Modular Shelf Sign with Removable Dual-Sided Portions for Easy Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art shelf signs have a unitary construction and are single-sided, limiting adaptability and requiring entire sign replacement when information becomes obsolete, which is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A modular shelf sign system with a base portion and interchangeable sign portions, where the sign portions can be removably coupled and suspended from the base, allowing for printing on both sides and easy replacement without removing the base from the shelf, enabling flexible and cost-effective signage updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If shelf signs have an integral one-piece construction and are printed only on one side, then manufacturing is simple, but adaptability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf sign is divided into separate components: a base portion and interchangeable sign portions. The base portion includes a base body with a receptacle, while sign portions can be detached and replaced. This segmentation allows the base to be manufactured once and reused with multiple different sign portions, improving adaptability while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through standardized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The base portion is designed as a universal component that can accommodate multiple different sign portions. The receptacle in the base body is configured to receive various sign portions with different information, making the base multi-functional. This allows a single base to serve multiple purposes by simply changing the sign portion, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and adaptability.
2Loss of information
If the entire sign is replaced when information becomes obsolete, then information can be updated, but cost and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the base portion from the sign portion, only the sign portion needs to be replaced when information becomes obsolete. The base portion remains in use and is not discarded, significantly reducing material waste. The detachable connection allows easy removal of outdated sign portions and attachment of new ones without replacing the entire sign structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables selective discarding of only the sign portion that contains obsolete information, while recovering and reusing the base portion for future sign portions. This partial replacement approach minimizes waste of materials and reduces costs compared to replacing the entire sign, while ensuring information remains current through easy updates.
3Stability of the object's composition
If sign portions are permanently attached to the base, then structural stability is high, but ease of update is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the base portion and sign portion is designed to be dynamic rather than fixed. The sign portion can be detachably attached to the base, allowing it to transition between a stable attached state for display and a detached state for replacement. This dynamic connection enables both structural stability during use and ease of update when needed, resolving the contradiction between stability and operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelf sign system. The shelf sign system has a base portion having a shelf member configured to be secured to a shelf, an extender extending from the shelf member, and a sign receiver arranged at an end of the extender opposite the shelf member. The sign receiver comprises a head and two grooves defining a neck. A width of the neck is less than a width of the head. The system includes a first sign portion configured to be removably coupled to the sign receiver. Each of two opposing surfaces of the first sign portion are configured to be printable. The first sign portion has a coupling opening. The system includes a second sign portion configured to be removably coupled to the base portion. The first sign portion is removably coupled to and suspended from the base portion whereby the head extends through the coupling opening.