The present disclosure generally relates to container devices, systems, and methods. In various such embodiments, container devices and systems are configured for holding items in transport and shipping, and these embodiments can provide such container devices and systems that are reusable in subsequent transport and shipping applications. Moreover, various such embodiments can provide modular container devices and systems that can be assembled from a number of individual wall components so as to form a container with dimensions as suited for the particular items that are the subject of the transport and shipping application.
Conveying goods between parties at different locations generally requires that these goods be shipped to the desired location. Currently, corrugated boxes are used as a common means for holding such goods during shipping. Once an item is received at the desired location, the item is removed from the corrugated box and the corrugated box is discarded.
However, the rapid rise of e-commerce transactions pertaining to tangible goods has caused a correspondingly rapid rise in the amount of packaging consumption and waste. Even where discarded corrugated boxes are recyclable, the amount of energy needed to recycle the corrugated box may be considerable, even at times exceeding the benefit of converting the discarded corrugated into a reusable form.
The present application discloses container device, system, and method exemplary embodiments. In particular, disclosed herein are exemplary container devices and systems that can be reusable in subsequent transport and shipping applications. Accordingly, embodiments disclosed herein can reduce inputs, reduce the carbon footprint, and lower costs associated with the shipping of tangible goods. Moreover, such embodiments can provide modular container devices and systems that can be assembled from a number of individual wall components so as to form a container with dimensions as suited for the particular tangible goods that are the subject of the transport and shipping application.
One exemplary embodiment includes a system of attachable walls. This system embodiment includes a first wall and a second wall. Each of the first wall and the second wall includes a first side having a base surface and a repeatable pattern. The repeatable pattern includes a first lateral segment, a second lateral segment, a third lateral segment, and fourth lateral segment. The second lateral segment is adjacent to the first lateral segment. The second lateral segment includes a resilient first flange extending outward of the base surface of the first side and a flexible finger extending outward of the base surface of the first side. The flexible finger has a first side facing the resilient first flange, a second side, opposite the first side, facing away from the resilient first flange and toward the first lateral segment, a first mating component positioned on the second side of the flexible finger, and a receptacle formed between the resilient first flange and the flexible finger. The receptacle is configured to receive a pin and hold the pin at the receptacle such that, when the pin is inserted into the receptacle, the flexible finger is prevented from flexing toward the resilient first flange. The third lateral segment is adjacent to the second lateral segment such that the second lateral segment is between the first lateral segment and the third lateral segment. The fourth lateral segment is adjacent to the third lateral segment such that the third lateral segment is between the second lateral segment and the fourth lateral segment. The fourth lateral segment includes a second flange extending away from the base surface of the first side. The second flange includes a second mating component positioned on a side of the second flange facing the third lateral segment. The first side of the first wall is configured to engage with the first side of the second wall such that: the first lateral segment of the first wall receives the second flange of the fourth lateral segment of the second wall; the first lateral segment of the second wall receives the second flange of the fourth lateral segment of the first wall; the third lateral segment of the first wall receives the flexible finger and the resilient first flange of the second lateral segment of the second wall; the third lateral segment of the second wall receives the flexible finger and the resilient first flange of the second lateral segment of the first wall; the first mating component of the first wall engages the second mating component of the second wall; and the first mating component of the second wall engages the second mating component of the first wall. And, when the first side of the first wall engages the first side of the second wall, the first wall is rotatable relative to the second wall about a rotational axis defined by the first mating component of the first wall and the second mating component of the second wall.
Advantages of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art with the benefit of the following detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
The following detailed description is exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides some practical illustrations for implementing various embodiments of the present invention. Unless otherwise noted, illustrations of various aspects of the disclosure are not necessarily drawn to scale. Examples of constructions, materials, dimensions, and manufacturing processes are provided for selected elements, and all other elements employ that which is known to those of ordinary skill in the field of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the noted examples have a variety of suitable alternatives.
The wall 100 may include one or more support flanges, such as support flanges 135. Support flanges 135 may be used to add structural stability to reinforce and provided added durability to a wall and/or have alternative uses while packing as discussed herein. Support flanges 135 can extend out from the wall and comprise supports around the peripheral of the wall; supports on or near the center of the wall; and supports traversing from the peripheral of the wall towards the interior of the wall.
