Frame Assembly with Snap-Lock Display Cavity to Reduce Space and Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional free-standing frames require significant space and increase manufacturing costs due to the use of pivotable supports that make it difficult to transition between landscape and portrait displays.
Innovation Solution
A frame assembly with a stack comprising a transparent window panel, a floor structure, and an outer annular wall that snap-locks into a display cavity, allowing for easy orientation changes and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional free-standing frames use a pivotable support to enable orientation changes, then the frame can transition between landscape and portrait displays, but the frame takes up significant space and increases manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the pivotable support mechanism entirely from the frame structure. Instead of modifying the frame to pivot, the invention extracts this function by allowing the frame to stand freely on its back surface without any mechanical support, thereby eliminating the space-consuming pivot mechanism while maintaining the ability to change orientations
Solution Approach 2:
Conventional frames use a pivotable support that protrudes from the frame to enable orientation changes. This patent inverts the approach by removing the support entirely and allowing the frame to rely on its own structure and gravity to maintain orientation, turning the problem of space occupation into a solution of minimalist design
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional free-standing frames use a pivotable support structure, then the frame can be displayed in different orientations, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pivotable support mechanism from the frame design, eliminating the need for complex mechanical components. This simplification directly reduces manufacturing cost while maintaining the core functionality of orientation change through simple manual placement
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is divided into distinct functional elements: the back surface for contact with the support surface, the display cavity for holding articles, and the outer annular wall for structural support. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost
3Ease of manufacture
If the outer annular wall has uniform thickness, then manufacturing is simplified, but structural strength at corners may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different thickness characteristics to different regions of the outer annular wall. Specifically, the corner portions have increased thickness compared to the mid-section portions, providing enhanced structural strength at the corners where stress is concentrated, while maintaining simpler geometry in the mid-sections for ease of manufacture
Data Source
AI summary
A frame assembly for supporting a flat article. In one aspect, the frame assembly may include a stack including a transparent window panel and a frame. The frame may include a floor structure for supporting the stack and an outer annular wall coupled to and surrounding the floor structure, the outer annular wall including a plurality of corners, an outer surface defining a periphery of the frame, an inner surface defining a display cavity, and a front edge that defines a display opening configured to allow the stack to pass therethrough into the display cavity. The inner surface of the outer annular wall may include a plurality of recessed regions, each of the recessed regions encompassing one of the corners of the outer annular wall.