Next customer bar provided with fixing means for an advertising panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing 'next customer' bars used to support rigid advertising panels lack stability when the panels are in vertical position, often leading to accidental detachment due to insufficient insertion depth and frequent handling by customers, necessitating a cost-effective solution that maintains aesthetic appearance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a pair of alternately revolving vertical pins with eccentric profiles within the bar's longitudinal slot, allowing easy insertion and secure locking of the advertising panel by rotating the pins to interfere with the panel's edge, preventing accidental detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the panel is inserted in the bar for a very small percentage of its total height, then the bar structure remains simple and cost-effective, but the panel lacks stability and tends to be accidentally removed
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is designed to be rotatable within the bar, allowing it to dynamically change position between a retracted state (when no panel is present) and an engaged state (when panel is inserted). This dynamic mechanism provides stable panel retention through the pin's eccentric profile while maintaining simple bar construction without requiring a permanently extended slot or complex fixing structures
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing mechanism is segmented into separate functional components: the bar body, the rotatable pin, and the panel. This segmentation allows the pin to be independently positioned and rotated to engage with the panel edge, providing stable coupling without requiring the entire bar structure to be modified or extended
2Reliability
If a deeper longitudinal slot is provided in the bar to receive the panel, then the risk of accidental detachment is reduced, but the manufacturing cost and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a static deep slot structure, the invention employs a dynamic rotatable pin mechanism that can be positioned to engage the panel at the required depth. The pin rotates into engagement position only when needed, providing reliable detachment prevention without requiring a permanently deep slot that would increase manufacturing complexity and cost
3Stability of the object's composition
If fixing means are provided to guarantee stable coupling, then panel stability is improved, but the ease of rapidly mounting and dismounting panels may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable pin provides a dynamic fixing mechanism that can be quickly engaged or disengaged by simple rotation. When mounting a panel, the pin is rotated to engage with the panel edge, providing immediate stable coupling. When dismounting, the pin is rotated back to release the panel, enabling rapid panel changes without complex tools or procedures while maintaining secure attachment during use
Solution Approach 2:
The pin operates through periodic rotation between engaged and disengaged states, allowing rapid repeated mounting and dismounting of panels. This periodic mechanical action provides a simple, tool-free method for quickly changing advertising panels while ensuring stable coupling during the engaged phase
4Reliability
If the fixing means are made visible, then the panel retention mechanism is clear, but the aesthetic appearance of the bar is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is nested within the bar structure, positioned inside the longitudinal slot housing. When the pin is in its retracted or non-engaged position, it is concealed within the bar's internal cavity, maintaining the clean aesthetic appearance of the bar exterior. The pin only becomes visible when rotated into engagement with the panel, and even then remains partially concealed within the slot structure
Data Source
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AI summary
A 'next customer' bar for supermarkets, provided with two eccentric revolving pins (5) that are suitable for guaranteeing the rapid, stable fixing of the lower edge (4a) of a rigid advertising panel (4) inserted in the longitudinal slot provided in the bar.