Removable Wheel Assembly for Collapsible Cooler
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable coolers are heavy and bulky, making them difficult to transport and requiring significant storage space when not in use, which limits their usability and retail display space.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible cooler design with a removable wheel assembly and wheel fastening system that allows for easy attachment and detachment of wheels, along with a telescoping handle and collapsible walls made of flexible membranes, enabling compact storage and efficient transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional portable coolers are designed with fixed wheels and rigid structure, then transportation mobility is improved, but storage space requirement increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooler is divided into separable components: a main body and a removable wheel assembly. The wheel assembly can be detached from the main body, allowing the cooler to be stored in a compact configuration without wheels, and easily transported when wheels are attached.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooler transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic reconfigurable system. The wheel assembly can be attached or removed based on transportation needs, and the collapsible walls allow the cooler to change its volume between expanded (for use) and collapsed (for storage) states.
2Strength
If conventional portable coolers use rigid walls and fixed structure, then structural strength is improved, but storage space efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooler walls are made of flexible collapsible material that can be compressed and folded. This flexible membrane structure maintains structural integrity when needed but can be collapsed to a fraction of its original volume for storage, dramatically improving storage space efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If wheels are permanently attached to the cooler, then transportation ease is improved, but device complexity and storage flexibility worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is segmented as a separate removable component rather than being permanently integrated. This allows the wheels to be attached only when needed for transportation, simplifying the cooler design when wheels are not required and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel assembly serves multiple functions: it provides mobility when attached, and can be stored separately or attached to the main body for compact storage. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate transportation equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
A cooler includes a main body which includes a base, an upper rim, and one or more cooler walls extending therebetween. The cooler in some embodiments further includes a removable wheel assembly which includes two coaxial wheels, and an axle. The two coaxial wheels are removably securable to the axle. The cooler still further comprises a wheel fastening system configured to secure the removable wheel assembly to the base of the main body which includes a mount, a clip hingedly connected to the mount, and a locking clasp configured to lock the clip into a closed position to secure the wheel assembly. The cooler yet further comprises a lid including two wheel storage recesses, each being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain one of the coaxial wheel of the wheel assembly, and an axle storage recess sized and dimensioned to receive and retain the axle of the wheel assembly.