Plastic Tote Structure for Shock-Damped Server Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation of information handling systems faces challenges such as damage from shock events, high transportation costs due to heavy metal construction, and inefficiency in moving within data centers, as well as the environmental impact of single-use packing materials.
Innovation Solution
A plastic frame with integrated mounting features and shock-absorbing elements, such as wire rope isolators and shock-damping casters, is used to construct a tote that can reduce weight, construction costs, and mitigate shock and vibrations during transport, while maintaining the ability to securely hold information handling systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal construction is used for the tote, then strength and durability are improved, but weight increases leading to higher transportation costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction by combining plastic (polymer) materials with reinforcement elements such as ribs, integrally molded features, and potentially fiber reinforcements. This allows the tote to achieve adequate structural strength for protecting information handling systems during transport while maintaining significantly lower weight compared to all-metal construction, thereby resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
2Strength
If metal construction is used for the tote, then structural integrity is improved, but shock transmission to internal equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the inherent damping properties of plastic materials, which have different mechanical parameters compared to metal. The plastic construction naturally absorbs and dampens shock and vibration forces during transport, reducing the transmission of harmful forces to the internal equipment while maintaining sufficient structural integrity through optimized rib designs and wall thicknesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The tote may incorporate composite material structures that combine the shock-damping properties of plastic with reinforcement elements strategically positioned to provide structural integrity in critical areas while allowing controlled flexibility in other areas to absorb shock, thus resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and shock transmission.
3Reliability
If single-use packing materials are used for shock protection, then protection during transport is improved, but environmental impact and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the protective function directly into the tote structure itself through features such as molded-in shock-absorbing elements, protective ribs, and structural designs that provide cushioning without requiring separate packing materials. This merging of the protective function into the primary container eliminates the need for single-use packing materials, thereby reducing material waste while maintaining protection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tote is designed to be self-protecting through its own structural features, including shock-absorbing materials integrated into the tote walls and corners, and protective geometries that distribute impact forces. This self-service approach provides reliable protection during transport without requiring external single-use packing materials, thus resolving the contradiction between protection reliability and material waste.
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 solution effectively reduces damage from shock events, lowers transportation costs, and minimizes the environmental impact by using recyclable materials, while allowing for easier movement within data centers and through constrained spaces.
Implementation Method 1
all-metal construction may tend to transmit shocks and vibrations directly into the internal equipment
Implementation Method 2
integrated rack solutions can see significant forces, causing damage to the rack or the internal equipment
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus may include a plastic frame; a plurality of mounting features coupled to the plastic frame such that the plastic frame is configured to maintain the plurality of mounting features in a desired orientation, wherein the plurality of mounting features, when in the desired orientation, are operable to receive and retain information handling systems; and a base coupled to the plastic frame and disposed below the plastic frame along a central vertical axis of the apparatus that is defined by the orientation of the plurality of mounting features.