Soft-sided Storage Container with Rigid Exoskeleton Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage containers for construction sites face challenges such as being either heavy and rigid (hard-sided) or not waterproof and prone to wear (soft-sided), with limitations in stackability and organization flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A soft-sided storage container with a rigid exoskeleton frame that includes a combination of fabric side walls and a rigid bottom, supported by an exterior and interior frame system, allowing for variable stackability and enhanced durability while maintaining flexibility and organization options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hard-sided storage containers are used, then durability and waterproofing are improved, but weight and difficulty of transport increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container combines a rigid bottom made of hard material with fabric side walls, creating a composite structure that provides durability and waterproofing at the bottom while maintaining light weight and flexibility in the sides
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the container have different material properties - the bottom is made rigid for durability and waterproofing, while the side walls are made of flexible fabric for light weight and ease of transport, allowing each part to optimize its function locally
2Strength
If hard-sided storage containers are used, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility and expansion capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure applies different rigidity characteristics to different regions - the bottom maintains rigid structural strength while the side walls provide flexible expansion capability, allowing the container to be both strong and adaptable
3Ease of operation
If soft-sided storage containers are used, then ease of transport is improved, but waterproofing and resistance to wear and tear deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The container uses a composite construction with fabric side walls for ease of transport and a rigid bottom for waterproofing and wear resistance, combining the advantages of both soft-sided and hard-sided containers
4Adaptability or versatility
If soft-sided storage containers are used, then flexibility for organization is improved, but stackability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid bottom provides a stable, flat surface that enables stackability, while the flexible fabric sides maintain organization flexibility, resolving the contradiction between stackability and organizational adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
A storage container includes a rigid bottom, a first side wall, a second side wall, a third side wall, a fourth side wall and a top, wherein the first, second, third and fourth side walls each comprise primarily fabric. The top defines an opening to an interior of the storage container. A rigid exterior frame includes a first side wall frame portion connected to the first side wall, a second side wall frame portion connected to the second side wall, a first top frame portion, and a second top frame portion, the first top frame portion interconnecting the first side wall frame portion and the second side wall frame portion, the second top frame portion interconnecting the first side wall frame portion and the second side wall frame portion.