Modular Display Tray with Inclined Base for Automatic Product Feeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shopping display trays for small goods lack the ability to transform storage space as product assortments change and do not facilitate automatic feeding of goods to the most convenient retrieval area, compromising visibility and information display.
Innovation Solution
A modular demonstration tray system with a mounting base, removable vertical side walls, and interlocking mechanisms that allow for adjustable configurations, automatic product alignment, and transparent covers for enhanced visibility, along with integrated lighting and replaceable advertising media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the tray uses a fixed storage space structure, then the manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the adaptability to different product assortments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into modular components including removable vertical side walls, dividers, and information panels that can be independently adjusted or replaced. This segmentation allows the storage space configuration to be changed according to different product assortments without replacing the entire tray structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The side walls are designed to be removable and repositionable, transforming the originally static storage space into a dynamic configuration system. This enables the tray to adapt to various product types and sizes by adjusting wall positions or removing walls entirely.
2Extent of automation
If the tray uses a traditional loading structure, then the manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the automatic feeding of goods to the retrieval area deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tray bottom is designed with an inclined surface that creates a gravitational flow path, allowing goods to automatically move from the loading area at the back to the retrieval area at the front. This gravitational equipotential design eliminates the need for mechanical feeding mechanisms while ensuring continuous product availability at the retrieval zone.
3Illumination intensity
If the tray uses opaque materials for side walls, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the product visibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are designed with selective transparency - the lower portions remain opaque for structural integrity and cost-effectiveness, while the upper portions or specific sections are made transparent to display products. This local differentiation optimizes both visibility and manufacturing considerations.
4Ease of operation
If the information panels are permanently attached, then the structural stability is maintained, but the ease of information replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The information panels are pre-equipped with attachment mechanisms such as magnets, clips, or snap-fits that enable quick installation and removal. This preliminary design of attachment features allows information to be rapidly changed without compromising the stability of the panel system during its attached state.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to display equipment and is directed toward providing greater variety in terms of converting a tray. The present tray comprises a base consisting of a flat rectangular bottom delimited by a front wall and a rear wall, which are disposed perpendicular to the upper surface of the bottom, and legs disposed on the lower surface of the bottom, close to the back wall of the base, and further comprises removable vertical side walls. The legs are configured in the form of hollow parallelepipeds, the bottoms of the legs are cut away at an acute angle to the longitudinal axes of the parallelepipeds, causing the base to be inclined, the top of the rear wall of the base is provided with two triangular protuberances, the distance between which coincides with the distance between the inner surfaces of the cavities of the legs, the rear sides of the triangular protuberances are parallel to the axes of the legs, and the left and right edges of the base of the tray are provided with fastening elements. The legs of a tray and the top of the rear wall of a base equipped with triangular protuberances are provided with elements for the mutual fastening thereof.