Wall-Mounted Furniture Support Bar for Precise Plate Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing methods for assembling furniture bases using visible base-brackets require precise and time-consuming manual adjustment of wall plates to ensure identical interaxis alignment, leading to inefficiencies and the need for expert assemblers due to accumulated small positioning errors, especially when assembling multiple adjacent bases.

Innovation Solution

A positioning and supporting group comprising a bar with holes and plates with centering means, allowing automatic alignment and fixing of plates to the wall at a consistent interaxis matching the base-brackets, enabling rapid and accurate assembly without prior plate fixation to the bar.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If manual adjustment of wall plates is used to ensure precise interaxis alignment, then positioning accuracy is improved, but assembly time and complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinteraxis alignment precisionVSAvoidassembly time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-alignment through the interaction between the L-shaped guide element on the wall plate and the corresponding guide groove on the base bracket. When the base is installed, the guide element automatically engages with the guide groove, self-aligning the base to the correct interaxis position without requiring manual adjustment of the wall plates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The L-shaped guide element and guide groove act as intermediary alignment mechanisms. The guide element protrudes from the wall plate and fits into the guide groove on the base bracket, serving as a mediator that transfers and enforces the correct interaxis alignment between the wall-mounted plate and the base being installed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If expert assemblers are used to perform delicate plate positioning, then positioning accuracy is improved, but labor costs and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplate positioning accuracyVSAvoidassembly operation simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The alignment system performs the delicate positioning task automatically through mechanical guidance. The L-shaped guide element and guide groove combination creates a self-aligning mechanism that eliminates the need for expert assemblers to manually position and adjust plates, making the operation simple enough for standard assembly workers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The wall plates are pre-equipped with L-shaped guide elements during manufacturing, and the base brackets have corresponding guide grooves pre-formed. This preliminary preparation of alignment features ensures that when assembly occurs, the correct positioning is achieved automatically without requiring expert intervention during the assembly process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple adjacent bases are assembled with manual plate adjustment, then interaxis consistency is improved, but cumulative positioning errors still occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinteraxis consistencyVSAvoidpositioning reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Each base-bracket assembly automatically self-aligns to the wall plate through the guide element and guide groove interaction. This self-aligning mechanism ensures that every base is positioned at the correct interaxis relative to the wall plate, preventing cumulative positioning errors that would occur with manual adjustment methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The guide elements and guide grooves are pre-configured with precise geometry during manufacturing to ensure correct interaxis alignment. This preliminary action of pre-forming the alignment features guarantees that multiple adjacent bases will all align consistently to the same interaxis reference on the wall plate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2580991B1Perfected positioning and supporting group for the wall assembly of a piece of furniture and method of use thereof
Publication Date: 2015.08.26 LEONARDO
  • EP2580991B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2580991B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP2580991B1 patent drawingFigure 7~9

AI summary

A positioning and supporting group for the wall assembly (P) of a piece of furniture (M) cantilever extending from the wall (P) itself, wherein a plurality of plates (20B) is envisaged, destined for being fixed to said wall (P), by means of first fixing means (30B), and a plurality of devices (21B) fixed inside the shoulders (22B) of said piece of furniture (M), and destined for being connected by means of hooks (23B) to windows (24B) of said plates (20B), and wherein the interaxis "A" between the windows (24B) of said plates (20B) is substantially identical to the interaxis "A"' between said hooks (23B). According to the invention, the positioning and supporting group comprises the combination of a plurality of said plates (20B) with a positioning bar (25B) of the plates (20B) onto the bar (25B) itself, said bar (25B) is suitable for being fixed to the wall (P) by means of second fixing means (27B), said plates (20B) and said bar (25B) also being equipped with third reciprocal centering and coupling means (32B, 33B), so that, at the moment of assembly of the piece of furniture (M), the above interaxes "A" and "A"' are substantially the same.