Drawer Wall with Nested Cover Portion to Reduce Installation Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drawer walls with movable cover portions face issues of increased installation space requirements and risk of damage due to protrusion in the open position, leading to potential breakage and loss of functionality.
Innovation Solution
The cover portion is entirely housed within the drawer wall's shell, with a spring element allowing it to move perpendicular to the opening plane, ensuring it remains flush and secure, using a helical spring or plastic material elasticity for a one-piece configuration, and can be formed from materials like metal, glass, wood, plastic, stone, or ceramics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cover portion protrudes outward in the open position, then the opening can be unblocked for access, but additional installation space is required and the cover portion is vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The cover portion is nested within the hollow-chamber profile of the drawer wall when in the open position, rather than protruding outward. The cover portion can be received within the hollow chamber or positioned within the wall thickness, eliminating the need for additional external installation space while maintaining access functionality.
2Ease of operation
If the cover portion protrudes outward in the open position, then the opening can be unblocked, but the cover portion is exposed to objects that can shear or break it
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the cover portion within the hollow-chamber profile when open, the cover is protected from external objects that could cause shearing or breaking. The hollow chamber acts as a protective enclosure, maintaining reliability while allowing access.
3Reliability
If the cover portion is made to close the opening, then the opening is protected when closed, but the cover portion requires movement space that increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cover portion and the hollow-chamber profile are merged into a compact integrated structure where the cover moves within the existing wall thickness rather than requiring separate external mechanisms. This combining approach reduces device complexity while maintaining protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover portion utilizes the third dimension (depth into the hollow chamber) for its movement rather than requiring lateral space. By moving perpendicular to the shell surface into the hollow chamber, the mechanism achieves protection functionality with minimal external complexity.
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
This design achieves a more compact and aesthetically pleasing drawer wall with enhanced protection against damage, maintaining functionality and preventing dirt ingress while allowing tool access through the opening.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element by which the cover portion is pre-stressed in an operating direction of the spring element in a direction of the closed position
Implementation Method 2
it is also possible that the spring element is formed by a material elasticity of a plastic portion
Data Source
AI summary
A drawer wall includes a shell with an opening arranged on a shell surface of the drawer wall, a movably supported cover portion which covers the opening in a closed position and unblocks the opening in an open position, and a spring element by which the cover portion is pre-stressed in an operating (closing) direction of the spring element toward the closed position. The cover portion is arranged so as to be stationary in a direction parallel to the shell surface, and is movably supported in a direction approximately perpendicular to the shell surface against the operating direction of the spring element, and the cover portion is arranged within the shell of the drawer wall in all operating positions.