Strawberry Tray with Segmented Compartments for Visibility and Preservation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current strawberry packaging methods, such as stacking in plastic boxes, make it difficult for consumers to identify deteriorated strawberries and prevent contamination, while existing compartmented trays are not specifically designed for strawberries, leading to issues with visibility and preservation.

Innovation Solution

A tray with conical, tapered, or long wedge-shaped compartments that separate strawberries, allowing proper support and visibility, with compartments arranged in staggered or matrix patterns to prevent contact and facilitate air circulation, enhancing preservation and visibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If strawberries are piled in plastic boxes, then storage and transport are simplified, but consumers cannot see the condition of strawberries and contamination spreads easily

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepackaging simplicityVSAvoidvisibility of strawberry condition
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging is divided into individual compartments, each holding a single strawberry. This segmentation allows consumers to see each strawberry's condition clearly while maintaining an organized, space-efficient structure that simplifies storage and transport.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of information

If strawberries are arranged in orderly fashion in boxes, then visibility of deteriorated fruit is improved, but adjacent fruit can still be contaminated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisibility of deteriorated strawberriesVSAvoidcontamination spread
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Each strawberry is isolated in its own compartment, creating physical separation that prevents contamination from spreading to adjacent fruit while maintaining full visibility of each individual strawberry's condition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of information

If strawberries are placed in single layer for visual access, then consumer visibility is improved, but space utilization decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsumer visual accessVSAvoidspace utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The compartments are arranged in a three-dimensional grid structure with multiple layers, allowing strawberries to be stacked vertically while maintaining individual visibility through the compartment design, thus improving space utilization without sacrificing consumer visual access.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2915758B1Strawberries alveolar tray
Publication Date: 2016.11.30 DONANA 1998
  • EP2915758B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2915758B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Tray with cavities for strawberries intended to be disposed in the interior of a box for its storage and transport, and which is made up of a sheet (1) which has a plurality of compartments (2) where each compartment is intended to receive a strawberry. The compartments (2) comprise a first depression (4) which is configured to receive the sepal of the strawberry, a second concentric depression (5) lower than the first depression (4) and configured to receive the pedicle of the strawberry, and a protrusion (6) that protrudes upwards from the first depression (4) and which is configured to support the thalamus of the strawberry.