Towing Ball Mount Vertical Display Using Removable Support Bar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy and cumbersome towing products, such as ball mounts, pose challenges in retail merchandising and displaying due to their size and similarity, making it difficult to distinguish variations and efficiently utilize retail space.
Innovation Solution
A towing ball mount merchandising and displaying arrangement that includes a removable support member extending through the ball mount's mounting portion, allowing it to be suspended vertically on a merchandising display, with protruding portions for engagement with display arms, enabling efficient use of space and clear differentiation of product variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If towing products are displayed horizontally in a spread arrangement, then the products are easily accessible, but a significant amount of retail space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal display arrangement to vertical suspension display. Ball mounts are suspended vertically from overhead structures using support members that extend through the mounting portion aperture, utilizing the vertical dimension to reduce floor space requirements while maintaining product accessibility.
2Loss of information
If many variations of ball mounts are displayed to show differences, then product variety is visible, but the retail space required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical suspension arrangement allows multiple ball mount variations to be displayed in a compact vertical configuration. Different variations can be hung at different heights or positions along the vertical display structure, making distinctions visible without requiring extensive horizontal space.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple ball mounts are combined into a single vertical display structure where they share common support members and hanging mechanisms. This consolidation allows various ball mount models to be displayed together in a space-efficient manner while maintaining visibility of their differences through orientation and positioning.
3Stability of the object's composition
If ball mounts are displayed horizontally, then they are stable and easy to view, but heavy and cumbersome products require more support structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes vertical suspension from overhead structures rather than horizontal support from floor-based displays. This vertical arrangement leverages the strength of overhead mounting points and allows the weight of heavy ball mounts to be borne by the suspension system and support members extending through the product apertures, reducing the complexity of floor-based support structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A towing ball mount merchandising and displaying arrangement. The arrangement includes a ball mount that includes a tongue portion having an aperture for receiving a securing portion of a hitch ball and that includes a mounting portion for insertion into a receiver located upon a vehicle. The mounting portion has an aperture there through for receiving a securing member to retain the mounting portion within the receiver located upon the vehicle. The arrangement includes a removable support member extending through the aperture of the mounting portion of the ball mount. The support member has portions that extend to protrude from each of two sides of the mounting portion. The portions of the support member that protrude provide contact areas for engagement with members of a merchandising display such that the ball mount is suspendable relative to the merchandising display upon the support member.