Modular Cargo Slider Configurable Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cargo sliders for vehicles are cumbersome, often damage vehicles and cargo, and lack versatility in size adaptation and top surface containment, requiring intrusive mounting hardware and being specific to certain vehicle models.
Innovation Solution
A modular cargo slider with a configurable platform, optional dividers, and adjustable end caps and spacers for custom sizing, allowing for secure top surface containment without the need for mounting hardware, and featuring a handle for easy sliding in and out of the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If commercially available sliding storage accessories use mounting hardware to fasten the sliding element to the vehicle frame, then the slider is securely fixed, but the mounting hardware becomes damaging and intrusive to the vehicle interior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mounting hardware entirely from the system. The sliding element is designed to operate without any fasteners, brackets, or attachment devices that would contact or damage the vehicle interior. The extraction of this harmful component resolves the contradiction by maintaining secure fixation through alternative means (friction, geometry, or elastic deformation) while eliminating the damaging mounting hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism between the sliding element and the vehicle surface - such as a protective layer, distributed contact surface, or elastic interface - that mediates the interaction to prevent damage. This intermediary allows secure fixation to be achieved without the sliding element directly contacting or damaging the vehicle interior surfaces.
2Manufacturing precision
If commercially available sliding storage accessories are adapted for a specific size of storage compartment for a specific model of vehicle, then the slider fits that specific vehicle, but the slider lacks versatility for multiple vehicles or different cargo sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding element is divided into multiple segments or modular components that can be independently adjusted, removed, or reconfigured. This segmentation allows the same base unit to be adapted to different storage compartment sizes and vehicle models while maintaining precise fit and functionality in each configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the slider dimensions or configuration to be changed during use. This enables the same slider to adapt to different vehicle sizes and cargo requirements, transforming a static, vehicle-specific design into a dynamic, multi-vehicle solution.
Solution Approach 3:
The sliding element is designed with universal features that allow it to function across multiple vehicle models and storage compartment sizes. Through standardized interfaces, adjustable dimensions, or scalable geometry, the slider achieves multi-functionality while maintaining the precision fit required for reliable operation.
3Manufacturing precision
If a singular top panel is used for the cargo slider to fit a specific vehicle model's storage compartment, then the slider fits that vehicle, but the slider lacks vertical support or containment for items on top of the sliding element
Solution Approach 1:
The top panel is segmented into multiple sections or reinforced with integrated vertical supports and containment structures. These segmented elements work together to provide both the precise vehicle-specific fit and the vertical strength needed to contain cargo, eliminating the limitation of a simple singular panel.
Solution Approach 2:
The top panel is constructed using composite materials or a composite structure combining multiple materials with different properties. This allows the panel to simultaneously achieve the precise dimensional fit required for the specific vehicle while providing enhanced vertical strength, stiffness, and cargo containment capabilities through the synergistic properties of the composite construction.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a modular cargo slider for easy modular assembly of at least one platform and custom configuration by the user. Optional dividers allow for the containment of a cargo on a top surface of the platform during transport and can be optionally adjoined to at least one platform, an end cap or a spacer as needed by the user. In some embodiments, the dividers include at least one indentation for assisting the user in securing the cargo on top of the top surface of the platform of at least one platform. In some embodiments, at least one end cap and at least one spacer allow for further custom configurations be the user.