Interlocking Tape Cassette Box Flaps Against Unauthorized Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Tape cassettes stored in tuck top boxes are susceptible to unauthorized removal due to their unfoldable nature, posing a security risk.
Innovation Solution
A storage box design featuring layered flaps that interlock to prevent unauthorized removal, comprising a box main body with intersecting walls and flaps that form a secure enclosure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a tuck top box is used to store the tape cassette, then the storage box is simple in structure and easy to manufacture, but the box can be unfolded which allows unauthorized removal of the tape cassette
Solution Approach 1:
The closure structure is divided into multiple independent flaps (first flap, second flap, third flap, fourth flap) that can be folded and interlocked. Each flap acts as an independent security element, creating a segmented locking mechanism that prevents unauthorized opening while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps are arranged in a nested configuration where the first flap overlaps the second flap, and the third flap overlaps the fourth flap. This nested arrangement creates an interlocking system where each flap reinforces the security of the others, making unauthorized removal difficult while keeping the overall structure compact and manufacturable.
2Reliability
If flaps are added to prevent unauthorized removal, then security is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple flaps are merged into a single integrated closure system where the first flap, second flap, third flap, and fourth flap work together as one unified security mechanism. The flaps are connected to the respective walls and interlock with each other, combining multiple security functions into a single structural element that does not significantly increase overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a traditional lock mechanism that would increase complexity, the patent inverts the approach by using the box walls themselves as the locking mechanism. The flaps are folded back and interlocked with adjacent walls, turning the structural elements of the box into the security feature, thereby avoiding additional complex components.
Data Source
AI summary
A box main body of a storage box includes a first wall, a second wall, a peripheral wall including a third wall, a fourth wall, a fifth wall, and a sixth wall. A tape cassette used in printing is included in a space of the box main body. The first wall includes a female flap layer configured by a female flap connected to the third wall, a male flap layer configured by a male flap connected to the fourth wall, an intermediate flap layer configured by a first flap connected to the fifth wall and by a second flap connected to the sixth wall. In the first wall, the female flap layer, the intermediate flap layer and the male flap layer are stacked in that order. The male flap is provided with a first insertion portion, which is inserted into an insertion slot provided in the female flap.