Cable-Managing Coupling Brackets for Electronic Shelving Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail environments face challenges with overwhelming product information on printed shelf tags that are difficult to read and not timely updated, failing to create an intimate customer experience and lacking operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An electronic shelving system with coupling brackets that include power and data couplers, integral fasteners, and cable combs to manage cables, facilitating the installation of coupling brackets with power and data cables, and featuring a 'U'-shaped bracket-coupling body with angled tongue for secure fastening to the shelving unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If printed shelf tags are used to display product information, then information can be displayed on shelving, but the information is difficult to read and not timely updated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical printed shelf tags with an electronic display system that uses electronic components (coupling brackets, cables, displays) to present product information. This substitution enables real-time updates of product information without requiring physical replacement of tags, thereby improving information timeliness while managing system complexity through modular electronic components.
2Productivity
If electronic components are integrated into shelving units, then operational efficiency is improved, but cable management becomes complex and tensile stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cable management system into distinct functional components: coupling brackets that attach to shelving units, cable combs that organize individual cables, and cable raceways that provide structured cable pathways. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity by breaking down cable management into manageable, specialized elements that can be independently installed and maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling bracket acts as an intermediary component between the shelving unit and electronic display systems. It provides a standardized interface that simplifies integration, absorbing mechanical stresses and providing organized cable access points. This intermediary structure reduces the complexity of direct cable connections to shelving units and manages tensile stress through its structural design.
3Ease of manufacture
If coupling brackets are used to attach electronic components, then installation is facilitated, but tensile stress on cables increases without proper management
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling bracket is designed with pre-integrated cable combs and cable management features that are built into the bracket structure before installation. This preliminary integration of cable management capabilities means that cables can be organized and protected from tensile stress during the installation process itself, rather than requiring separate cable management steps afterward. The bracket structure pre-provides cable pathways and stress distribution features.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is an electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, a shelving unit and one or more coupling brackets. Each coupling bracket includes a bracket-coupling body, one or more power couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, one or more data couplers disposed in the bracket-coupling body, and one or more integral fasteners such as a tongue extending from the bracket-coupling body configured for fastening the coupling bracket to the shelving unit. Also disclosed herein is a method for the electronic shelving system including, in some embodiments, installing n coupling brackets in the shelving unit, running at least n+1 power cables or data cables through a slotted cable raceway of the shelving unit, and coupling at least two power cables or data cables to each other by way of the coupling bracket.