integrated base.
2Ease of operation
If the shipping box is placed on the pallet without direct connection, then the box can be easily positioned, but the box is prone to slide off the pallet during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The invention incorporates mounting features directly on the pallet surface before the shipping container is assembled. These pre-installed mounting features (such as recesses, protrusions, or adhesive areas) are prepared in advance to receive and secure the base structure. This preliminary action allows for easy positioning during assembly while ensuring stable attachment during transport, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the paper-based shipping box is used, then the box can be easily manufactured, but the box becomes distended or distorted from the pressure applied from parcels
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a composite structure combining a rigid pallet-mounted base (made from strong materials like plastic or metal) with removable side walls. The base structure provides the primary structural support and resists distension from parcel pressure, while the side walls can be made from lighter materials. This composite approach maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving structural integrity compared to traditional all-paper boxes.
4Ease of operation
If the shipping box is destroyed to access contents, then the enclosed bottom end can be opened, but the shipping box primarily functions as a single-use product
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transforms the static, single-use box into a dynamic, reusable system with removable side walls. The side walls can be detached and reattached multiple times, allowing repeated access to contents without destroying the container. The pallet-mounted base structure remains in place, providing a permanent foundation for reusable shipping operations, thus improving reliability through reusability while maintaining ease of access.
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosable storage bin for a flat deck pallet includes a frame-like anchor deck mounted onto the top surface of the pallet about its periphery. The open bottom end of a four-sided lower bin sleeve is fittingly inserted into a U-shaped cavity formed in the anchor deck to create a partially enclosed interior cavity that is dimensioned to retain a smaller-sized payload. If a larger-sized payload requires transport, a union collar is utilized to stack an upper bin sleeve onto the lower bin sleeve in alignment therewith. A plurality of latch-type locking mechanisms formed on the anchor deck and the union collar can be pivotally closed to penetrate through corresponding slots in the upper and lower bin sleeves to retain the components together. An optional end cap can be mounted onto the open top end of either bin sleeve to fully enclose the interior cavity.