Interlocking Furniture Bracket Assembly for Fast Frame Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pre-assembled furniture frames present challenges in quick, efficient, and economical construction in mass production settings due to difficulties in proper positioning and fastening of support pieces.
Innovation Solution
A reversibly coupling bracket assembly featuring a bridge and arms with interlocking slots and apertures allows for tool-free connection and detachment of work pieces, enabling efficient assembly and attachment to furniture frames without specialized tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional pre-assembled frames are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but construction time and complexity increase in mass production settings
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into multiple components including a bridge element, arm elements, interlocking slots, and aperture elements. These segmented parts can be independently manufactured and then quickly assembled together, enabling rapid construction while maintaining structural integrity through the designed interlocking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional elements (bridge, arms, slots, apertures) are merged into a single integrated bracket assembly that performs both positioning and fastening functions simultaneously. This combination reduces the number of separate components needed and simplifies the overall assembly process in mass production.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional fastening methods are used, then secure attachment is achieved, but positioning precision and alignment difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The interlocking slots and aperture elements are designed to automatically guide and align the bracket components during assembly. The geometry of the slots and apertures provides self-aligning features that ensure precise positioning without requiring external alignment tools or complex positioning procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlocking slots act as intermediary elements between the bridge and arm components, facilitating precise alignment and secure connection. These slots serve as the mediating mechanism that translates the positioning requirements into actual aligned attachment, ensuring both precision and ease of operation.
3Ease of manufacture
If specialized tools are used for assembly, then fastening security is improved, but manufacturing cost and operational simplicity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket assembly is designed to be self-assembling through its interlocking slot and aperture geometry. The components fit together through their own structural features without requiring external specialized tools, thereby simplifying manufacturing operations while maintaining secure attachment through the interlocking mechanism itself.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical fastening systems requiring specialized tools (screws, bolts, wrenches) are replaced with a geometry-based interlocking system. The slots and apertures create a mechanical interlock that provides reliable attachment without the need for separate fastening tools, substituting a complex tool-based system with a simpler geometry-based system.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a bracket assembly comprising a bridge which in turn comprises a central span, a wing attached to the central span, an arm receiving slot; and one or more anus comprising a central region and a flange, wherein said central region and said flange are connected by an offset; the bridge and said arm being adapted to be coupled together. In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a joint comprising a first work piece and a second work piece; a bracket assembly comprising a bridge comprising a central span, having a wing extending from said central span at approximately equal angles, said bridge further comprising a arm receiving slot; and a arm comprising a central region connected by an offset to a flange, said arm further comprising a bridge receiving slot wherein said arm receiving slot and said bridge receiving slot engage thereby mating said bridge and said arm; and fastening means to connect the bracket assembly to said work pieces. The present disclosure also provides a method of using the bracket assembly to assembly furniture.