Adjustable Locker Mounting Rail for Level and Plumb Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting systems for storage units, such as lockers and cabinets, often fail to provide a level and plumb surface when installed on concrete bases, leading to misalignments and compromised door function, as they require time-consuming and costly shim adjustments to achieve proper leveling.
Innovation Solution
A mounting system featuring an elongate member with leveling adjuster passages and anchor passages, allowing for easy leveling and secure anchoring of storage units to a ground surface, including a unitary extruded metal member for corrosion resistance and a unique mounting plate design that facilitates side-by-side arrangement and secure attachment of storage units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If storage units are mounted on concrete bases using normal construction techniques, then the installation process is straightforward, but the mounting surface fails to meet the ideal requirement for level and plumb conditions, requiring time-consuming and costly shim adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system incorporates pre-integrated leveling feet with adjustment mechanisms that enable preliminary leveling of the mounting surface before storage units are installed. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming shim adjustments after installation, as the system can be leveled in advance during the mounting process itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specialized mounting system with adjustable feet as an intermediary between the concrete base and the storage units. This intermediary component provides the necessary adjustment capability to achieve precise leveling without requiring complex shim adjustments directly between the storage units and the concrete surface
2Adaptability or versatility
If storage units are mounted without legs on concrete abutments for permanent applications, then the structure appears more integrated, but it becomes critical for the storage units to be level and plumb, and any misalignment compromises door function
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system enables preliminary leveling and alignment adjustments to be made before the storage units are fully installed and secured. By establishing the correct level and plumb conditions in advance through the adjustable feet, the system ensures that door function reliability is maintained without requiring post-installation adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs adjustable feet with mechanisms that allow changing of the mounting parameters (height, angle, position) to achieve precise level and plumb conditions. This parameter adjustment capability ensures that storage units can be reliably mounted in various conditions while maintaining proper door alignment and function
3Manufacturing precision
If shims are used to achieve level and plumb condition among lockers in the bank, then the alignment is improved, but the process becomes very time consuming and costly, and is often not done well or not at all
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex shim adjustment process with a simplified mounting system that incorporates adjustable feet as an intermediary component. This mediator provides built-in adjustment mechanisms that achieve precise alignment without requiring separate shim components or complex manual adjustment procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system incorporates self-adjusting features through its adjustable feet design, allowing installers to achieve proper alignment through straightforward mechanical adjustments rather than requiring precise placement and adjustment of multiple shim components. The system essentially levels itself through the adjustment mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting system for mounting a bank of storage units in side-by-side relationship above a ground surface includes an elongate member having an elongate top wall, having side edges and at least one leg section extending downwardly from one of the side edges. Each of the at least one leg section includes an elongate flange at a distal end that is contiguous to the ground. The elongate top wall has an elongate dimension between opposed ends for receiving a bank of storage units in side-by-side relationship on an upper surface thereof. The top wall includes attachment members for cooperating with a mounting plate for attaching the bank of storage units in side-by-side relationship to the top wall. The elongate flanges include a plurality of leveling adjuster passages for receiving leveling adjusters therethrough and a plurality of anchor passages for receiving anchoring members therethrough. The plurality of adjuster passages on each flange includes leveling adjuster passages located adjacent each elongate end of the flanges for receiving leveling adjuster members therethrough to engage a ground surface and provide a leveling function. A plurality of anchor passages is adapted to receive anchoring members insertable into the ground surface for securing the elongate member to the ground surface. The invention also resides in the combination of the mounting system and a bank of lockers attached to it, as well as to storage units including a mounting plate as part of its construction.