Modular Shelving With Hidden Grooved Shelf-Upright Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In high-quality furnishings, especially glass or crystal bookshelves, the mechanical elements necessary for stability are often visible, disrupting the aesthetic appeal, and existing modular shelving systems with visible non-glass components fail to maintain structural solidity while minimizing visibility.
Innovation Solution
A modular shelving system featuring a hidden attachment system with a grooved guide and minor profile configuration that allows for flexible positioning of uprights and shelves, using metal profiles fixed to the rear edges of glass components to ensure structural strength and minimal visibility, along with contact blocks for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a load-bearing structure made from wood or metal is used to support glass shelves, then structural solidity is improved, but visibility of non-glass elements increases disrupting aesthetic appeal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the load-bearing function from visible glass components and relocates it to hidden metal elements positioned at the rear of the shelving structure. The metal uprights and shelves are placed behind the glass panels, carrying the structural load while remaining invisible from the front viewing angle, thus resolving the contradiction between structural solidity and aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different material qualities to different spatial locations: glass is used at the front for aesthetic visibility, while metal is used at the rear for structural strength. This local differentiation allows each material to perform its optimal function - glass provides visual appeal where visible, metal provides load-bearing capacity where hidden.
2Ease of operation
If a modular shelving system with visible metal supports and expandable elements is used, then ease of assembly and flexibility are improved, but aesthetic appeal deteriorates due to visible non-glass components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the visible attachment elements from the front viewing area and relocates them to the rear structure. The metal uprights with expandable elements are positioned behind the glass shelves, maintaining their modular assembly functionality while hiding their visual impact from the aesthetic viewing angle.
3Shape
If attachment elements are made visible and emphasized in design, then aesthetic impact is improved, but structural solidity may be compromised by reduced material usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the aesthetic function (glass panels at front) from the structural function (metal supports at rear). This allows the glass to be designed for maximum aesthetic impact while the metal structure behind it provides the necessary structural solidity without visual competition.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The modular shelving (10) comprises at least two shelves (20), arranged horizontally; at least two uprights (30), arranged vertically between said two shelves (20); and an attachment system (40, 31, 41) between said uprights (30) and said shelves (20). It is characterised in that said attachment system comprises at least one fastening element (40) fixed to each of said uprights and a major horizontal profile (21), stably fixed to each of said shelves (20); said major profile comprises at least one grooved guide (22, 23) suitable for partially housing said at least one fastening element (40). The grooved guide allows rapid assembly and ensures extreme freedom in positioning the uprights, which can be arranged according to the preferred configuration in any position along the shelf without jeopardising the solidity of the structure. Moreover, the attachment system is not very bulky and therefore is not very visible.