Stackable Lap Tray Compartments for Food and Waste Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food trays lack a secure mechanism to hold the tray in place during meals, especially when no table surface is available, and often do not have lids to separate food and waste, leading to mess and clutter.
Innovation Solution
A tray apparatus with a lap tray and a tray compartment that can be securely engaged in a snap fit configuration, featuring a hinged lid for waste retention and foldable design for storage, allowing the tray to transform between flat and three-dimensional configurations for easy use and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional flat tray design is used, then the tray is simple and easy to manufacture, but the tray cannot securely hold food items in place during meals
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into multiple compartments (first compartment for food, second compartment for waste, third compartment for drink cup) rather than a single flat surface. This segmentation allows food items to be securely held in designated areas while maintaining structural integrity through the shared walls between compartments.
2Reliability
If a tray with multiple compartments is used, then food and waste can be separated, but the tray occupies more storage space when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The second compartment (waste compartment) is positioned within the boundaries of the first compartment (food compartment), creating a nested configuration. This allows the tray to maintain separate food and waste areas while minimizing the overall footprint and storage volume when the tray is not in use.
3Reliability
If a drink cup compartment is added to the tray, then the tray can securely hold drink cups, but the tray design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The third compartment is designed as a recessed area within the first compartment that serves multiple functions: it can hold a drink cup securely during meals, provide additional food serving space when the cup is not present, and maintain structural support for the tray. This multi-functional design reduces overall complexity by combining several potential features into a single versatile compartment.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a hinged lid is added to the tray, then food and waste can be enclosed to prevent mess, but the tray structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is designed to simultaneously cover both the first compartment (food) and second compartment (waste) with a single hinged structure. This merging of coverage function into one lid reduces the number of separate parts needed, simplifies the overall structure compared to having separate lids for each compartment, and effectively prevents mess by enclosing both food and waste areas.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and an associated method that includes a lap tray, the lap tray having a flat portion and a raised perimeter edge, wherein the flat portion defines a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the flat portion defines an aperture. The apparatus further includes a tray compartment operably engaged with the lap tray. The tray compartment has a sidewall and a bottom wall, the sidewall and the bottom wall define, in part, an interior space accessible via the aperture. A lid operably engaged with the tray compartment is configured to enclose the interior space of the tray compartment.