Compact support and fixing device for furniture shelves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shelf support devices for furniture are complex, require large holes, and can be aesthetically unpleasing, while also being prone to infiltration of foreign materials and potential contact issues during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A compact support and fixing device with a casing closed to the outside, featuring a pin movable between maximum extraction and retraction, controlled by a cam element and housed within a U-shaped first half-shell and a covering half-shell, which snap-connect to form a sealed unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a window is provided in the casing of the shelf support, then the assembly process can be facilitated, but foreign materials can infiltrate into the device affecting correct operation
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is divided into two separate half-shells that are assembled together. This segmentation allows the pin to be inserted through one half-shell during assembly, facilitating the assembly process, while the other half-shell closes the opening to prevent foreign material infiltration into the device interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin is extracted from the casing during assembly by inserting it through one half-shell from the outside, allowing assembly without requiring openings in the final closed casing structure. This eliminates the need for permanent windows or openings that would compromise sealing.
2Ease of operation
If protrusions that move during sliding of the pin are arranged in the window, then the pin movement can be controlled, but contacts with the operator or external elements can occur causing various problems
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is segmented into two half-shells, allowing the pin to be controlled through the slot in one half-shell while the other half-shell remains closed. This eliminates exposed moving protrusions that could contact the operator, as all control elements are contained within the closed casing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The slot-shaped opening in the first half-shell acts as a flexible containment structure that allows pin movement control while maintaining a closed appearance. The thin wall structure with the slot provides guidance for the pin without requiring exposed mechanical protrusions that could contact external elements.
3Shape
If a bilobed profile with two essentially circular section convex end portions is provided, then the aesthetic impact is minimized and the device can be fully concealed, but a fairly large hole with complementary shape is required in the shelf
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into a pin and a casing with two half-shells. This segmentation allows the use of a simple cylindrical pin that requires only a small circular hole in the shelf, rather than requiring a large complementary bilobed hole. The aesthetic concealment is achieved through the closed casing structure that hides all components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin is nested within the casing formed by the two half-shells. This nesting arrangement allows the entire mechanism to be concealed within a compact external housing, achieving aesthetic goals while using minimal shelf material for the mounting hole.
4Shape
If the device is made compact to minimize aesthetic impact, then the device can be fully concealed, but the structure may become complex requiring drilling of complex holes
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into simple cylindrical components (pin and half-shells) rather than complex integrated shapes. This segmentation allows the use of simple circular drilling operations for mounting, avoiding the need to drill complex non-circular holes that would be required for monolithic compact designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The design parameters are changed from complex geometric shapes to simple cylindrical forms. This parameter change maintains compact dimensions for aesthetic concealment while simplifying the manufacturing and installation processes to use standard circular drilling operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides a stable, secure, and aesthetically concealed shelf support that minimizes the need for large holes, prevents foreign material infiltration, and ensures easy operation while maintaining structural rigidity.
Implementation Method 1
a spring (24) which pushes said pin (11) to move between a position of maximum retraction into the casing and a position of maximum extraction from the casing
Implementation Method 2
a cam element (25) which determines the movement of the pin (11) between said position of maximum extraction and said position of maximum retraction by rotation of the cam element (25)
Implementation Method 3
The first half-shell (16) and the second half-shell (17) are associated and snap-connected with each other
Data Source
AI summary
A compact support and fixing device for furniture shelves includes a casing containing a pin compressing a spring between positions of maximum extraction and maximum retraction inside the casing, and a cam for controlling the movement of the pin. The casing has a first and a second half-shell connected with each other, the first half-shell a wall with a through hole at one end for receiving a free terminal end of the pin. The pin has a first end portion of smaller diameter, an intermediate section receiving the cam, and a second end portion of reduced diameter, with a wall for centering and abutting the spring. The intermediate section has a flat surface with a recess receiving an eccentric lobed element of the cam, which engages a through opening in the recess, thus determining the movement of the pin between maximum extraction and maximum retraction by rotation of the cam.