Adjustable Slat-and-Peg Support Rack for Flexible Wall Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wall storage systems for items like skis and other articles are inefficient, costly, difficult to install, and prone to damage, especially when dealing with varying sizes and shapes, and often require multiple rails or pegs for vertical spacing.
Innovation Solution
A support rack system with adjustable mounting pegs and slats that can be mounted to a wall, allowing for horizontal and vertical adjustment of pegs and slats to accommodate items of varying sizes and shapes, using materials like wood, plastic, or metal, and enabling easy expansion and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple rails are used to achieve vertical spacing of hooks, then vertical spacing capability is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the storage function into separate components: a fixed base rail mounted to the wall, and multiple movable hooks that can be independently positioned at different vertical locations. This segmentation allows vertical spacing without requiring multiple fixed rails, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hooks are designed to be movable along the base rail rather than fixed in position. This dynamic capability allows users to adjust vertical spacing of stored items as needed, providing the versatility of multiple rails without the permanent commitment and complexity of installing multiple fixed rails.
2Ease of manufacture
If wooden pegs are used in a board-and-peg system, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but reliability decreases due to peg breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses metal components (base rail and hooks) instead of wooden pegs, creating a composite material solution that maintains ease of manufacture through standardized metal fabrication while significantly improving reliability and durability. The metal construction eliminates the breakage issues associated with wooden pegs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If skis are stored on a board-and-peg rack, then storage capability is provided, but space efficiency decreases as skis extend at differing angles consuming distal space
Solution Approach 1:
The hooks are designed to be movable and adjustable, allowing skis to be positioned vertically rather than extending outward at angles. This dynamic positioning capability enables space-efficient storage where skis hang parallel to the wall, minimizing distal space consumption while maintaining the ability to store multiple pairs of skis.
4Ease of operation
If a fixed rail system is used, then installation simplicity is improved, but adaptability decreases when varying vertical spacing is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the fixed base rail from the movable hooks, maintaining installation simplicity for the rail while providing adaptability through the movable hooks. This segmentation allows the rail to be easily mounted once, while the hooks can be freely repositioned to achieve various vertical spacings as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable hooks provide dynamic positioning capability along the fixed rail, enabling the system to adapt to varying vertical spacing requirements without requiring complex adjustable rail mechanisms or multiple fixed rails. The simplicity of the fixed rail installation is preserved while gaining spacing flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A rack support and method of use. The support rack can include a plurality of support slats mounted to a support base. The support slats cooperatively provide a plurality of article mounting channels, and article mounts can be slidably mounted in the channels in order to provide a variety of orientations of the article mounts with respect to the support base. In one embodiment, the support channels are T-shaped, and the article mounts have T-shaped mounting ends that may slidably mount with the T-shaped support channels. Other support channel and mounting end shapes may be used. In some embodiments, the rack support may be used to store articles on a wall with increased article density, economy, reliability, safety, and/or usability.