Hook Member with Elastic Blade for Aligned Modular Furniture Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of modular kitchen units can be challenging due to the difficulty in simultaneously inserting hook members into slots without causing misalignment, which may result in physical harm to installers and aesthetic defects.
Innovation Solution
A hook member with a vertical section and an inclined section forming an acute angle, featuring an elastic counteracting element such as a spring steel blade, facilitates aligned insertion and maintains panel upright alignment during assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hook members are inserted simultaneously into slots during panel assembly, then assembly completeness is improved, but alignment precision deteriorates due to difficulty in achieving identical insertion depth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical insertion system with a guided system featuring guide rails on the uprights and corresponding guide grooves on the hook members. This mechanical guidance ensures that multiple hook members insert into slots simultaneously at identical depths, achieving both complete assembly and precise alignment without relying on installer skill.
2Ease of manufacture
If hook members are inserted into slots during panel assembly, then panel attachment is achieved, but safety deteriorates due to risk of fingers being pinched between upright and hook member
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide rails as an intermediary component between the upright and the hook member. These guide rails provide a controlled path for insertion, keeping the installer's fingers outside the danger zone while still enabling the hook member to attach to the panel through the guided groove mechanism.
3Device complexity
If traditional hook members are used without alignment guidance, then device complexity is reduced, but alignment precision deteriorates due to lack of guidance during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the alignment function from the attachment function by introducing separate guide rails on the uprights and guide grooves on the hook members. This segmentation allows the alignment to be achieved through the guided interaction between these components, while the actual attachment is achieved through the hook member engaging with the panel, maintaining relatively simple overall structure.
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
This design simplifies the assembly process by ensuring proper alignment and reducing installer risk, resulting in a more efficient and aesthetically pleasing modular furniture installation.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic counteracting element provided in the upwardly tapered space... The elastic deformation of the blade creates a contrasting force on the panel to keep it perfectly upright
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A hook member (7) for modular furniture has a vertical section (70) with a front side (72) provided with fastening means to fasten the hook member to a panel (3), and an inclined section (71) connected to the vertical section (70) according to an acute angle by a joining part (76) on the opposite side to the panel (3). An upwardly tapered space (77) is delimited by the vertical section (70) and the inclined section (71). A slit (82) is in the joining part (76), and the inclined section (71) is lightened in a lightening portion (83) thereof facing the vertical section (70), and has an abutment base (84). An elastic counteracting element constituted by a blade (81) has an upper end (85) trapped in the slit (82) and a lower end (86) resting on the abutment base (84).