Modular Door Channel With Interlocking Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door channel assemblies lack flexibility in accommodating various door hardware and require welding for assembly, leading to increased manufacturing time and cost, as well as difficulties in easy installation and replacement of modular components.
Innovation Solution
A modular door channel with parallel slotted openings and a channel adapter featuring tabs with locking protrusions and a curved locking tongue, allowing for easy engagement and secure locking without welding, enabling easy installation and replacement of modular components and accommodating various door hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used for assembly, then connection strength is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The door channel assembly is divided into separate modular components (channel body, adapters, tabs, locking protrusions) that can be independently manufactured and assembled without welding, allowing parallel production and reducing manufacturing time while maintaining connection strength through mechanical interlocking
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the welding process (thermal/chemical joining) with a mechanical interlocking system consisting of tabs, slotted openings, and locking protrusions that secure components through physical engagement rather than fusion, eliminating welding time and equipment requirements
2Strength
If welding is used for assembly, then connection strength is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the assembly into standardized modular components with uniform connection interfaces (tabs and slotted openings), the patent enables bulk manufacturing and assembly automation, reducing labor costs and material waste while maintaining strong mechanical connections without expensive welding operations
Solution Approach 2:
The universal tab-and-slotted-opening connection system can accommodate multiple component types and configurations within the same door channel family, eliminating the need for custom welding procedures for each variant and reducing manufacturing complexity and cost across product lines
3Ease of operation
If modular components are designed for easy replacement, then ease of operation is improved, but connection reliability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The locking protrusions are pre-formed on the tabs during component manufacturing, and the slotted openings are pre-positioned on the channel body, allowing components to be quickly assembled by simply aligning and inserting them without requiring complex alignment procedures or tools, thus maintaining both ease of replacement and connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical interlocking system is designed to self-align and self-secure during assembly: the tabs guide themselves into the slotted openings, and the locking protrusions automatically engage to lock the connection in place without requiring external fastening operations or specialized tools, ensuring reliable connections while maintaining simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
A modular channel for a door including an elongated channel forming at least a portion of an internal frame for the door. The elongated channel has opposing sides and a base member extending between one edge of each side. The modular channel includes a pair of parallel slotted openings along the base member and a channel adapter including a tabs corresponding with the pair of slotted openings. The tabs include a locking protrusion extending from tab. The tabs slidably engage the slotted openings and the locking protrusions engage the slotted openings when the tabs are urged fully into the slotted opening. The slotted openings may be positioned parallel with the elongated channel length and the elongated channel may include at least one transverse slot perpendicular to the slotted openings. The channel adapter may include a curved locking tongue disposed perpendicular to the tabs and engagable with the transverse slot.