Retained Rolling Storage Bin for Under-Toolbox Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tool storage cabinets have unused space between the bottom and the floor, requiring users to bend down to access items stored in this area, which can be inconvenient and potentially hazardous.
Innovation Solution
A storage bin with wheels and retaining features designed to fit under tool storage cabinets, featuring a bin portion and upwardly protruding retaining tabs that prevent the bin from being completely pulled out, allowing easy sliding and rolling while maintaining its position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If items are stored in the space between the tool storage cabinet bottom and the floor, then the unused space is utilized, but users must bend down on hands and knees to access items which is inconvenient and potentially hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The storage bin incorporates wheels that enable it to be dynamically moved from a stored position under the cabinet to an accessible position where items can be easily retrieved without bending. The bin transitions from a static, hard-to-access state to a mobile, easily accessible state, resolving the contradiction between space utilization and access convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage bin acts as an intermediary between the cabinet and the user. It provides a mobile platform that bridges the gap between the fixed cabinet structure and the user's need for easy access, allowing items to be stored in the under-cabinet space while maintaining convenient accessibility through the bin's mobility.
2Ease of operation
If the storage bin can be freely moved out from under the cabinet, then accessibility is improved, but the bin may be completely pulled out and lost its retained position
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining mechanism is segmented into discrete retaining features (such as tabs or protrusions) on the storage bin that correspond to recesses or gaps in the cabinet structure. This segmentation allows the bin to be retained at specific intervals while still permitting controlled movement for access, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and position retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage bin's retaining features automatically engage with the cabinet structure when the bin is placed underneath, providing self-retention without requiring additional locking mechanisms or user intervention. The bin maintains its own position through the inherent interaction between its retaining features and the cabinet, while still allowing easy manual movement when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage container, basin, bin, or basket (referred to herein as a storage bin) with wheels. The storage bin includes retaining features or tabs that protrude on one side higher than a plane formed by an upper edge of the storage bin to keep the storage bin located under a tool storage cabinet or toolbox. The retaining features allow the storage bin to be slid under the tool storage cabinet or toolbox with the retaining features disposed between opposing front and back flanges on the bottom of the tool storage cabinet or toolbox. This allows the storage bin to be slid out and back under the tool storage cabinet or toolbox, while the retaining feature restricts the storage bin from being slid completely out from under tool storage cabinet or toolbox.