Plastic Bottle Containment Basket With Adjustable Grids

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing containment baskets for bottles, particularly those made of stainless steel, suffer from permanent deformations under shocks, high production costs, and ergonomic issues during manual handling, and cause damage to plastic bottles due to sharp edges.

Innovation Solution

A containment basket made of plastic material with a parallelepiped structure, featuring adjustable grids and a lever system for retaining and releasing bottles, using fiberglass-charged polymer for chemical resistance and ergonomically designed for easy handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If stainless steel is used for the basket, then strength and chemical resistance are improved, but weight and risk of permanent deformation increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestrengthVSAvoidweight

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameter from stainless steel to plastic, fundamentally altering the weight-strength characteristics. This allows the basket to be significantly lighter while maintaining sufficient strength for bottle containment during washing operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The basket is constructed using composite material structure, combining plastic material with reinforced design elements. This enables the achievement of both light weight and adequate mechanical strength required for the application.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If stainless steel is used for the basket, then strength is improved, but elasticity and resistance to permanent deformation worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestrengthVSAvoidelasticity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Manufacturing precision

If laser-cut stainless steel sheet is used for the sliding grid, then manufacturing precision is improved, but bottle damage due to sharp corners increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing precisionVSAvoidbottle damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by replacing the sharp-cornered laser-cut stainless steel grid with a plastic grid that has rounded corners and edges. This curvature eliminates the harmful sharp corners that cause bottle damage while maintaining the precision needed for bottle retention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Strength

If stainless steel basket is used, then strength is improved, but ergonomics during manual handling worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestrengthVSAvoidergonomics

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

5Reliability

If stainless steel is used for the basket, then chemical resistance is improved, but cost of production increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechemical resistanceVSAvoidproduction cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentEP3219642B1Containment basket adapted for bottles or similar containers, in particular for washing operations

Publication Date: 2019.01.02 IWT SRL

Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5.1~6.2

AI summary

A containment basket made of plastic material adapted for bottles or similar containers for liquids is described, having a substantially parallelepiped structure with sidewalls and a base including grids or slots and with an open side opposite to the base, and comprising: - a first fastening system (9) on opposite first sidewalls of said basket, for securing one or more fixed grids made of plastic material (2, 3) parallel to the base of the basket, said fixed grids comprising apertures of a size suitable for housing said bottles; - lateral guides (25, 26) on opposite second sidewalls of said basket, adapted for housing a lever system (15, 16, 17, 18) for positioning a sliding grid (4) made of plastic material parallel to said one or more fixed grids and in an height-adjustable position along said second sidewalls, said sliding grid comprising apertures suitable for housing said bottles; - first windows (53, 54, 55, 56) on said second sidewalls, adapted to cooperate with said lever system in order to allow said height-adjustable positioning of said sliding grid, and also to allow said sliding grid to slide between a first bottle retaining position and a second bottle releasing position.