Guide adapted to support a container, a storage system

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Solution Overview

Problem

At-home storage systems face challenges in preventing containers from being unintentionally dismounted from guides, which can lead to damage or harm, especially when loaded, and existing solutions often complicate the assembly process.

Innovation Solution

A guide system featuring an elongated track with a protrusion and dilatation, along with an attachable plug that occupies the dilatation after container mounting, counteracts unintentional removal by interacting with the container's abutment portion, ensuring secure positioning without requiring strong attachment forces and allowing easy assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a protrusion is provided in the track to prevent container dismounting, then container security is improved, but container assembly becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainer securityVSAvoidcontainer assembly
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The guide is segmented into two functional parts: a protrusion for security and a dilatation for assembly. The protrusion extends in the transverse direction to prevent container dismounting, while the dilatation creates a localized wider section in the track that allows the container to be easily inserted during assembly, resolving the contradiction between security and ease of assembly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The track has different geometric properties at different locations: a protrusion section for preventing dismounting and a dilatation section for facilitating assembly. This local variation in track geometry allows the same track to provide both security features and ease of assembly without compromise

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If stop clips are attached to guides after container insertion, then container dismounting is prevented, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainer dismounting preventionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protrusion and dilatation features are merged into a single integrated guide component rather than using separate stop clips. This integration reduces device complexity by eliminating additional parts while maintaining the dismounting prevention function through the protrusion geometry

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The dismounting prevention function is extracted from a separate stop clip component and incorporated directly into the guide's track geometry through the protrusion feature. This extraction eliminates the need for additional attachment components, simplifying the overall device

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If the guide is designed with features to prevent unintentional dismounting, then container security is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunintentional dismounting preventionVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The protrusion and dilatation features are built into the guide during manufacturing, so the dismounting prevention capability is already present before container installation. This preliminary incorporation of security features into the guide's basic structure avoids the need for complex post-assembly operations or additional manufacturing steps

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3500135B1Guide adapted to support a container, a storage system
Publication Date: 2022.07.20 IKEA SUPPLY AG
  • EP3500135B1 patent drawingFigure 1a
  • EP3500135B1 patent drawingFigure 1b
  • EP3500135B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2b

AI summary

The disclosure relates to a guide (20b) adapted to support a container (10) such that the container (10) is movable relative to the guide (20b) along a longitudinal direction (L) of the guide (20b), the guide (20b) comprising an elongated track (21) extending along the longitudinal direction (L), a protrusion (23) at least partly extending in a transverse direction (T1, T2), and a local dilatation (24) at least partly extending in a transverse direction (T1, T2), wherein the guide (20b) further comprises an attachable plug (30) adapted to be attached to the track (21) after mounting of the container (10) on the guide (20b), such that the plug (30) occupies at least a portion of the dilatation (24) and thereby counteracting unintentional manoeuvring of said portion of the container via the dilatation and thereby counteracting the abutment portion from circumnavigating the protrusion. The disclosure also relates to a storage system and to an attachable plug.