Angled Wall Rack for Cylindrical Containers in Compact Hardware Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage solutions for craftsmen and mechanics are inefficient, requiring multiple containers, making it difficult to identify contents, prone to containers slipping or falling, and not accommodating the need for separate storage of various items like screws, nuts, and bolts, especially in limited spaces.
Innovation Solution
A storage rack with cylindrical apertures for coffee cans or similar containers, tilted at an angle for easy access and identification, secured to a wall using vertical studs, allowing easy removal and installation, and accommodating different sizes to fit various storage needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If containers are stored on shelves, then storage capacity is achieved, but it becomes difficult to identify contents and access items at the back
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal shelf storage to vertical wall-mounted rack storage. This dimensional change allows containers to be arranged vertically with front-facing labels for easy identification and access, while utilizing vertical wall space rather than horizontal shelf space. The tilt angle further optimizes this vertical arrangement for ergonomic access.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing containers on horizontal shelves where labels face upward or sideways, the patent inverts the arrangement by mounting containers vertically on a wall rack with labels facing forward. This inversion makes content identification immediate and accessible without requiring the user to move other containers.
2Ease of operation
If small containers like baby food bottles are used, then portability is improved, but they are too small to carry sufficient quantity of larger items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses standardized coffee cans that serve multiple functions: they are large enough to store substantial quantities of hardware items, have convenient handle-like rims for easy carrying, and can be uniformly stored in the rack system. This universal container design satisfies both portability and storage capacity requirements.
3Quantity of substance
If large containers are used, then storage capacity is improved, but they take up too much room on the shelf
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by moving from horizontal shelf storage to vertical wall-mounted storage. This allows large containers to be arranged vertically, utilizing vertical wall space instead of horizontal shelf space. The result is that large containers provide ample storage capacity while occupying minimal wall area.
4Ease of operation
If containers are tilted at an angle, then ease of removal is improved, but stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different qualities to different parts of the container-rack system. The containers are tilted at 6-15 degrees to facilitate easy removal and pouring, while the rack aperture and container diameter relationship (aperture slightly larger than container) provides localized friction and mechanical interference that prevent the containers from falling out. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between ease of removal and stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of removable cylindrical containers upwardly angled within apertures of a storage rack secured to a wall between spaced-apart studs for storing beneath individually marked openable closure lids various screws, washers, nuts, bolts, etc. of different size, composition and type as used by craftsmen and mechanics.