Improvements in mounting devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wall mounting devices for furniture units lack a mechanism to prevent accidental dislodgement, requiring manual intervention for locking and often occupy more space due to spanning across the entire supporting rail.
Innovation Solution
A wall mounting device with a bracket assembly and support featuring a releasable locking mechanism, where a pivotally mounted lever with a spring bias automatically locks into position upon engagement, utilizing a downwardly facing ledge and upwardly facing latching surface to secure the unit to the wall, and a compact design that reduces space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional brackets are used without a locking mechanism, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of mounting is worsened due to accidental dislodgement
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically engage when the bracket assembly is mounted on the support. The lever is spring-biased to move into the locking position upon engagement, eliminating the need for manual locking operations while ensuring reliable mounting security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex manual locking systems with a simple spring-biased lever mechanism that uses elastic potential energy storage and gravitational force to achieve automatic locking, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to prevent accidental dislodgement, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of operation is worsened due to manual intervention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism performs its function automatically upon mounting without requiring any manual intervention. The spring-biased lever self-actuates when the bracket engages the support, and the release mechanism allows easy one-handed operation for intentional removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever is pre-biased by the spring to move into the locking position automatically upon engagement, so the locking action occurs before any manual operation is needed, ensuring security is established immediately upon mounting.
3Reliability
If the locking mechanism spans the entire supporting rail, then the reliability is improved, but the area occupied is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential locking function from a full-span rail configuration and implements it at a localized point of engagement. The lever and ledge arrangement provides reliable locking without requiring the bracket to span the entire supporting rail, thereby minimizing the area occupied on the wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism concentrates its securing function at a specific local point where the lever engages the ledge, rather than distributing the structure across the entire rail span. This localized approach maintains mounting security while reducing the overall footprint on the wall.
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 device provides a fail-safe, automatic locking mechanism that prevents accidental dislodgement without manual intervention, ensuring secure mounting while minimizing space usage, and allows for easy release and removal of the unit.
Implementation Method 1
The lever is spring-loaded by a compression spring to apply a force to bias the lever towards the locked position
Implementation Method 2
The lever is pivotally mounted on the bracket assembly to engage and latch onto the support
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3c
Figure 4
AI summary
A device is provided for mounting a furniture unit (11) on a support rail (19) attached to a wall (18). The device comprises a bracket assembly (10) which attaches to the unit (11). The bracket assembly (10) has a rigid arm (15) with a hook (16) on the end which is lowerable onto the support rail (19). A locking lever (20) with a latching surface (26) is pivotally mounted on the rigid arm (15). The locking lever (20) is arranged so that when the bracket assembly (10) is lowered onto the support rail (19), the locking lever (20) will pivot so that its latching surface (26) will engage with a downwardly facing ledge (25) formed on the support rail (19). The bracket assembly (10) is thus automatically prevented from accidentally lifting off the support rail (19).