Glass Shelf Support Assembly Without Encapsulation or Adhesives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional appliance shelving designs, such as encapsulated glass cantilever shelving, often require bulky materials and adhesives, limiting usable space and increasing manufacturing costs, while also being difficult to assemble without specialized equipment.
Innovation Solution
The shelving assembly features anti-tip and retention features on glass support plates that eliminate the need for encapsulating materials, allowing for easy assembly without adhesives and providing additional usable space, using unique side supports and optional LED lighting and hydrophobic treatments, with the option to use sheet steel or plastic for side supports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If encapsulated glass cantilever shelving is used, then structural stability is improved, but usable shelf space is reduced due to bulky encapsulating materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the encapsulating plastic material from conventional shelving designs, extracting only the essential support function. The glass shelf is retained without surrounding encapsulation, eliminating the bulky materials that reduce usable space while maintaining structural stability through alternative support mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelving system is divided into separate functional components: glass shelves for storage, metal support brackets for structural stability, and anti-tip features for safety. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently without requiring bulky encapsulating materials to hold everything together.
2Strength
If adhesives and rivets are used in conventional shelving assemblies, then manufacturing strength is improved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical bonding methods (adhesives) and mechanical fastening (rivets) with a purely mechanical support system using metal brackets that clamp to the glass shelf edges. This substitution eliminates the need for specialized assembly equipment and costly secondary operations while maintaining structural strength through proper bracket design and positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal support brackets are designed to self-align and self-retain the glass shelves through their clamping mechanism, eliminating the need for additional adhesives or rivets to secure the assembly. The brackets provide both support and retention functions through their inherent mechanical design.
3Reliability
If encapsulating materials are used to secure glass shelves, then retention is improved, but assembly ease is reduced due to specialized equipment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The metal support brackets are designed with inherent retention features that automatically secure the glass shelves through their clamping action. The brackets provide both support and retention functions through their inherent mechanical design, eliminating the need for encapsulating materials and specialized assembly equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal support brackets serve as an intermediary component between the glass shelf and the appliance cavity, providing both structural support and retention without requiring the glass to be encapsulated. The brackets mediate the connection through mechanical clamping that is both reliable and easy to assemble.
4Strength
If conventional shelving materials and designs are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but manufacturing cost increases due to multiple materials and adhesives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite shelving system combining glass shelves with metal support brackets, where each material performs its optimal function. The glass provides the storage surface while the metal brackets provide structural support and retention, eliminating the need for costly adhesives and reducing overall manufacturing cost through material optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes expensive encapsulating materials and adhesives from the shelving assembly, retaining only the essential glass shelf and metal support components. This extraction of non-essential materials reduces manufacturing cost while maintaining structural integrity through the simplified but effective bracket support system.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelving assembly includes a support plate, left and right side supports, and a support frame. The side supports each include a front end located adjacent to a front edge of the support plate, and a rear end located adjacent to a rear edge of the support plate. The support frame includes a front frame member, a rear frame member, and opposite left and right side frame members that extend from the rear frame member to the front frame member. The front frame member is disposed adjacent to the bottom surface of the support plate at the front edge and the rear frame member is disposed adjacent to the bottom surface of the support plate at the rear edge. The left and right side frame members are disposed adjacent to the left and right side supports, respectively.