Pivotable Shipping Container for Compact Chair Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shipping chairs with height adjustable components is inefficient due to their unusual shape and profile, leading to excessive space usage and time-consuming loading and unloading processes, especially when individual chairs are boxed or require a false floor for stacking.
Innovation Solution
A container system with hinged side walls and mounting surfaces that pivot from a horizontal to a vertical orientation, utilizing straps to secure height adjustable support columns of chairs, allowing for compact nesting and easy loading/unloading without a false floor, and enabling forklift access for efficient handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chairs are individually boxed, then each chair is protected from damage, but excessive space is used and shipping efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by allowing chairs to be stacked vertically within the container, with each chair positioned on top of the previous one. The side walls pivot to vertical orientation during shipping, creating a compact nested arrangement that minimizes shipping volume while keeping chairs protected within the container structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple chairs into a single shipping unit within one container, eliminating the need for individual boxing. The mounting members and straps secure multiple chairs together in a compact arrangement, achieving both space efficiency and protection through unified containment rather than separate packaging.
2Productivity
If a false floor is built over the first layer of chairs, then a second layer can be loaded, but the loading and unloading process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are designed to be pivotable between horizontal and vertical orientations. During loading, they remain horizontal to allow easy placement of chairs. During shipping, they pivot to vertical orientation to enable compact stacking of multiple layers without requiring false floors. This dynamic transformation eliminates time-consuming assembly/disassembly of false floors while maintaining high shipping capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is divided into multiple loading zones with independent mounting members on each side wall. This segmentation allows chairs to be loaded and secured independently on different sides, enabling parallel loading operations that reduce overall loading time while maintaining the ability to stack multiple layers efficiently.
3Volume of stationary object
If chairs are stacked in a compact array, then space usage is minimized, but loading and unloading becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable side walls provide dynamic access to compactly stacked chairs. During loading, horizontal orientation allows easy placement. During unloading, the walls can pivot back to horizontal, providing access to the compactly stacked chairs without requiring complex dismantling operations. This maintains both compact storage and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting members and straps act as intermediaries that facilitate easy attachment and detachment of chairs to the container structure. Chairs can be quickly secured to the mounting members during loading and just as quickly released during unloading, making the compact stacking arrangement easy to operate despite the dense configuration.
4Reliability
If height adjustable support columns are used, then chairs can be secured during shipping, but the loading process requires additional steps
Solution Approach 1:
The height adjustable support columns of the chairs themselves are utilized as the securing mechanism. The mounting members engage with these existing chair components, eliminating the need for separate securing devices. The chair's own height adjustment mechanism serves the dual purpose of both positioning and securing the chair during shipping, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting members are designed to universally engage with the height adjustable support columns of various chair models. This multi-functional design allows the same mounting mechanism to work with different chair types, simplifying the loading process by using a standardized securing approach rather than requiring model-specific securing procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for shipping chairs includes a floor and first and second side walls having bottoms hingedly connected to opposite sides of the floor. First and second holders configured to engage the bottom of first and second chairs, and first and second mounting members are disposed on the first and second side walls. First and second straps extend between the first and second mounting members and the first and second chairs. A shipping assembly and method for packing chairs for shipping are also provided