Animal Feed Container Mounting System with Breakaway Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal feed container mounting systems are inflexible, prone to spillage, and pose safety risks due to limited compatibility with various bucket sizes and shapes, and can entangle with animal harnesses, leading to potential suffocation.
Innovation Solution
A mounting system with adjustable bail hanging units and container mounting brackets featuring multiple stabilizing points, rounded edges, and breakaway tabs to prevent entanglement, along with secure fastening options like screws, ensuring stability and safety for a wide range of container types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple two-point contact mounting system is used, then ease of operation is improved, but stability and spillage prevention deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system divides support into multiple discrete contact points: a bail hook for upper support, a container lip rest for middle support, and a bottom contact surface for lower support. This segmentation of support functions prevents rotation and spillage while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-point contact to three-dimensional multi-point contact by adding vertical spacing between support elements. The bail hook, lip rest, and bottom contact are positioned at different heights, creating a stable triangular support configuration that prevents rotation.
2Manufacturing precision
If fixed height bail to lip configuration is used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is designed with universal compatibility features: the bail hook accommodates various bail positions, the lip rest adjusts to different container depths, and the bottom contact surface adapts to various container shapes. This allows a single mounting system to securely hold multiple container types without requiring precise fixed-height configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates adjustable and flexible elements that can adapt to different container configurations. The bail hanging unit and lip rest positioning allow dynamic adjustment to accommodate various container sizes and shapes, rather than requiring fixed precision mounting.
3Ease of manufacture
If sharp edges and protruding brackets are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but animal safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system replaces sharp edges and protruding corners with rounded surfaces. The bail hook, lip rest, and bracket edges are all curved or rounded, eliminating entanglement hazards for animal harnesses while maintaining structural integrity and ease of manufacture.
4Device complexity
If narrow width of support at base is used, then device complexity is reduced, but stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is segmented into multiple contact points distributed vertically and horizontally: the bail hook at the top, the lip rest in the middle, and the bottom contact surface at the base. This segmentation creates a wide, stable support base that prevents container rotation without requiring complex structural elements.
Data Source
AI summary
An animal feed/water container mounting system is described that can be cost effective, safe for the animals, resistant to spillage, durable, and easy to manufacture/install. The container mounting system may be used to mount an animal feed/water container to a vertical member. The container subject to mounting may include a bail and a container lip. The vertical member may have a front surface. The mounting system may include a bail hanging unit for hanging the bail and may include a container mounting bracket. The container mounting bracket may include multiple mounting bracket retaining tabs interspersed along the length of the container mounting bracket. The tabs may be designed to support a container lip of the container at a plurality of locations along the length of the container mounting bracket.