Trash Can Stand Strip Decoupling for Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trash cans are prone to irreversible deformation and damage when placed on the floor due to impact forces, particularly when filled with heavy waste, leading to frequent replacements.
Innovation Solution
The trash can features an injection-molded plastic body with a stand strip that includes curved short segments decoupled from long segments by cutouts, providing enhanced impact absorption and reducing the risk of deformation, with the stand strip's design featuring corrugated or labyrinthine sections for improved stability and material efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the stand strip is continuous and solid, then the structural strength is improved, but the impact forces are transmitted directly to the plastic body causing deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The stand strip is divided into multiple segments by introducing cutouts, creating a segmented structure that can deform independently. This segmentation allows the stand strip to absorb impact forces through localized deformation rather than transmitting forces directly to the plastic body, resolving the contradiction between maintaining structural strength and reducing impact force transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand strip is designed with cutouts that create inherent deformation zones, providing beforehand cushioning capacity. When impact occurs, these pre-designed weak points deform first, absorbing energy before forces can reach the plastic body, thus protecting the structure in advance against potential damage.
2Loss of substance
If the stand strip is made thinner to reduce material usage, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the impact absorption capability is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the stand strip through cutouts, the design allows thinner individual segments that can still provide adequate impact absorption. The segmented structure enables each thin segment to deform independently, maintaining reliability while reducing overall material usage compared to a solid thick stand strip.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutouts change the geometric parameters of the stand strip, creating regions with reduced thickness that are optimized for deformation. This parameter change allows the stand strip to use less material while maintaining or improving impact absorption capability through controlled deformation zones.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The decoupling of stand strip segments significantly reduces the risk of damage to the trash can's plastic body upon impact, allowing it to absorb forces more effectively and maintain structural integrity even under heavy loads, thereby extending its lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
blows transmitted to the stand strip of the trash can, for example, during placement of the trash can on a floor, may be much better mitigated by the stand strip
Implementation Method 2
impact forces may be very effectively absorbed by the stand strip when the cutouts are provided at the merges between the short stand-strip segments and the long stand-strip segments
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a trash can (1) having an injection-molded plastic body (2) formed by side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) and a bottom wall (8) positioned relative to each other such that the side walls and the bottom wall together define a cavity (15) having an opening (17) opposite the bottom wall (8), each side wall (3, 4, 5, 6) integrally merging into the adjacent side walls at common corners (11, 12, 13, 14), and a stand strip (26) extending at least partially along edges (27, 28, 29) of a lower face (25) of the bottom wall (8) directed away from the cavity (15) is provided on the lower face (25) and has curved short stand-strip segments (30, 31) at some of the common corners (11, 12, 13, 14) joined to long stand-strip segments (32, 33, 34), characterized in that the curved short stand-strip segments (30, 31) are at least partially decoupled from the long stand-strip segments (32, 33, 34) by cutouts (35, 36, 37, 38).