In some embodiments, wall 100 may additionally include one or more attachment points, such as attachment point 145. Attachment point 145 may, for instance, be at a different elevation than a base surface of the wall 100 and, thus, may be recessed into the base surface of wall 100 or be extended out from the base surface of the wall 100 like the illustrated support flanges 135. For example, the attachment point 145 can be formed from one or more portions of support flanges 135, such as a center ring of the wall 100 as shown in
Wall 100 may comprise an identification component, such as identification component 160 as shown in
When the similar side of another wall (e.g. a wall comprising the third side 114 rotated 180 degrees) is connected to the third side 114, the third side 114 may be rotatable relative to the similar side of another wall about a rotational axis 264 (e.g., “hinge” or “pivot” axis). In embodiments where the mating component(s) of one wall are configured to rotatably receive the corresponding mating components of another wall connected thereat, the corresponding mating features can form the rotational axis 264. Thus, the rotational axis 264 can extend through each of the first mating component 254 and the second mating component 274, as shown in
The receptacle 258 can be configured to receive a pin and hold the pin at the receptacle 258 such that, when the pin is inserted into the receptacle 258, the flexible finger 256 is prevented from flexing toward the resilient first flange 252. As such, the receptacle 258 can be configured, when the receptacle receives the pin thereat, to limit the amount that the flexible finger 256 can flex, thereby increasing a locking force between a second mating component 274 and the first mating component 254. As shown, for example in
The third side 114 may additionally include third lateral segment 260 adjacent to the second lateral segment 250 such that the second lateral segment 250 is between first lateral segment 240 and third lateral segment 260. In some embodiments, third lateral segment 260 may be on base surface 205. First side 110 may also include fourth lateral segment 270 located adjacent to third lateral segment 260 such that third lateral segment is between second lateral segment 250 and fourth lateral segment 270. Fourth lateral segment 270 may further include a second flange 272 which comprises a second mating component 274 positioned on the side of the second flange 272 facing the third lateral segment 260. In some embodiments, the first mating component 254 is configured to receive a second mating component 274 on a different wall.
The pin 380, as shown here, can include one or more flex features. The one or more flex features can be configured to be biased in a direction outward from a central longitudinal axis of the pin 380 and retract inward toward the central longitudinal axis of the pin 380 when encountering the receptacle 358 as a result of the receptacle 358 overcoming this bias force and pushing the one or more flex features inward. When biased outward, the one or more flex features can define a width of the pin 380 that is greater than the width of the receptacle 358, and, when in the inward position, the one or more flex features can define a width of the pin 380 that is less than the width of the receptacle 358. Thus, the pin 380, via the one or more flex features, can be configured to transition from a width less than the width of the receptacle 358 when the one or more flex features are in contact with the receptacle 358 to a width greater than the width of the receptacle 358 when the one or more flex features are not in contact with the receptacle 358 (e.g., once the one or more flex features have passed through the receptacle 358). In the illustrated embodiment, the pin 380 includes four flex features spaced about a perimeter of the pin 380 at a common axial location along the pin's central longitudinal axis at, or near, an axial end of the pin 380.
As shown in
Multiple walls may be joined together to make a geometrical net. For example,
As shown in
In some embodiments, the one or more identification components 460a-f may be used during constructing containers and/or delivering containers. For example, each identification components 460a-f can provide a unique identifier for the wall it is associated with. Where a container is formed from multiple (e.g., six) walls, the container itself can have an associated aggregate unique identifier that is a combination of each of the multiple (e.g., six) individual unique identifiers provided by the respective identification component 460a-f of each wall. Accordingly, the aggregate unique identifier associated with the container can be used to identify the container.
With respect to forming a container, the one or more identification components may be used to identify which walls may be assembled into a geometrical net and/or container. In some embodiments, the information may be stored on the identification component on the wall, be used as an identification ID to look up information about the wall on something else, and/or a combination of both.
For example, each wall may have information pertaining to a property of the wall (e.g. size, shape, material, thickness, owner of the wall). Additionally or alternatively, each wall may have information regarding the strength of the wall (e.g. how much weight could be put into a container), the age of the wall (e.g. manufacture date, amount of times the wall has been previously used, etc.), and/or any restrictions/ratings for the wall (e.g. temperature rating, maximum weight, any deformities or missing pieces, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the identification components may be used when joining two or more walls into a geometrical net or a container. For example, the identification components may be used to allow a user and/or machine to layout which components to join and in what orientation as well as which components to fold and in what orientation. In such examples, one or more walls may be selected from a group of walls to be joined and/or folded together to form a geometrical net and/or a container.
