Movable Hook Shelf Rail for Tool-Free Label Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shelf rails require either special tools for label exchange or deformation, leading to inefficiencies and risks of label detachment due to accidental deformation from shopping carts.
Innovation Solution
A holding device with a movable hook-shaped first holding element and a guide device allowing translatory movement along a straight line, enabling quick and secure insertion and removal of labels without special tools, while maintaining stability against deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the entire shelf rail has to be deformed to insert or remove the label, then no special tools are required, but the shelf rail becomes vulnerable to deformation from shopping carts causing label release
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf rail is divided into a stable main body and a separate movable holding element. The holding element can move independently along the guide line to release and secure labels, while the main body remains rigid to resist deformation from shopping carts. This segmentation allows the label exchange function to be separated from the structural support function.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding element is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position along the guide line. This movability enables the holding element to open and close to facilitate label insertion and removal, while maintaining a stable connection to the rigid shelf rail body.
2Reliability
If special tools are used to exchange price tags, then label exchange can be controlled, but the exchange process takes longer and consumes more time resources
Solution Approach 1:
The holding element is designed to be manually operable without requiring external tools. Users can directly manipulate the holding element along the guide line to insert and remove labels, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for specialized exchange tools while maintaining controlled label handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable holding element allows for rapid manual operation. By sliding the holding element along the guide line, users can quickly open and close the label holding space, significantly reducing the time required for label exchange compared to tool-based mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the shelf rail is made as stiff as possible to prevent deformation, then stability is improved, but the ability to release labels through controlled deformation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf rail structure is segmented into a rigid main body that resists deformation and a separate movable holding element that enables label release. This segmentation allows the main body to maintain high stiffness for stability while the holding element provides the necessary flexibility and movability for controlled label exchange without requiring deformation of the entire shelf rail.
Data Source
AI summary
Holding device, in particular shelf rail, for holding an object provided for this purpose, in particular of a label, wherein the holding device comprises: a first holding element, preferably having a hook-shaped cross section, which is formed in a movable manner, a second holding element, preferably having a hook-shaped cross section, wherein the first holding element and the second holding element are formed to hold the object between them, a guide device, wherein the guide device is formed so that the first holding element can essentially be moved along a straight guide line.