Glass Showcase Opening Support Hidden in the Upper Panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Showcases designed for displaying delicate objects in a protected environment face challenges in maintaining maximum transparency while concealing opening supports, which are typically made of metal for robustness, thereby compromising the aesthetic and security goals.
Innovation Solution
The showcase features an upper opening support encased within a seat in the thickness of the upper panel, made of transparent material, minimizing visibility and enhancing security by preventing access when closed, allowing for maximum transparency of the displayed objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal opening supports are used for robustness, then the structural strength is improved, but the transparency and visibility of the showcase is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The metal opening support is nested within a cavity formed in the transparent upper panel. The support is received in a recess that is closed toward the outside of the box, effectively hiding the metal component within the transparent panel structure. This nesting approach allows the metal support to provide structural strength while remaining invisible from the exterior, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and transparency.
2Reliability
If opening supports are made visible for structural integrity, then the reliability is improved, but the aesthetic quality and maximum transparency is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The opening support is nested within a cavity in the upper panel, with the cavity closed toward the outside. This conceals the support mechanism while maintaining structural integrity, as the support remains functional but is hidden from external view, thus preserving aesthetic quality without compromising reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent panel acts as an intermediary that mediates between the metal opening support and the external environment. The panel's thickness and the cavity it contains allow the metal support to be structurally integrated while optically hidden, using the panel itself as a mediating structure that reconciles the conflicting requirements of visibility and structural function.
3Illumination intensity
If the upper panel is made entirely transparent for maximum visibility, then the visibility of displayed objects is improved, but the security and protection of the opening support is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The opening support is nested within a cavity in the upper panel that is closed toward the outside. This creates a protected space within the transparent panel, allowing the support to be both visible (since the panel is transparent) and protected (since the cavity is closed). The nesting approach enables the transparent panel to maintain visibility while the enclosed cavity provides security against tampering.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper panel has different local qualities: the bulk of the panel remains transparent for maximum visibility, while the cavity region provides a closed, protected space for the opening support. This local differentiation allows the panel to simultaneously achieve transparency for visibility and enclosed protection for security, with each region optimized for its specific function.
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
The solution ensures minimal visibility of the opening support laterally, maintaining the transparency of the showcase and enhancing security by encasing the support within the panel, thus providing maximum visibility to the displayed objects without compromising robustness.
Implementation Method 1
due to the refraction index of the glass, the greater opening support housed encased in the seat is visible from the top, through the thickness of the upper panel, but much less from the side
Data Source
AI summary
This showcase for preserving and displaying objects in a protected environment comprises a base, a box made up of fixed side panels and an upper panel connected to each other in a sealing fashion and defining an abutment framework. At least the upper panel is made of glass, same case applying to an openable panel, which can be closed in a sealing fashion on the abutment framework. A lower opening support is fixed between the base and the openable panel, an upper opening support is fixed between the upper panel and the openable panel. The showcase comprises a seat formed in the upper panel, in proximity of the abutment framework and closed towards the outside of the box; in the seat the upper opening support is at least partially encased, in the direction of the thickness of the upper panel, thus being substantially invisible.