Ventilated Container With Segmented Cavities and Sealing Film
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plastic walled containers with hinged lids lack a barrier between the internal cavities, causing items placed in the lid to fall out when the lid is folded over, leading to contamination and limited storage capacity and ventilation.
Innovation Solution
A container apparatus with integrally connected sidewalls and end walls forming flanges, featuring castellations separated by ventilation apertures, and secured by locking mechanisms, which can be connected via a hinge and sealed with a film to prevent contents from falling out and ensure ventilation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hinged lid is folded over the base to secure food items, then the container provides a compact closed structure, but items placed in the lid cavity fall out causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into separate sealed cavities: the base cavity and the lid cavity. Each cavity is independently sealed with its own closure system (snap-fit lid for base, hinge closure for lid). This segmentation prevents food items from falling between cavities while maintaining compact closed structure when folded.
Solution Approach 2:
A barrier or separation mechanism is introduced between the base cavity and lid cavity to prevent direct contact and item transfer. The sealed cavity structure acts as an intermediary that maintains physical separation, eliminating the contamination pathway while preserving the hinged compact design.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the container interior is ventilated with holes through sidewalls, then air circulation is improved, but structural integrity and sealing are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Flexible ventilation membranes or films are integrated into the container sidewalls, providing controlled air circulation while maintaining structural integrity. These flexible barriers allow gas permeability for ventilation but resist structural compromise, enabling both air flow and strength to be achieved simultaneously.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the container provides large storage capacity with separate cavities, then storage versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs universal closure mechanisms that serve multiple functions: snap-fit lids seal the base cavity while also providing structural reinforcement, and hinge closures both close the lid cavity and provide structural support. This multi-functionality increases storage versatility without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functions are merged into single structural elements: the cavity separators also serve as structural ribs, closure mechanisms provide both sealing and structural support, and the hinged lid serves as both a closure and a structural frame. This merging reduces overall complexity while maintaining large storage capacity with separate cavities.
Data Source
AI summary
A container apparatus having at least one containment member is disclosed that may include a bottom and at least one sidewall, an interior and an open end. The container may also include a flange that extends around a free end of the at least one side wall, and a plurality of wall members (or castellations) connected to/formed with/that extend from the flange. The plurality of wall members may be separated by ventilation apertures, with the plurality of wall members and the ventilation apertures extending around the perimeter of the free end. A sealing material, such as a removable film, may extend over the open end to enclose the containment member.