Angled Edge Support Device for Dolly Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional dollies with spring-actuated supports often cause containers to slide off due to accidental placement, leading to potential damage or loss of items, as the spring retraction allows for undesired disengagement during loading, unloading, and movement.

Innovation Solution

An edge support device with angled body sections and engagement assemblies that provide two-point contact at each corner of the dolly, preventing sliding by rigidly coupling to the dolly's openings through snap-fit mechanisms, ensuring stable positioning during use.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If spring-actuated supports are used to prevent container sliding, then support function is provided, but accidental placement causes support retraction allowing containers to slide off

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer position stabilityVSAvoidloading and unloading safety

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The support device is segmented into multiple independent body sections (first body section, second body section) each with dedicated engagement assemblies. This segmentation allows each section to independently engage with dolly openings, providing distributed support points that prevent container sliding while maintaining stability during loading and unloading operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The engagement assemblies are pre-configured with protrusions that must be inserted into dolly openings before the support can function. This preliminary engagement action ensures the support is securely attached to the dolly frame before containers are placed, preventing accidental retraction during loading and unloading while still providing support functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If engagement assemblies are designed to rigidly couple edge support to dolly, then disengagement prevention is achieved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveengagement stabilityVSAvoidengagement assembly structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The engagement assemblies utilize a nested structure where protrusions from body sections insert into openings in the dolly supporting surface. The protrusions are contained within the body sections until engagement, creating a compact nested configuration that achieves rigid coupling without excessive external complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of designing complex locking mechanisms that actively prevent disengagement, the invention inverts the approach by using simple protrusions that passively engage with openings. The engagement is achieved by the geometry of the protrusions fitting into the openings, preventing removal without requiring complex active locking components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS10442450B2Dolly edge support device

Publication Date: 2019.10.15 WALMART APOLLO LLC

AI summary

Example edge support devices for a dolly are described. The edge support devices include a body including first and second body sections angled relative to each other, a first engagement assembly extending from a bottom surface of the first body section, and a second engagement assembly extending from a bottom surface of the second body section. The first and second engagement assemblies each include a central protrusion and pairs of side protrusions configured to be inserted into openings in the supporting surface of the dolly. The pairs of side protrusions of the first and second engagement assemblies engage the respective openings of the dolly to detachably couple the body of the edge support devices to the dolly.