Cabinet Support Holder With Elastic Snap-Leg Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for attaching support elements in refrigerators, freezers, and wine storage cabinets are either difficult to install or do not provide a secure, reliable fixation, often requiring increased material costs and installation effort.
Innovation Solution
A holding device with an elastically deformable leg and a web structure that securely attaches to the cabinet, allowing for easy assembly and detachment of support elements, featuring an insertion opening and recess to encompass the web, and additional surfaces for optimal guidance and insertion limitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If support elements are permanently installed in the cabinet, then reliability of fixation is improved, but adaptability and ease of removal deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The holder incorporates an elastically deformable leg that can dynamically change its state between engaged and disengaged positions. During insertion, the leg deforms elastically to accommodate the web, then springs back to lock the support element securely. For removal, the leg is pressed to deform again, releasing the lock. This dynamic elastic behavior enables the system to provide both strong fixation during use and easy removal when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic leg changes its physical state (deformed vs. undeformed) to control the locking mechanism. When undeformed, the leg allows the support element to be inserted; when deformed by the insertion force, it encompasses the web to create a secure lock. This parameter change in the leg's shape enables transition between detachable and reliably fixed states.
2Reliability
If furniture fittings with screws are used in recesses, then fixation reliability is improved, but device complexity and installation effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex screw and furniture fitting components from the system, replacing them with a simple elastic leg mechanism that integrates directly into the holder. The elastic leg provides reliable fixation through its material properties and geometric design rather than through additional fastening components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining fixation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic leg is self-contained within the holder and requires no external screws, nuts, or separate fixing components. The leg's elasticity and geometry enable it to automatically lock onto the web when the support element is inserted, providing self-service fixation without requiring additional assembly steps or complex installation procedures.
3Ease of operation
If grooves or guides are molded into cabinet walls, then ease of insertion is improved, but fixation reliability deteriorates as support elements can be loosely removed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the guiding function and the locking function into a single integrated mechanism. The web serves as both the guide surface and the locking element, while the elastic leg provides both insertion assistance and secure fixation. This combination eliminates the need for separate grooves or guides that would only provide loose retention, achieving both ease of insertion and reliable fixation through one unified system.
4Ease of manufacture
If holes are made in cabinet walls for pin insertion, then ease of installation is improved, but fixation reliability and structural integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The web acts as an intermediary element that transfers the loading from the support element to the cabinet structure without requiring holes in the cabinet wall. The web is anchored to the cabinet (e.g., via adhesive or surface mounting) and provides a secure attachment point for the elastic leg, thereby maintaining fixation reliability while avoiding structural compromise of the cabinet wall.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables simple, secure, and reliable attachment of support elements with reduced assembly effort, providing enhanced safety and ease of removal while minimizing material costs and installation complexity.
Implementation Method 1
each holder present on the support element comprising an elastically deformable leg
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a holding device for a support element of a cabinet, wherein the cabinet has a seating surface (1) for seating the support element (2) or at least one holder (3) connected to the support element (2) and a bridge (5) arranged with a spatial distance to a wall (4) of the cabinet and each holder (3) on the support element (2) has at least one elastically deformable limb (6) that at least partially encloses the bridge (5) in a barbed manner when the support element (2) is inserted.