Reusable Crate Frame With Corner Brackets for Upright Shipping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Shipping costs for large items are high due to increased size and weight when laid flat, and reusable crates are costly to return, often leading to wood waste.
Innovation Solution
A re-usable frame system with corner brackets and adjustable braces that can be secured to a standard pallet to hold large cargo upright, reducing shipping footprint and allowing for easy disassembly and return.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If large items are laid flat during shipping, then they are easier to load and secure, but the shipping footprint and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the shipping orientation from horizontal (flat) to vertical (upright) by introducing a crate structure with upright walls and a bottom platform. This dimensional change allows large items like doors to be shipped vertically, reducing the horizontal footprint while maintaining ease of loading through the open top design.
2Productivity
If reusable crates are used, then shipping efficiency improves, but the cost of returning empty crates increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crate is divided into separable components including the bottom platform, upright walls, and optional top lid. This segmentation allows the crate to be disassembled after use, with components being collapsed and stacked for efficient return shipping, reducing the energy cost of returning empty crates.
Solution Approach 2:
The crate incorporates collapsible upright walls that can be folded or telescoped, transforming the rigid shipping container into a compact configuration for return transport. This dynamic transformation reduces the volume and weight of the empty crate, lowering return shipping costs.
3Reliability
If special crates are fabricated for large items, then shipping protection improves, but fabrication cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crate design uses standardized components that can serve multiple shipping purposes. The bottom platform and upright walls can accommodate various large items including doors, windows, and panels. This universality reduces fabrication costs by avoiding custom-made crates for each specific item while maintaining adequate protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The crate combines different materials strategically - using sturdy materials for the bottom platform to support heavy loads, and potentially lighter materials for the upright walls and lid. This composite approach optimizes protection while reducing overall fabrication cost compared to using uniformly heavy materials throughout.
Data Source
AI summary
A re-usable crate system has a frame removably coupled to a pallet and extending above the pallet to form a crate to receive cargo over the pallet and at least partially between the frame. The frame has corner brackets at each corner of the pallet. Each corner bracket comprises a bottom plate proximate a bottom of the pallet, a top plate proximate a top of the pallet, and a pair of contiguous side walls extending between the top and bottom plates. The pair of side walls adjoin one another and forms a box with a pair of contiguous side openings opposite the pair of contiguous side walls. Each corner bracket has a pocket to receive a respective corner of the pallet.