Convertible Transport Box With Wedge Base for Stable Lap Tray Use
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lap trays for transporting and consuming food lack optimal stabilization and means to keep objects on the tray, especially when used as a lap tray by a seated user, and are not convertible from a transport box to a tray effectively.
Innovation Solution
A transport box designed with a wedge-shaped bottom and pivoting lid parts that can transform into a lap tray, providing stability by fitting between the user's thighs and keeping objects secure, with features like a handle for easy carrying and re-closure to maintain food temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the transport box is designed as a simple open tray, then it is easy to manufacture and access food, but it lacks stability and allows food to slide off
Solution Approach 1:
The transport box is divided into a base portion and a lid portion that can be separated. The lid portion includes first and second lid parts that can pivot independently, allowing the box to function as a closed transport container or an open lap tray with stabilized edges, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid parts are designed to pivot between different positions: closed position for transport, and open position where they extend beyond the base to form stabilized tray edges. This dynamic transformation allows the same structure to provide stability in tray mode while remaining simple to manufacture.
2Reliability
If the transport box is designed with stabilization features, then it provides reliability when used as a lap tray, but it cannot be easily converted from transport mode to tray mode
Solution Approach 1:
The lid portions are designed with pivot capability, allowing them to dynamically transition between closed and open positions. This enables easy conversion from transport mode to lap tray mode while maintaining stability in tray mode through the extended lid edges that prevent food from sliding off.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid serves multiple functions: it closes the box for transport, and when opened, it extends beyond the base to form stabilized tray edges. This multi-functionality allows the same structure to provide both transport capability and stable tray functionality without requiring separate components.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the lid is designed to fully close the opening, then it maintains food temperature and hygiene during transport, but it prevents easy access to food when used as a lap tray
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is segmented into first and second lid parts that can pivot independently. When opened, these lid parts extend beyond the base to form tray edges, allowing easy access to food while the remaining closed portions continue to protect and retain heat for the food in the base.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid transitions from a fully closed state that protects food during transport to a partially open state where lid parts extend outward. This dynamic configuration provides both protection during transport and easy food access during consumption, resolving the contradiction between temperature maintenance and accessibility.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A transport box configured for being transformable into a lap tray, which includes a compartment defined by opposite side walls, a front wall opposite a rear wall, and a bottom, with the walls delimiting an opening opposite the bottom for accessing the compartment, the opening having a circumferential edge which is defined by opposite upper edges of the side walls, an upper edge of the rear wall and an upper edge of the front wall, and a lid for the opening comprising at least a first lid part extending from the circumferential edge of the opening. The bottom has a front wall edge and a rear wall edge, which rear wall edge is shorter than the front wall edge, and the first lid part is configured for being folded or pivoted away from the opening in a transformed state of the transport box to serve as a lap tray.