Multicompartment Paperboard Tray With Self-Locking Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional paperboard trays require adhesives for assembly, which are environmentally unfriendly and costly, and often fail to maintain their shape, especially in complex designs with multiple compartments.
Innovation Solution
A multicompartment paperboard tray design that uses foldable panels with tabs and slots to create a stable perimeter wall without adhesives, allowing for easy formation and reliable shape retention, using materials like paperboard or polymers with pre-scored lines for folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional folded paperboard trays are assembled using glue or adhesives, then the tray can be formed into a desired shape, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex, time-consuming, and environmentally harmful
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into multiple compartments using divider panels that are integrated into the blank. These divider panels are folded up to form partitions between compartments, creating a multicompartment structure without requiring additional assembly steps or adhesives. The segmentation of the blank into functional zones (side panels, end panels, bottom panels, divider panels) allows each section to be formed independently through folding while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray structure uses self-locking tabs and slots that automatically engage when the panels are folded into place. The tabs on side panels and end panels fit into corresponding slots, creating a self-assembling structure that maintains its shape without requiring external adhesives or complex assembly procedures. The frictional engagement between tabs and slots provides inherent structural stability.
2Shape
If molded procedures are used to create multicompartment trays, then separated compartments can be formed, but the manufacturing cost increases and flexibility to operational needs decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The blank is designed with integrated divider panels that segment the tray interior into multiple compartments. These divider panels are formed as part of the single blank structure and are folded up during assembly to create partitions. This approach allows for customizable compartment configurations without requiring expensive multi-cavity molding tools or complex molding procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for easy modification of compartment sizes, shapes, and numbers by adjusting the dimensions and positions of divider panels and bottom panels on the blank. The fold lines and panel configurations can be varied to create different compartment layouts without changing the fundamental single-blank construction method, providing operational flexibility at low cost.
3Shape
If molded trays are produced with physical volume, then the trays can hold food items, but shipping and storage costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tray design allows flattened trays to be nested within one another when not in use, significantly reducing the volume required for storage and shipping. The flexible paperboard construction enables trays to be collapsed flat and stacked efficiently, maximizing space utilization during logistics while maintaining full structural capacity when deployed for food service.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray transitions from a rigid, space-consuming form during use to a flat, compact form during storage. The fold lines and flexible material allow the tray to dynamically change its configuration, occupying minimal space when flattened for shipping but providing adequate volume when assembled for holding food items.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional folded paperboard trays are assembled without adhesives, then environmental friendliness improves, but the trays tend to not remain in the desired folded condition
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is segmented into multiple panels (side panels, end panels, bottom panels, divider panels) that are connected through fold lines. This segmentation allows each panel to be independently positioned and locked into place through the tab-and-slot mechanism, maintaining the overall tray configuration without requiring adhesives. The modular panel structure provides inherent stability through geometric interlocking.
Solution Approach 2:
The tab-and-slot mechanism provides self-locking functionality that maintains the tray's folded configuration without external adhesives. The tabs on side panels and end panels engage with slots in adjacent panels, creating frictional connections that hold the structure together. This self-service locking mechanism eliminates the need for environmentally harmful adhesives while maintaining structural integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tray can be easily assembled and maintained in a stable configuration without adhesives, reducing manufacturing costs, environmental impact, and enabling flexible storage and use, while allowing for customizable compartment sizes and shapes.
Implementation Method 1
Frictional engagement and/or interference between portions of the tab and slot can help prevent the end panels and side panels from moving relative to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A blank is provided to form a tray with multiple compartments separated by partitions. The blank may be cut or formed to include end panels on opposite ends of a bottom construct. The blank may also include side panels on opposite sides of the bottom construct such that the side panels and end panels may form a perimeter wall when the tray is formed. The perimeter wall may be formed by folding the side panels and end panels upwards relative to the bottom construct. The bottom construct may include divider panels between bottom panels such that the divider panels can be folded together to form partitions between adjacent compartments in the formed tray.