Stackable Tool Trays with Cantilevered Posts and Hydrophobic Foam
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tool boxes with rectangular trays face issues such as tool damage, loss, and misplacement due to jostling, water retention leading to rust, and difficulty in stacking and color coding, which can affect the center of gravity and tool order during transport and usage.
Innovation Solution
The design features monolithic, 3D-printed trays with upstanding posts and pockets of varying geometry for secure tool storage, allowing for stackability, indexability, and modular flexibility, with hydrophobic materials to prevent rust and easy identification through contrasting colors and indicia.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If closed cell foam trays with pockets are used to securely store tools, then tool stability and prevention of jostling is improved, but water retention leading to rust and difficulty in stacking occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses foam material with open cell structure instead of closed cell foam. The open cells allow water to drain through the material while the pockets provide structural support for tool storage. This resolves the contradiction by allowing water penetration while maintaining tool stability through the foam's mechanical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray design divides the foam structure into discrete pockets of varying sizes that can be customized for different tools. This segmentation allows each pocket to independently secure specific tools while the overall tray structure remains stable and stackable, addressing both tool stability and water management requirements.
2Quantity of substance
If rectangular trays are used to maximize storage capacity, then quantity of tools stored is improved, but center of gravity shifts and unfamiliarity with tool order occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs non-rectangular tray shapes with asymmetric pocket arrangements that are optimized for specific tool sets. This asymmetry creates a unique configuration that is intuitive for the intended tools, preventing confusion about tool order while still maximizing storage capacity within the available space.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the tray have pockets of varying sizes, shapes, and depths tailored to specific tools. This local customization ensures each tool has a dedicated secure position, maintaining proper center of gravity and creating an intuitive arrangement that improves ease of operation while maximizing the number of tools stored.
3Stability of the object's composition
If trays are made thicker to prevent lateral movement during stacking, then stacking stability is improved, but weight increases and impingement on tools below occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses curved or rounded features in the tray design, such as rounded corners and contoured surfaces, that provide structural strength for stacking stability without requiring increased thickness. The curved geometry distributes stresses more effectively, maintaining stability while reducing weight and preventing impingement on tools in lower trays.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam material density and thickness are optimized to specific parameters that provide adequate stacking stability. By carefully selecting the foam density and pocket wall thickness, the design achieves the necessary structural strength for stable stacking without excessive weight that would cause impingement on tools below.
4Ease of operation
If color coding is applied to trays for identification, then ease of identification is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates color coding directly into the foam material during manufacturing, using colored foam sheets or dyes applied during the molding process. This approach provides clear visual identification for different tool types or priorities while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process that integrates color application into the existing foam fabrication workflow.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool box with vertically stacked monolithic trays. Each tray has pockets specifically shaped to receive complementary tools. The trays have upstanding cantilevered posts, which can space apart the superjacent tray. Alternatively, the posts can be received in complementary sockets of superjacent trays to prevent undue lateral movement while in the tool box. The post and socket geometry can be constructed to index the order in which trays are stacked and index how individual trays are oriented for optimal and sequenced access to the tools.