Staggered Platform Storage Case for Crayon Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage solutions for drawing utensils and similar articles do not effectively display and organize them in a manner that allows easy access and identification, leading to difficulties in locating specific items.
Innovation Solution
A storage case with a pivotable lid and a platform featuring staggered floor support surfaces and bores that allow crayons or other articles to be arranged in a multi-tiered, cascading fashion, enabling easy visibility and access while maintaining secure storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If articles are stored in a traditional flat or single-level case, then storage capacity is maximized, but visibility and accessibility of individual items deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a multi-level vertical arrangement with floor support surfaces at different heights, transforming a single-level storage space into a three-dimensional stepped structure. This allows articles to be positioned at multiple vertical levels, improving visibility and accessibility while maintaining storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage case is divided into multiple compartments created by floor support surfaces at different heights. Each compartment can hold articles in a staggered arrangement, segmenting the storage space to improve organization and access while preserving overall storage volume.
2Ease of operation
If articles are arranged to be fully visible and accessible, then ease of identification improves, but storage density and space utilization worsen
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing vertical space through multiple floor levels at different heights, the design allows articles to be displayed face-up or at angles for full visibility while packing more articles into the same footprint area, thereby maintaining storage density.
Solution Approach 2:
The stepped arrangement with floor support surfaces automatically positions article tops at varying heights for optimal visibility without requiring additional lighting or display mechanisms, enabling self-organizing display that maximizes both identification ease and space utilization.
3Device complexity
If articles are stored upright without support structures, then device complexity is reduced, but stability and prevention of tipping worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The interior cavity is segmented by floor support surfaces that create multiple support points at different heights. These segmented support structures provide stability to upright articles without requiring complex external frameworks or anchoring mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Floor support surfaces are positioned locally at specific heights within the cavity to provide targeted support where articles need stability. This localized support approach maintains overall structural simplicity while ensuring upright stability where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A case for storing articles includes a base including a lower body having a first hemispherical side surface, a flat external bottom surface, and an interior cavity. The base has a platform secured to the lower body within the interior cavity. The platform includes first and second receptacles for retaining first and second articles, respectively, at first and second heights relative to the external bottom surface, respectively. The first height is different from the second height. The case includes a lid coupled to the base such that the lid is movable relative to the base between an open state and a closed state. The lid includes an upper body having a second hemispherical side surface and a dome-shaped internal ceiling surface defining a storage chamber for receiving tops of the articles when the lid is in the closed state.