Roller for apparatuses, furniture comprising a support part comprising a head part and a foot part
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing castor designs for apparatus and furniture are complex and costly to produce in various variants, failing to meet increasing customer demands for individual designs while being inefficient in production and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A castor design featuring a one-piece, exchangeable plastic cover that forms a continuous design surface, with locking elements and support areas allowing for customization and easy attachment, enabling mass production and cost-effective customization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate protective covers are slipped over the roller to protect it and provide design variety, then protection function and design customization are improved, but device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective cover and the roller into a single integrated component. The cover is formed as one piece with the roller body, eliminating the need for separate protective covers that need to be slipped over the roller. This integration maintains the protective function while simplifying the overall structure and reducing the number of parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated cover-roller design serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides protection for the roller mechanism, offers design customization through varied cover configurations, and simplifies assembly by being a single component. The universal design allows the same basic roller structure to accommodate different cover styles for various applications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate protective covers are produced for different designs, then design variety is improved, but production costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the cover and roller into one integrated component, the patent enables design variety to be achieved through variations in the single component's geometry rather than through multiple separate parts. This approach allows different designs to be produced using the same basic manufacturing process, reducing costs compared to producing multiple separate covers.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated cover-roller is designed with distinct functional zones (wheel cover areas and support part cover areas) that can be independently shaped and styled. This segmentation within the unified structure allows for design variety in different regions without requiring separate components for each design element.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If separate protective covers are used at a large distance from the roller, then protection function is improved, but design integration and customization are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the gap between the protective cover and the roller by integrating them into a single component. The cover areas extend directly over the wheel and support part areas, providing protection while maintaining continuous contact with the roller structure, thus eliminating the need for separate covers positioned at a distance.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described and illustrated is a roller (10) for apparatus, furniture, with a support part (11) having a head part (12) and a foot part (13), the head part (12) of which receives a fastening bolt and the foot part (13) of which supports a wheel axle (14) on which at least one wheel (15) is arranged, wherein a one-piece support part cover (19) made of plastic forming a continuous design surface is arranged replaceably on the support part (11) largely circumferentially.