Reusable Container Hub Assembly to Reduce Single-Use Plastic Waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing use of single-use plastic food containers for food delivery services contributes significantly to environmental pollution, with limited options for reusable and sustainable food transportation solutions.
Innovation Solution
A portable container system featuring a central docking hub that assembles multiple containers into a carrying unit, utilizing registration features such as ribs and grooves for alignment and secure locking, allowing for efficient transportation and reuse of food containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If single-use plastic containers are used for food delivery, then convenience and availability are improved, but environmental pollution and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a reusable container system where containers are collected after use, sanitized, and redistributed for subsequent use. This closed-loop system replaces the linear single-use model, eliminating waste generation while maintaining convenience through on-demand delivery availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The containers serve multiple functions: they are used for food storage during delivery, sanitized for hygiene, and redistributed for repeated use. This multi-functionality across different stages of the service cycle replaces the single-use disposable model, reducing environmental impact while maintaining operational convenience.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If reusable container systems are implemented, then environmental sustainability is improved, but system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into distinct functional modules: delivery containers, sanitation facilities, tracking infrastructure, and redistribution networks. Each module operates independently but integrates into the overall system, making the complex reusable container system manageable through modular decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary infrastructure elements such as sanitation stations and tracking systems that mediate between container collection and redistribution. These intermediaries handle the complex processes of cleaning, verification, and logistics, simplifying the overall system operation while enabling environmental sustainability.
3Reliability
If containers are securely locked to the hub, then tamper resistance is improved, but ease of opening and access decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism transitions between locked and unlocked states dynamically. During transport, containers remain securely locked to the hub for tamper resistance. At delivery, the system transitions to an unlocked state for easy opening, and after collection, returns to locked state for secure transport back to sanitation facilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism operates periodically, switching between secure locked states during transport and accessible unlocked states during delivery and collection. This periodic action ensures tamper resistance during critical transport phases while enabling ease of operation during handoff phases.
Data Source
AI summary
The portable container system includes a central locking hub that assembles a collection of containers into a carrying unit. The hub is cylindrical in shape and the containers are angular wedges projecting horizontally outward from the hub. Each container includes a vessel with a defined interior volume, and a lid. The containers are reversibly secured to the hub when the containers are received around the hub base, and the hub upper part is secured to the base, thereby locking the containers in place. A registration apparatus, comprising reciprocal pairs of extrusions and depressions in a circular pattern, is integrated within and between the mating surfaces of the central hub, and the containers. When the carrying unit arrives at its destination, the hub upper section is removed from the base. The user may then remove the containers as they see fit.