Nested Clamp Storage Using Offset Support Arms to Reduce Wall Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Woodworkers face challenges in storing multiple clamps efficiently due to the significant space required for hanging them on walls, as traditional storage methods do not effectively organize and condense the tools in a compact manner.
Innovation Solution
A tool storage system featuring a bracket with offset support arms of varying heights, allowing tools to nest within each other, thereby reducing the overall length or area occupied, and a universal mounting bracket with apertures for differently sized support arms to align along a common horizontal plane, enabling tools to be hung in a nesting relationship.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If clamps are hung on a wall using traditional storage methods, then the clamps are accessible and organized, but the wall surface area occupied is significant
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system allows clamps of different sizes to nest within each other vertically on support arms. Larger clamps are positioned lower and smaller clamps nest above them, creating a compact vertical arrangement that dramatically reduces the horizontal wall space required while keeping all clamps easily accessible.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional horizontal wall mounting to a vertical three-dimensional storage arrangement. By utilizing the vertical dimension and allowing clamps to nest at different heights on offset support arms, the system compresses the storage footprint from a two-dimensional horizontal layout to a compact vertical configuration.
2Ease of operation
If multiple clamps are stored side by side, then all clamps are easily accessible, but the overall storage system occupies excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple clamps are arranged in a nested configuration where smaller clamps are positioned within the space occupied by larger clamps. This nesting arrangement allows all clamps to remain accessible while reducing the total horizontal area required for storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms are segmented into different heights and positions, with each arm designed to hold specific clamp sizes. This segmentation allows for optimized spatial arrangement where clamps of different dimensions can be stored efficiently without interfering with each other's accessibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a storage system accommodates various clamp sizes, then versatility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket assembly is designed as a universal mounting system with multiple apertures that can accommodate support arms of different lengths and configurations. This universal design allows the same basic structure to adapt to various clamp sizes without requiring completely different storage systems for each clamp type.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms are designed with adjustable positioning capabilities, allowing them to be configured at different heights and angles based on the specific clamp sizes being stored. This dynamic adjustability provides versatility for accommodating various clamp dimensions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool storage system has a universal mounting bracket coupled to a support surface formed with a plurality of apertures that align with differently sized support arms that support a tool therefrom. The apertures are aligned along a common horizontal plane and the support arms have different heights that allow tools to be hung therefrom in a nesting relationship so that more tools can occupy less space or area relative to the support surface. The nesting relationship of the tools provides for a first tool supported by the first arm to fit within a space defined by the second tool supported by the second arm. In some instance, the first and second arms may be part of a pair of support arms, respectively.