D-Shaped Pivotable Shelving for Extended Cabinet Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional revolving shelves or trays do not allow easy access to items stored at the back of a cabinet, as they do not extend beyond the cabinet front when rotated, and lack the ability to accommodate items of varying heights and independent rotation of shelves.
Innovation Solution
A novel revolving shelf/tray design that can partially extend beyond the cabinet front when rotated, featuring multiple swiveling spinners and shelves, allowing for independent rotation of items and accommodating items of varying heights, with a geometric 'D' shape that enables forward extension and includes features like raised portions for obstruction clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional revolving shelf is placed in a cabinet, then items at the back of the cabinet become accessible through rotation, but the shelf does not extend beyond the cabinet front, limiting easy access to items
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf is designed with an asymmetric geometric shape (such as a D-shape or triangular shape) rather than a conventional circular shape. This asymmetric geometry allows the shelf to extend beyond the cabinet front when rotated to certain positions, while still fitting within the cabinet when retracted, thereby providing easy access to items without requiring the shelf to be completely outside the cabinet at all times.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf is designed to be rotatable or pivoting, allowing it to dynamically change its position between extended (protruding from cabinet front) and retracted (completely behind cabinet front) states. This dynamic capability enables the shelf to adapt between providing extended access and maintaining a compact profile within the cabinet.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple shelves are added to increase storage capacity, then storage capacity increases, but the structure becomes more complex and items of varying heights cannot be accommodated
Solution Approach 1:
The shelving system is divided into multiple independent shelves that can be separately positioned and adjusted. Each shelf can be independently rotated or positioned, allowing items of varying heights to be placed on different shelves without interference. This segmentation maintains relatively simple individual shelf structures while achieving increased overall storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical stacking of multiple shelves to increase storage capacity in the vertical dimension rather than expanding horizontally. This allows multiple levels of storage within the same footprint, accommodating items of varying heights by placing taller items on lower shelves and shorter items on upper shelves, thereby increasing storage capacity without proportionally increasing structural complexity.
3Device complexity
If all shelves are connected to rotate together, then the structure is simple, but items on different shelves cannot be accessed independently
Solution Approach 1:
The shelving system is segmented into multiple independently rotatable shelves, each capable of rotating separately from the others. This allows users to rotate individual shelves to access specific items without having to rotate all shelves together, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining relatively simple individual shelf structures that can be independently controlled.
4Ease of operation
If the shelf is designed to extend beyond the cabinet front, then easy access to items is improved, but the shelf may obstruct other items or become unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric geometric shape of the shelf is specifically designed to extend beyond the cabinet front in a controlled manner that minimizes obstruction of other items. The shape allows strategic extension in directions that provide access to items while avoiding interference with adjacent cabinet contents, thereby maintaining reliability and reducing obstructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf design incorporates features that preemptively address potential obstruction and stability issues. The geometric shape and rotation mechanism are designed to extend the shelf in a manner that avoids colliding with or obstructing other items in the cabinet, and the structure includes support features that maintain stability even when extended, thereby preventing problems before they occur.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is for a novel pivotable shelving system utilizing (in some embodiments) one or more D-shaped shelves that may pivot such that when it is in a cabinet and the flat portion of the D shape is at a front edge of the cabinet, when the shelf is rotated, a portion of the shelf extends beyond the front of the cabinet. Other improvements in some embodiments include devices having multiple swiveling spinners which may each operate/pivot independently as well as multiple shelves of varied geometry to enable taller items to be placed on the lower shelf and extent above an upper shelf.