Horizontal Door Refinishing Rack With Segmented Support

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing door refinishing systems fail to support doors of different sizes in a horizontal position, leading to instability during prepping and painting, and do not allow for efficient stacking during drying, often causing damage to thin doors and inadequate paint coverage.

Innovation Solution

A rack system with vertically positioned members traversed by horizontal bars that can be adjusted to accommodate various door sizes, using slanted segments for painting and drying to minimize contact and prevent damage, and incorporating rubber pads and adjustable configurations to ensure stability and flexibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If doors are held in vertical position during refinishing, then easier handling and storage are achieved, but wet paint runs down creating unsightly tracks and sprayed paint reaches surrounding objects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling and storageVSAvoidpaint surface quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The rack system inverts the conventional vertical door holding approach by providing horizontal support. The door is positioned horizontally on the rack with support bars contacting the door at strategic points, allowing the door to be worked on in a horizontal orientation rather than vertical, thereby preventing paint runs while maintaining ease of handling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Area of stationary object

If multiple doors are stacked to dry, then space efficiency is improved, but doors cannot be separated to prevent dust and paint settling from marring surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage spaceVSAvoidpaint surface quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The rack system segments the door stack into individually supportable units using adjustable support bars. Each door can be positioned on its own set of support bars at different heights and configurations, allowing doors to be stacked closely for space efficiency while maintaining the ability to separate and remove individual doors without disturbing others, thus preventing dust and paint contamination

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If supporting anchors are inserted on the side of thin doors to provide strong support during prepping, then support strength is improved, but the wood may split

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupport strengthVSAvoiddoor integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The rack system introduces rubber pads as an intermediary between the support bars and the door surface. These pads distribute the supporting force over a larger area and provide cushioning, allowing thin doors to be supported during heavy-duty prepping operations without the risk of wood splitting that would occur with direct rigid anchor insertion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The support mechanism combines rigid metal support bars with flexible rubber pads to create a composite supporting structure. The rigid bars provide structural strength and stability, while the rubber pads provide compliance and distribute pressure, together enabling strong support without damaging thin door materials

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

4Stability of the object's composition

If brackets are used to support doors during painting, then support stability is improved, but brackets shield some door surface from spray paint

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedoor position stabilityVSAvoidpaint coverage

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The rack system uses thin, minimally intrusive support bars with rubber pads rather than bulky brackets. The support bars are positioned to contact the door at edges or corners, and the flexible rubber pads minimize the contact footprint, providing stable support while allowing spray paint to reach and cover the entire door surface without being blocked by large supporting structures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS8066267B2Prepping, spraying and drying rack system for doors

Publication Date: 2011.11.29 SCHAERER JAKE B

AI summary

A painter rack for supporting one door in a horizontal position during prepping or painting, or at least one door also in a horizontal position during drying. This painter rack comprises two support structures: a left one and a right one; each support structure comprises two vertical members traversed horizontally by a number of openings; each support structure also comprises a number of bars used to support at least one door, each bar is comprised of at least two segments, the first said segment traversing slidably and horizontally an opening, and the second segment is bent with respect the first segment. Each support structure is held in place by a base structure.