Bagging station support frame and method of forming the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing bagging stations in retail stores are primarily mounted at checkout counters, limiting their availability as customers increasingly use electronic purchasing and self-checkout, necessitating a solution to place bagging stations at various locations throughout the store.
Innovation Solution
A bagging station support frame that includes a holder for the bagging station and a rail coupler, allowing the frame to be easily mounted on rails found throughout the retail store, enabling the bagging station to be positioned at convenient locations for customers to use while shopping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If bagging stations are mounted only at checkout counters, then the mounting structure is simple and fixed, but the availability and accessibility of bagging stations to customers is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame is designed with a universal rail coupler that can attach to various rail types (round, square, rectangular) and mounting locations throughout the store, not just at checkout counters. This allows the same frame design to be used in multiple locations including aisle ends, product displays, and other high-traffic areas, providing location flexibility without requiring different mounting structures for each location.
2Ease of operation
If bagging stations are placed throughout the store, then customer convenience and shopping efficiency improve, but the complexity of the mounting system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is segmented into separate functional components: a rail coupler module that attaches to existing store rails, and a support frame module that holds the bagging station. This segmentation allows the rail coupler to be independently designed for universal compatibility with various rail types, while the support frame can be standardized. The modular approach simplifies installation throughout the store by allowing quick attachment to existing rail infrastructure without complex custom mounting for each location.
3Ease of manufacture
If a standardized support frame design is used, then manufacturing cost and complexity are reduced, but adaptability to different store layouts and locations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The rail coupler acts as an intermediary component between the standardized support frame and the varied store rail infrastructure. The coupler is designed with universal attachment mechanisms that can accommodate different rail types (round, square, rectangular) and orientations. This intermediary allows the standardized support frame to be adapted to any location with existing rails, providing location adaptability without requiring custom frame designs for each location, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a bagging station support frame that includes a bagging station holder and a rail coupler coupled to the bagging station holder. The bagging station holder holds a bagging station. A bagging station holds a plurality of shopping bags ready to receive products purchased by a customer. The rail coupler couples the bagging station support frame to a rail. Rails are common fixtures throughout retail stores. The bagging station support frame can be coupled to a rail at various locations throughout the retail store. A bagging station coupled to the bagging station support frame will be available for customers to bag their purchases wherever the bagging station support frame with bagging station is mounted. By mounting bagging station support frames with bagging stations throughout the retail store, customers can easily bag their purchases as they shop, without having to find a checkout counter to obtain shopping bags.