Stacked Containers With Locking Mechanisms For Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid, thermoplastic food containers are inefficiently stored due to difficulty in matching bases and covers, leading to space wastage and precarious stacking, which can result in food spills.
Innovation Solution
The development of containers with locking mechanisms that allow covers to securely engage with bases and other covers, forming a structurally rigid and stable stack, enabling nested and locked configurations for efficient storage and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If containers are stacked without locking mechanisms, then storage space is reduced through nesting, but structural stability deteriorates causing precarious stacks that may topple and spill food
Solution Approach 1:
The container system is divided into separate components (bases and covers) that can be independently manufactured from thin-gauge plastic, allowing them to be nested efficiently while incorporating dedicated locking features that provide stability when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
The bases are designed to nest within each other when not in use, maximizing storage space efficiency. The covers can also be nested together. When needed, the nested components are assembled with locking mechanisms to create stable stacks
2Ease of operation
If containers are stored in disorganized drawers, then accessibility is improved, but space efficiency deteriorates and matching bases with covers becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanisms serve multiple functions: they provide structural stability during use, enable secure stacking for storage, and facilitate easy assembly and disassembly. The same engagement portions that lock containers together during use also enable efficient nesting and stacking for storage
3Ease of manufacture
If containers are made from thin-gauge plastic for economic construction, then manufacturing cost and weight are reduced, but structural strength deteriorates making them more prone to breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into thin-walled bases and covers that can be manufactured economically from thin-gauge plastic. The locking mechanisms are integrated into these segments, allowing the thin walls to provide sufficient strength when properly assembled and locked
Solution Approach 2:
The bases and covers incorporate curved or rounded features in their locking mechanisms that distribute stress more effectively, allowing thin-gauge plastic to achieve adequate structural strength while remaining economically manufacturable
Data Source
AI summary
The container can be locked into a stack of containers. A container cover locks onto the top of a container base to define a sealed area for storage. Additionally, the bottom of a second container base can be locked onto the top of the cover of a first container. In this fashion, when closed containers are stacked, they form a locked stack that is more structurally rigid and therefore less precarious than a traditional, non-locked container stack. When not in use, the bases can be formed into a nested stack, and their covers can be locked together to form a locked cover stack. The locked cover stack can be locked to either the top or bottom of the nested base stack to form a rigid stack. In some embodiments, a cover can be turned upside down and its bottom face locked onto the bottom face of a base.