Storage container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage containers with integrated support stands have fixed height and reduced internal volume due to internal leg sections, limiting their versatility as both storage facilities and work surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A storage container design featuring a lid that can be used as a stool or support surface, with adjustable height settings by varying the position of downwardly projecting side members, allowing the combined height of the lid and box to be set at multiple levels, and incorporating features like wheels and handles for easy transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If discrete internal sections are used to house legs in the box, then a support stand function is achieved, but the internal volume of the box is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the legs from the internal sections of the box and relocates them to the external perimeter of the lid. This extraction of the leg structure from the box interior eliminates the volume reduction problem while maintaining the support stand functionality. The legs now form part of the lid assembly rather than being housed within the box.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs are repositioned from a three-dimensional internal space-consuming configuration to a perimeter-based configuration along the edges of the lid. This dimensional reorganization allows the legs to provide structural support without occupying internal box volume, as they are positioned at the boundary rather than within the storage space.
2Device complexity
If fixed-height legs are used in the support stand, then structural simplicity is maintained, but the height adjustability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements adjustable height legs with multiple position settings, transforming the static fixed-height structure into a dynamic adjustable one. The legs can be positioned at different heights (e.g., first and second positions) to accommodate various storage container heights, providing adaptability while maintaining relatively simple construction through the use of notched or telescopic mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the lid is designed as a stool when removed from the box, then multi-functionality is enhanced, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is designed with integrated legs that allow it to function independently as a stool when removed from the storage container. This universal design enables the same component to serve dual purposes: as a closure for the box and as a standalone seating element, maximizing the utility of the product without requiring separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs are merged with the lid structure rather than being separate attachable components. This integration combines the seating function directly into the lid, creating a unified component that reduces the number of separate parts while enhancing multi-functionality. The merged structure maintains simplicity by avoiding additional attachment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A box with a lid having first and second opposed pairs of downwardly projecting legs which partially overlie the sides of the box to close the same. The length of the first pair of downwardly projecting legs is less than the length of the second pair of downwardly projecting legs. A generally horizontal ledge is formed in each side of the box with the ledges of two opposed sides of the box located at one level below the lid and those of the other opposed sides at a different level below the lid. In use, the first and second pairs of legs can either be supported on either one or the other pair of opposed ledges to vary the height of the lid above ground level. Also, the lid can be removed from the box to define a stool or support surface.