In some embodiments, information corresponding to the identification components may be read via a scanning device, such as scanning device 580. Scanning device 580 may include a processor 582, a user interface 584, and a scanner 586. Scanning device 580 may also include a memory to store scanning information, package information, or the like. Further, scanning device 580 may be connected (e.g., wirelessly or wired) to an additional device or remote server to store and/or retrieve scanning information, package information, or the like.
As shown in
As shown in
Method 501 may also include the containers being scanned during delivery (step 530). For example, the container may be scanned when it is unloaded from the delivery mechanism, dropped off at the designated address, or the like. In some embodiments, a scanning device (e.g. scanning device 580) may periodically scan the containers loaded onto the delivery mechanism, and update which containers have been delivered based on which containers were still identified by the scanning device. When a container has been delivered, or has any update regarding the delivery, the package information may be updated (step 535).
In one embodiment, the method 501 can additionally include a step of using container information in connection with loading a delivery mechanism. This step can, for instance, occur after assembling one or more containers and before loading such containers at a delivery mechanism. For example, the size of each wall used to construct each panel can be known (e.g., obtained from identification components of the walls) and input into an algorithm. Information pertaining to the delivery mechanism can also be input into the algorithm, such as the type of delivery mechanism (e.g., truck, drone, etc.) and/or the volume available for loading containers. The algorithm can then use the input container information and the input delivery mechanism information to output a delivery mechanism assignment for each container. Where the containers are constructed from walls as disclosed herein, the containers may have a variety of sizes suited for the type(s) of items that the containers are to hold. As such, the algorithm can take into account the variability in the sizes of the containers, along with the delivery mechanism information (e.g., available volume), in a manner that optimizes which delivery mechanism a container is to be loaded at (and/or where at the delivery mechanism the container is to be loaded at) and, thereby, can increase the containers loaded onto a delivery mechanism and increase the efficiency of transporting such containers.
Having various sized walls which are attachable, and rotatable (e.g., pivotable about the attached sides), to one another can allow for the construction of custom sized containers. For example, to make a large container, one may use a larger wall or may combine various smaller walls to construct the container.
In various embodiments, the containers may be cubes or rectangular prisms, and thus be made up of multiple walls shaped as squares and rectangles. In some embodiments, each container side can be made up of one or more walls which when attached make a rectangular side. However, in some embodiments, the containers may comprise other shapes, such as various prisms, pyramids, and polyhedrons which may comprise walls which are not rectangular.
As disclosed herein, walls may comprise a single component with three or more sides having the repeatable pattern (e.g. walls 600A-C comprising repeatable pattern 615). However, sides comprising the repeatable pattern (e.g. repeatable pattern 615) may be attached to other components.
Side 910 may be attached base 905 using various techniques, such as with attachment points 983. In some embodiments, side 910 may be inserted over base 905 and attached using attachment points 983, such as via nails, screws, pins, dowels, etc. Additionally or alternatively, side 910 may slide and/or snap onto base 905.
In some embodiments, attachable wall 900 may be manufactured at a plurality of lengths and then either chosen based on size or cut down to be a size of interest. Additionally or alternatively, the attachable wall 900 may be manufactured with a plurality of different repeatable patterns wherein a particular repeatable pattern is chosen based on the characteristics of the container, the potential contents of the container, or the like. For example, the length and/or width of repeatable pattern (e.g. repeatable pattern 915) may be adjusted based on the material used, the potential size of the container, and the potential contents of the container. For example, a smaller container may comprise a repeatable pattern which is finer (e.g. the repeatable pattern is repeated more often and has a smaller width/length) wherein a larger container may comprise a larger repeatable pattern. In such embodiments, walls may be chosen based on the size of the wall and based on the size of the repeatable pattern.
Various embodiments have been described, such examples are non-limiting, and do not define or limit the scope of the invention in any way. Rather, these and other examples are within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/980,481, filed on Feb. 24, 2020.
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