Blind-Hole Furniture Panel Joint for Hidden Front Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture joint systems require visible holes and complex mechanisms, making them aesthetically unappealing, difficult to access, and encumbering, especially in limited spaces, while also compromising the structural integrity and appearance of the furniture.
Innovation Solution
A joint system with a container and casing that uses snap-in plugs and a blind hole configuration, allowing for front activation without visible holes, minimizing hole presence, and enabling easy access and aesthetically pleasing design by positioning interconnection components on a single plane, facilitating easy assembly and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If visible holes are used for joint insertion, then the joint can be assembled, but the aesthetic appearance of the furniture is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the joint mechanism from the visible surface by positioning it in the blind hole area at the rear of the furniture panel. The joint container is inserted into a blind hole and positioned such that the activation area is at the rear, making the joint components invisible from the front viewing surface, thus resolving the contradiction between assembly functionality and aesthetic appearance.
2Strength
If complex joint mechanisms are used, then the joint provides firm interconnection, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The joint is segmented into distinct functional components: a joint container inserted into a blind hole, a joint element with positioning protrusions, and a fixing element. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function simply, achieving firm interconnection through the interaction of these simple elements rather than a single complex mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint element features positioning protrusions that automatically engage with corresponding features in the joint container, enabling self-positioning and self-locking without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms. The fixing element simply needs to be inserted to complete the connection, making the assembly process straightforward while ensuring firm interconnection.
3Shape
If caps are added to cover holes, then the aesthetic appearance is restored, but the positioning of objects on the bottom is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The invention takes out the joint mechanism from the visible surface area where object positioning occurs. By positioning the joint in the blind hole at the rear and orienting the activation area toward the rear, the joint components are removed from the front viewing surface and object placement area, eliminating the need for caps and avoiding interference with object positioning.
4Ease of operation
If activation is from above, then the joint can be activated, but access is difficult in limited spaces between shelves
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional activation direction by positioning the activation area at the rear of the joint container rather than at the top. This allows activation to occur from the rear or side through the free area between the bottom and floor, making it accessible in limited spaces where top activation would be difficult.
Data Source
AI summary
A joint for firmly interconnecting a first panel and a second panel of furniture and other furnishing items positioned perpendicular to each other is provided with at least one fixing element coupled to the first panel and includes a plurality of interconnection and blocking components for joining and firmly blocking the two panels together, wherein, in the joint, the plurality of components lie on the same plane, which is parallel and interspaced with respect to the first panel and perpendicular with respect to the second panel.