Stacked Food and Drink Container for Clean On-the-Go Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers for consuming food and drink on the move are either unsuitable for the fast food sector due to hygiene risks, contamination, and difficulty in supporting the weight, or they are complex and costly to produce.
Innovation Solution
A container made from a single piece of folded cardboard or semi-rigid material, with separate holders for food and drink, allowing independent access and retention, and designed to be easy to hold and inexpensive to produce.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the container for food is formed using the lid of the drink cup with a straw hole, then the food and drink can be held together, but the risk of contaminating the drink with food increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into two separate functional portions: a first portion forming a food holder and a second portion forming a drink holder. This segmentation prevents food from contacting the drink, eliminating contamination risk while maintaining the ability to hold both items together in a single integrated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The food holding function is extracted from the drink cup structure. Instead of using the cup lid for food containment, a separate food holder portion is created, which is connected to but distinct from the drink holder, thereby removing the source of contamination.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the support structure extends horizontally with side-by-side portions for food and drink, then both items can be held, but the device becomes difficult to support and may tip over
Solution Approach 1:
The container transitions from a horizontal side-by-side arrangement to a vertical stacked arrangement. The food holder is positioned above the drink holder, connected via a joining portion. This dimensional change improves stability by lowering the center of gravity and allows the container to be supported more easily from the bottom or side without tipping.
3Ease of operation
If a complex support structure is used to hold both food and drink, then both items can be supported, but the device complexity increases and production cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The food holder and drink holder are merged into a single integrated container structure made from one piece of material. The joining portion connects the two functional portions seamlessly, eliminating the need for separate supports or complex assembly mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining dual-item support capability.
4Device complexity
If the lid of the cup is used as the bottom of the food container, then a single-body structure is achieved, but hygiene risks increase due to repeated handling
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into distinct food-contact and drink-contact portions. The food holder bottom is formed separately from the drink cup lid, allowing the lid to be handled by sales staff without subsequent contact with food, thereby maintaining hygiene safety while preserving the single-body integrated structure.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A container for food and/or drink to be consumed on the move comprises a first portion (24) forming at least a first holder (3) for containing at least one food to be consumed on the move or for a first receptacle containing a food or a drink to be consumed on the move, and at least a second portion (25) connected to the first portion (24) and forming at least a second holder (4) for supporting a second receptacle containing at least one food or a drink to be consumed on the move. The first holder (3) and the second holder (4) are vertically aligned and they are distanced from each other in such a way as to allow the user independent access both to the first holder (3) and to the second holder (4). For that purpose, at least a third, connecting portion (28) is fixed to the first portion (24) and to the second portion (25) and forms at least one opening (29) for access from above to the lower holder. A method for making a container of this type is also claimed.