Reusable Shipping Container with Inverting Label Pouch
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for reusable shipping containers that can be compacted for mailing without additional packaging, providing structural rigidity and integrated content protection, while allowing for easy insertion and visibility of shipping labels in both open and compact states.
Innovation Solution
A two-way reusable shipping container with flexible walls and inflatable pillows, featuring a pouch for shipping labels that inverts to form a pocket for compact storage, allowing the container to be folded into itself for mailing and expanded for use, with closure devices to secure the compact state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shipping container is made with rigid wall panels that can be folded or detached, then structural strength is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible wall panels made of materials like canvas, denim, or other durable fabrics instead of rigid panels. These flexible panels can be folded and collapsed while still providing adequate structural strength for shipping containers, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining necessary strength
Solution Approach 2:
The wall panels are designed to be dynamically transformable between expanded and collapsed states. The flexible nature of the panels allows them to adapt their shape and volume, enabling easy folding and storage without requiring complex rigid joint mechanisms
2Ease of manufacture
If the shipping container uses soft-sided pouches with inflatable structures, then ease of manufacture is improved, but structural rigidity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction by combining flexible fabric panels with inflatable air pillows or bubbles. The fabric provides the structural framework while the inflatable elements add rigidity and protection, creating a composite structure that balances ease of manufacture with structural strength
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable pillows or bubbles are pre-positioned within the flexible pouch structure to provide cushioning and structural support before shipping. These inflatable elements are designed to be inflated beforehand to maintain container shape and protect contents, combining simple manufacturing with effective structural support
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the shipping label pouch is located inside the container, then protection of the label is improved, but visibility of the label deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shipping label pouch is nested within the flexible wall structure of the container, specifically integrated into the wall panels. This nested design allows the label pouch to be protected within the container walls while still being accessible and visible on the exterior surface, enabling both protection and visibility simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The wall panels are designed with localized features including transparent windows, mesh sections, or designated label areas that provide different properties in different locations. This allows the label pouch to be positioned in a protected area while maintaining visibility through the localized transparent or mesh portion of the wall
4Loss of substance
If the shipping container is designed to be collapsed into a compact state, then loss of substance is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into multiple flexible wall panels that can be independently folded and collapsed. This segmentation allows the container to be broken down into manageable sections that can be easily folded flat or compacted into a small volume, reducing packaging waste while maintaining ease of operation through simple folding actions
Solution Approach 2:
The use of flexible fabric panels throughout the container structure enables the entire container to be collapsed and folded like a flexible shell. This flexibility allows the container to be compacted into a small bundle for storage or return shipping, significantly reducing the volume and material waste while requiring only simple folding operations
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
Enables self-mailing and self-return capabilities, reducing packaging waste, providing structural rigidity and protection for contents, and allowing for multiple uses without additional packaging materials.
Implementation Method 1
Each pillow has an inflated state that provides structural rigidity to the shipping container in the open state
Data Source
AI summary
A two-way reusable shipping container has a plurality of flexible walls, the walls surrounding an internal cavity when the shipping container is in an open state. A pouch is located on a first wall of the plurality of flexible walls, and is configured to form a pocket into which the walls of the shipping container are collapsed when the shipping container is in a compact state. A closure device is configured to retain the shipping container in the pocket in the compact state. In some embodiments, the shipping container includes inflatable pillows, each pillow being secured to one of the walls. In some embodiments, the pouch inverts when the shipping container is converted between the open and compact states, such that interior surfaces of the pocket when the shipping container is in the open state become exterior surfaces of the pocket when the shipping container is in the compact state.