Expandable display frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
The furniture industry lacks an aesthetically pleasing, versatile, and cost-effective display frame for miniature figurines that is expandable to custom sizes and can be flat packed for postage, making existing solutions either too bulky or inflexible.
Innovation Solution
A display frame comprising exterior and interior shelf units that slidably engage with each other, using hash-shaped connectors for expansion, along with exterior and interior connectors, and featuring a transparent back panel with etched lighting and magnetic dust cover, allowing for customizable size adjustment and compact packaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the display stand is made non-expandable, then the structure is simple and compact, but the user cannot accommodate their growing collection of items
Solution Approach 1:
The display stand is divided into multiple modular shelf units that can be independently assembled and connected. Each shelf unit contains hash-shaped connectors that enable other shelves to attach at various positions, allowing the structure to be segmented into manageable modules that can be expanded as needed without increasing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The display stand employs a dynamic configuration system where shelf units can be slidably engaged and repositioned along the frame. The hash-shaped connectors allow shelves to be attached at multiple positions, enabling the structure to adapt its configuration dynamically based on the user's collection size and display preferences.
2Ease of manufacture
If the display stand is made non-flat-packable, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the postage costs become unprofitable due to excessive volume
Solution Approach 1:
The display stand is segmented into discrete shelf units and frame components that can be separated and flattened for compact packaging. The hash-shaped connectors are designed to detach cleanly, allowing the entire structure to be disassembled into flat-packable modules that minimize postage volume while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf units are designed to nest within each other or against the frame when disassembled, creating a compact flat-pack configuration. The hash-shaped connectors allow shelves to be positioned nested against the frame structure, minimizing the overall volume required for postage while ensuring that all components remain structurally sound.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the display stand uses traditional connectors, then the assembly is simple, but the aesthetic appeal and versatility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hash-shaped connectors serve multiple functions: they provide structural connection between shelf units, enable adjustable positioning of shelves at various heights, and offer aesthetic value through their distinctive design. This universal connector design eliminates the need for separate connection mechanisms, simplifying the overall system while enhancing versatility and visual appeal.
Solution Approach 2:
The hash-shaped connectors are strategically positioned at specific locations on each shelf unit, creating localized connection points that provide both structural support and design interest. This local placement of specialized connectors allows the rest of the shelf surfaces to remain clean and uncluttered, maintaining aesthetic appeal while providing the necessary connectivity for versatility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides an aesthetically pleasing, expandable, and economically viable display frame that can accommodate growing collections while minimizing postage costs through compact packaging.
Implementation Method 1
The frame may include a dust cover which is magnetically connectable to the frame
Data Source
AI summary
A display frame comprises exterior shelf units. The frame has interior shelf units which slidably and directly engage with each other and the exterior shelf units. The frame also comprises exterior connectors for connecting the exterior shelf units and the interior connectors. The interior connectors are hash shaped and oriented at an angle with respect to the vertical plane of the display frame and the sliding together of the exterior shelf units with the hash shaped connectors are used to expand display shelf frame. The exterior shelf units and the interior shelf units are slideably engaged with each other.