Toy Box Assembly Using Slot and Closure Member Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing toy boxes require burdensome and time-consuming assembly using screws or bolts, which can loosen over time, compromising structural integrity and posing a hazard, while alternative tool-free assembly methods are difficult to construct.
Innovation Solution
A toy box design featuring elongated slots in side and end walls with a flooring member and closure member system that allows for tool-free assembly, using L-shaped connecting plates and side wall securing ribs to lock the flooring member in place, providing structural integrity without the need for tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If screws or bolts are used to assemble the toy box, then structural integrity is provided, but assembly becomes burdensome and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The toy box is divided into modular components (side walls, end walls, bottom wall, closure member) that can be assembled separately and connected through standardized slots and securing mechanisms, enabling quick assembly without requiring time-consuming screw or bolt installation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate connecting structures including slots in the walls and securing members (such as L-shaped connecting plates and closure members) that mediate between the wall components and bottom wall, providing structural integrity through these intermediary elements rather than direct screw-fastening between major components
2Strength
If screws or bolts are used to assemble the toy box, then structural integrity is provided, but fasteners can loosen over time creating hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic fasteners (screws and bolts) from the assembly system and replaces them with alternative connecting mechanisms including slots and securing members that do not have loosening issues, thereby eliminating the reliability problem while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The securing members and closure mechanisms are designed to self-lock or self-retaining features where the L-shaped connecting plates engage with the slots and the closure member secures the bottom wall in place through friction and geometric interlocking, providing ongoing structural integrity without requiring periodic tightening or maintenance
3Ease of operation
If dovetail sliding joints are used for tool-free assembly, then no tools are required, but construction becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex dovetail joints throughout the entire structure, the patent applies localized slot features in specific wall components and localized securing members at connection points, simplifying the overall construction while maintaining tool-free assembly capability
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using traditional joinery techniques like dovetail joints where the complexity is in the joint itself, the patent inverts the approach by using simple slots in the walls and separate securing members that lock into place, making the individual components easier to manufacture while achieving the same tool-free assembly goal
Data Source
AI summary
A box includes first and second spaced apart side walls, and first and second ends walls connected to opposite ends of the side walls. Each side wall has an elongated slot at a lower end of an inner surface thereof, and each end wall has an elongated slot at a lower end of an inner surface thereof, with the elongated slots of the side walls and the end walls all being coplanar. First and second bottom boards are inserted in the elongated slots of the side walls to form a bottom wall of the box, and a closure member is inserted into a space between the first and second bottom boards to lock the first board in the elongated slots of the side walls and the first end wall and to lock the second board in the elongated slots of the side walls and the second end wall.