Caster Attachment Plate With Mating Recesses for Upright Cabinet Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current caster attachment methods for electronic equipment enclosures are cumbersome, often requiring cabinets to be positioned on their side for installation, and can cause damage to threaded studs, leading to expensive rework and scrap if fasteners are improperly installed.
Innovation Solution
A caster assembly with a top plate featuring countersunk recesses that align with mating features on the frame structure, allowing for easy installation by aligning the recesses beneath the frame, and utilizing welded nuts or tapped collars to secure the caster assembly in place, eliminating the need for precise visual alignment and reducing the risk of damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If current caster attachment methods are used with pre-installed threaded studs, then casters can be attached to the enclosure, but the cabinet must be positioned on its side for installation and access to fastener hardware is greatly diminished when upright
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional attachment approach by providing fastener hardware (threaded inserts or recesses) on the interior surface of the enclosure rather than on the exterior. This allows casters to be installed from the inside of the enclosure, eliminating the need to position the cabinet on its side and providing full access to fastening operations regardless of cabinet orientation.
2Reliability
If current caster attachment methods with threaded studs are used, then casters can be secured to the frame, but expensive rework and scrap occur if fasteners damage the threaded studs through cross-threading or stripping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary threaded insert or recess feature that mediates between the caster fastener and the frame structure. This intermediary element can be replaced if damaged, protecting the expensive frame structure from damage and eliminating the need to scrap the entire cabinet when a fastener malfunctions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent treats the threaded insert or recess feature as a sacrificial, replaceable component. If the fastener damages this element, only this inexpensive component needs replacement rather than scrapping the entire cabinet, effectively making it a disposable protective element.
3Ease of manufacture
If pre-installed threaded studs are used on the frame, then casters can be attached, but the studs are vulnerable to damage from improper fastener installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places an intermediary threaded insert between the fastener and the frame structure's pre-installed features. This intermediary absorbs the mechanical stress and potential damage from improper fastener installation, protecting the permanently installed frame features from harm.
Data Source
AI summary
A caster assembly for installation in an electronic equipment enclosure includes a top plate, a forked support member, and an axled wheel. The top plate is attachable to a frame structure of the electronic equipment enclosure and includes a plurality of countersunk recesses. The forked support member extends downward from the top plate, and the axled wheel is supported on the forked support member. The caster assembly is installable in an assembled electronic equipment enclosure by aligning the countersunk recesses of the top plate beneath mating features at an underside of the frame structure such that, once aligned, the weight of the assembled electronic equipment enclosure retains each mating feature of the frame structure within a respective one of the plurality of countersunk recesses in the top plate, thereby retaining the caster assembly in position to support the assembled electronic equipment enclosure.