Modular Rack Connector Assembly for Tool-Free Stable Shelving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shoe racks are inflexible and lack stability due to insecure connectors, requiring additional back frames that increase material and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A modular rack design featuring connecting assemblies with hooks and connectors that provide secure, tool-free assembly and disassembly, eliminating the need for a back frame by using resiliently biased wings and bumps for securement, allowing for customizable shapes without additional support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional connectors are used to assemble modular racks, then the rack can be assembled and disassembled, but the connection is not sufficiently secure and stable
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into distinct functional segments: a body portion that interfaces with the shelf, a wing portion that engages with the support frame, and a bump feature that provides positive positioning. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while working together to achieve both ease of assembly and connection stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector body is designed to be received within a recess of the support frame, creating a nested arrangement where the connector fits into the frame structure. This nesting provides structural integration and stability while maintaining easy access for assembly and disassembly operations.
2Reliability
If a back frame is added to increase rack stability, then the rack becomes more stable, but material cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the back frame component from the traditional rack design. Instead of adding stability through a separate back frame structure, the stability function is integrated into the connector and support frame interface, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining or improving stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing function previously provided by a separate back frame is merged into the connector assembly itself. The connector body, wing, and bump features work together as an integrated unit that provides both connection functionality and structural stability, eliminating the need for additional support components.
3Ease of operation
If traditional connectors are used, then basic assembly is possible, but tool-free assembly and secure connection simultaneously cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The connector design incorporates self-aligning and self-securing features that eliminate the need for external tools. The bump feature automatically positions the connector correctly as it engages with the support frame recess, and the wing portion self-locks into place through its geometric engagement, providing both ease of operation and strong connection without requiring screws, clips, or other fastening tools.
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 modular rack design offers enhanced stability and flexibility, reducing material and shipping costs while enabling easy assembly and disassembly into various shapes without tools, improving user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
Each wing resiliently biased against an inner wall of the well to secure the connector inside the well
Implementation Method 2
each hook having an opening extending therethrough... each wing has a bump positioned in the center of the inner surface of each wing that faces the space. Each hook is inserted through the elongated opening of a corresponding connector with the bump on each wing fitted inside the opening of the hook to retain the hook inside the body of the connector
Data Source
AI summary
A rack assembly has two support frames and at least one shelf that are secured to the support frames by connecting assemblies. Each connecting assembly comprises a well secured to a medial surface of each vertical tube of the support frame, and a hook that extends from each end of each shelf, with each hook having an opening extending therethrough. The connecting assembly also includes a connector that is seated inside each well, each connector having a top plate that has an elongated opening, the connector also having a body that is sized and configured to fit inside a well, the body defining two wings with a space between the wings, and wherein each wing has a bump positioned in the center of the inner surface of each wing that faces the space. Each hook is inserted through the elongated opening of a corresponding connector with the bump on each wing fitted inside the opening of the hook to retain the hook inside the body of the connector.