Columbarium Shutter Mounting System for Stone Panel Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The columbarium industry faces challenges with existing concealed shutter mounting systems, particularly with the use of large 24″×24″ stone panels, which are difficult to handle, expensive, and require more hardware and labor for assembly, and do not allow for easy adjustment of stone thickness or relief patterns, leading to inconsistent gaps and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A universal concealed mounting system using a horizontal member with a front rail, back flange, and planar web, combined with adjustable upper clips, lower hangers, and swivel sockets, allowing for in-and-out and vertical adjustment of shutters, enabling easier installation, handling, and adjustment of stone thicknesses to create uniform gaps and relief patterns, while being corrosion-resistant and cost-effective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If large 24″×24″ stone panels are used, then the columbarium structure has a more traditional appearance, but the panels are difficult to handle, expensive, and require more hardware and labor for assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the traditional large 24×24 stone panel into nine separate 8×8 individual niche panels. Each panel can be independently handled, installed, and adjusted, eliminating the difficulty of moving and positioning heavy large panels while maintaining the traditional appearance through the grid arrangement of multiple smaller panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an adjustable mounting system with upper clips and lower hangers that allow the individual 8×8 panels to be dynamically positioned and adjusted during installation. This dynamic adjustment capability enables easy handling and positioning of the smaller panels while achieving uniform gaps and consistent spacing, overcoming the static handling difficulties of large panels.
2Shape
If large 24″×24″ stone panels are used, then the columbarium structure has a more traditional appearance, but the panels are expensive and require more hardware and labor for assembly
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the large panel into nine smaller 8×8 panels, the patent reduces the cost per panel and the total hardware required. Each small panel requires its own set of mounting hardware, but the overall cost is reduced because smaller panels are less expensive to manufacture, handle, and install individually, eliminating the need for expensive large panel fabrication and reducing labor costs for assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs a universal mounting system with standardized upper clips and lower hangers that can accommodate all nine individual 8×8 panels. This universal mounting approach simplifies the assembly process and reduces labor costs by using consistent hardware and installation procedures across all panels, making the overall assembly more cost-effective compared to installing nine separate large panels.
3Shape
If large 24′′×24′′ panels are used, then the columbarium structure has a more traditional appearance, but the panels do not allow for easy adjustment of stone thickness or relief patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the stone thickness adjustment capability across nine individual 8×8 panels, allowing each panel to be independently adjusted for thickness and relief patterns. This segmentation provides greater adaptability and versatility in accommodating different stone thicknesses and creating varied relief patterns while maintaining the traditional appearance, compared to adjusting a single large panel as a whole.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustment capability through the adjustable mounting system with upper clips and lower hangers. This dynamic system allows the individual panels to be adjusted in and out, vertically and horizontally, enabling easy modification of stone thickness and relief patterns while maintaining uniform gaps and consistent spacing, thereby achieving both adaptability and traditional appearance.
4Shape
If large 24′′×24′′ panels are used, then the columbarium structure has a more traditional appearance, but the panels result in inconsistent gaps and increased costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gap control into individual 8×8 panels, allowing each panel to be independently positioned and adjusted. This segmentation enables precise control over the gaps between panels, ensuring consistent spacing and uniform appearance while maintaining the traditional look. Each panel can be individually adjusted to achieve uniform gaps, eliminating the gap inconsistency problems associated with large panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic adjustable mounting system with upper clips and lower hangers that allows precise control over panel positioning. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the installer to fine-tune the position of each individual panel to achieve uniform gaps and consistent spacing, thereby improving manufacturing precision and eliminating the gap inconsistency problems of large panels while maintaining traditional appearance.
5Ease of operation
If individual 8′′×8′′ panels are used, then the panels are easier to handle and adjust, but the amount of individual hardware pieces required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mounting hardware into integrated upper clip and lower hanger assemblies that work together as a coordinated system. Each assembly combines multiple functional elements (clips, hangers, adjustment mechanisms) into a unified component, reducing the total number of separate hardware pieces needed while maintaining ease of operation for handling and adjusting the individual 8×8 panels.
6Ease of operation
If individual 8′′×8′′ panels are used, then the panels are easier to handle and adjust, but the amount of labor costs for initial assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates preliminary adjustment capabilities into the mounting system itself, with upper clips and lower hangers designed to allow easy in-and-out and vertical adjustment during assembly. This preliminary action capability enables installers to quickly position and adjust each individual 8×8 panel during initial assembly, reducing the time and labor required compared to installing large panels that would require more extensive adjustment and positioning work.
Data Source
AI summary
A columbarium having a framework of a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical risers and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal members defining a plurality of niches arranged in substantially horizontal rows and substantially vertical columns. Each of the horizontal members has a substantially planar web extending between a front rail and a back flange. A plurality of shutters is removably mounted over the plurality of niches by a concealed mounting system. The concealed mounting system permits the shutters to be movable about three axes of rotation as well as vertically and horizontally with respect to the horizontal members.