Travel tray and container system
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cup-holder systems in vehicles, especially those integrated with child safety seats, face challenges in providing convenient and sanitary access to both beverages and snacks for children, as they often become unsanitary due to food residue accumulation when used for both purposes.
Innovation Solution
A travel tray and container system that includes a base with a tray portion and a removable storage container insert, designed to fit within a vehicle's cup-holder, allowing secure storage and easy cleaning, with options for dividers and a lid to separate food items and prevent spills.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cup-holder tray is used to provide both beverage and food storage, then convenience and accessibility are improved, but sanitation deteriorates due to food residue accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The tray system is divided into a permanent base portion that remains in the cup-holder and removable insert portions that can be taken out for cleaning or replacement. This segmentation allows the food-contact surfaces to be easily separated from the mounting structure, enabling thorough cleaning without removing the entire assembly from the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for disposable inserts to be discarded after use and replaced with clean ones, or for removable inserts to be recovered, cleaned, and reused. This approach eliminates the need to manually clean food residue from complex tray structures, as the removable portions can be easily washed or replaced.
2Ease of operation
If a parent hands snacks to a child in a safety seat, then the child's hunger needs are met, but driver distraction increases leading to safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
Snacks are pre-loaded into the removable inserts before the vehicle journey begins. This preliminary preparation allows the parent to simply swap inserts rather than handling individual food items during driving, minimizing distraction and maintaining focus on the road while still meeting the child's needs.
3Ease of operation
If a child holds a snack container, then access to food is provided, but spills and drops occur when the child becomes distracted
Solution Approach 1:
The snack storage compartment is merged with the cup-holder tray system, creating an integrated unit that provides both beverage and food storage. This combination allows the child to access snacks from a stable, fixed structure rather than holding a separate container, reducing the risk of drops and spills while maintaining easy access.
Data Source
AI summary
A travel tray and container system includes a base having a cylinder for receiving a beverage container and a tray having a tray shape extending in a horizontal plane to bisect the cylinder to define an upper cylinder and a lower cylinder eccentrically disposed within the horizontal plane. The lower cylinder is dimensioned to closely fit within a cup-holder. The tray has a vertical wall extending around its perimeter, where the upper cylinder and the vertical wall define a tray retention volume having an eccentric cut-out region corresponding to the cylinder. A removable insert has a shape that fits within the tray retention volume, the insert having upper edges configured for attachment of a container-sealing lid.