Compact Furniture Joint With Hidden Front Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture joints require visible holes and complex mechanisms, which detract from aesthetics and create obstacles, especially in limited spaces, making them difficult to actuate from above and unsightly.
Innovation Solution
A compact joint system with interconnection and blocking components positioned on a plane perpendicular to the panels, featuring a blind hole and pin configuration with a grub screw mechanism that allows front actuation, eliminating visible holes and minimizing encumbrance, enabling easy access and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a plug and butt constraining element system is used to join panels, then the joint can be produced with standard components, but visible holes are created which detract from aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the visible hole and cap assembly from the furniture surface by extracting the fastening function into a hidden mechanism. The cam element operates within a recessed cavity, eliminating the need for visible holes while maintaining the joining function through the cam's expansion action on the gripping elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing the cam element, gripping elements, and fastening components within a recessed cavity or groove in the panel. This nested arrangement hides all joint components from external view while maintaining full functionality, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and aesthetic appearance.
2Shape
If caps are added to cover holes, then aesthetics are partially restored, but the caps create obstacles for positioning objects and cause user disturbance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely removes the cap component from the design by extracting the fastening function into a hidden cam mechanism. This eliminates the obstacle problem entirely while maintaining aesthetics, as there are no protruding caps to interfere with object placement on furniture surfaces.
3Ease of manufacture
If actuation is performed from above, then the joint can be assembled, but in limited spaces between shelves or from the bottom, actuation is not always easy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the actuation dimension by designing the cam element to be operated from the side or front rather than from above. The cam's rotational movement expands the gripping elements horizontally, allowing actuation in limited vertical spaces or from the bottom of furniture, resolving the contradiction between assembly ease and operational ease in constrained environments.
4Strength
If expandable gripping means are used to connect panels, then a secure joint is achieved, but the mechanism requires holings of certain complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cam element, gripping elements, and fastening function into a single integrated mechanism. The cam's rotational movement simultaneously activates both gripping elements to expand and secure the joint, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the holing requirements while maintaining joint security.
Data Source
AI summary
A compact joint for connecting a first panel to a second panel of furniture and other furnishing items, positioned perpendicular to each other, includes a plurality of interconnection and blocking components for joining and firmly blocking the two panels together. The plurality of components of interconnection and blocking components lies on the same plane, which is perpendicular to the first and second panels and which contains a coupling axis between the first and second panels that travels inside the first panel. The joint also defines an actuation axis that is perpendicular to the coupling axis and lies on a plane parallel and interspaced with respect to the first panel and perpendicular with respect to the second panel.