Fixtures for retaining or storing objects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dwellings face limited storage space challenges, particularly with delicate equipment like fishing rods and garden tools, which are difficult to store and protect without occupying valuable space, often getting damaged or tangled.
Innovation Solution
The design of attachable fixtures for garage door panels that securely hold elongated items using a clamp mechanism, allowing for easy installation without tools and accommodating the door's movement, utilizing otherwise unused space for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If objects are stored on the floor or against walls, then storage capacity is provided, but valuable space is occupied and objects are difficult to locate and access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vertical dimension utilization by mounting storage fixtures on vertical surfaces (walls, garage doors, ceilings) rather than horizontal floor space. This transforms the storage problem from a 2D floor-based system to a 3D vertical system, increasing storage capacity without occupying valuable floor area and improving accessibility through strategic positioning at various heights.
2Quantity of substance
If objects are stored in limited spaces, then storage is achieved, but objects are often damaged and the space becomes cluttered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides storage into multiple discrete fixture units that can be independently positioned and configured. Each fixture provides dedicated, organized storage for specific objects, preventing clutter and damage by giving each item its own designated space rather than crowded shared storage areas.
Solution Approach 2:
By utilizing vertical surfaces and airborne spaces (ceiling mounts), the patent creates dedicated storage zones that separate objects from each other and from potential damage sources, reducing harmful interactions while maximizing storage capacity in limited footprints.
3Area of stationary object
If fixtures are attached to movable surfaces like garage doors, then otherwise unusable space is utilized, but the fixtures must accommodate surface movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic mounting solutions that can accommodate the movement of garage doors and other movable surfaces. The fixtures are designed with flexible attachment mechanisms that maintain secure object retention while allowing the mounting surface to move through its range of motion, transforming a previously unusable movable surface into functional storage space.
Data Source
AI summary
A fixture adapted for attachment to a movable surface, for retaining or storing elongated objects, includes a set of two fixture members. Each fixture member has (a) at least a leg portion for attaching to the movable surface; and (b) a body portion adapted to include one or more openings extending therethrough. At least one opening is adapted for receiving one end of an elongated object. The surface is movable from a first position that is within reach of a user to a second position that is out of reach of, but is accessible by, the user such that the fixture allows for utilization of limited space.