Base for a drawer

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing drawer bases and side walls in the furniture industry require high resource and material requirements due to the wide range of types and varying dimensions, with existing solutions not allowing for flexible retrofitting and stable attachment, leading to inefficiencies and increased production costs.

Innovation Solution

The drawer base incorporates spacers that can be adjusted to increase thickness at the side surfaces, allowing for flexible adaptation to different drawer side walls, reducing material usage, and enabling secure attachment through spacers that can be easily retrofitted without permanent connections, using materials like wood, plastic, or metal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of substance

If drawer bases are made with reduced thickness to save material, then material requirements and weight are reduced, but the drawer bases cannot be securely attached to drawer side walls with fixed internal spacing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial requirementsVSAvoidadaptability to drawer side walls

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The drawer base is divided into a base plate and separate spacers that can be independently selected and combined. This segmentation allows the thin base plate to be paired with spacers of varying thicknesses to achieve the required total thickness for secure attachment to drawer side walls with different internal spacings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the thickness parameter of the drawer base by introducing spacers with different thickness values. This allows the same thin base plate to be adapted to drawer side walls with varying internal spacings by selecting appropriate spacer thicknesses, thereby maintaining both material efficiency and adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If drawer bases are made with uniform thickness to simplify manufacturing, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but material is wasted and weight increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidmaterial waste

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

By separating the base plate from the thickness-adjustment function (spacers), the base plate can be manufactured as a simple, thin component. The complexity of thickness variation is shifted to the modular spacer components, which can be produced in standard thicknesses and combined as needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The base plate is designed as a universal thin component that can be used with various spacer thicknesses to accommodate different drawer side wall configurations. This multi-functionality allows a single base plate design to serve multiple applications without material waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If tabs are added to drawer side walls to compensate for thickness variations, then adaptability to reduced thickness drawer bases is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing steps increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to reduced thicknessVSAvoidfastening device complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of modifying the drawer side wall with complex tabs to accommodate thin drawer bases, the invention inverts the approach by adding simple spacers to the drawer base itself. This shifts the complexity from the fixed drawer side wall to the movable drawer base assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The spacers act as intermediary elements between the thin drawer base and the drawer side wall fastening devices. These simple intermediary components bridge the thickness gap without requiring complex modifications to either the drawer base or the drawer side wall structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Reliability

If drawer bases are made thicker to ensure stable attachment, then attachment stability is improved, but material requirements and transport weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment stabilityVSAvoidmaterial requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The drawer base maintains thin thickness in the central area where material strength is sufficient, and only adds local thickness through spacers at the attachment regions near the drawer side walls. This local quality approach provides attachment stability exactly where needed without unnecessarily increasing material throughout the entire drawer base.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20250366612A1Base for a drawer

Publication Date: 2025.12.04 JULIUS BLUM GMBH

AI summary

A drawer base for a drawer includes a spacer arranged on the drawer base, preferably via a fixing means, such that a first thickness of the drawer base in the vertical direction in the state of use of the drawer base through the spacer in the region of at least two, in particular three or four, side surfaces of the drawer base is greater than a second thickness in the vertical direction in the state of use of the drawer base in a central region, preferably in the region of a center point, of the drawer base by the spacer in the region of at least two, in particular three or four, side surfaces of the drawer base, and the second thickness is less than 16 mm, preferably less than 12 mm, particularly preferably less than 8 mm.