Outdoor Modular Frame System with Tool-Free Panel Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current outdoor modular frame systems require time-consuming and tool-intensive methods to secure decorative panels, exposing edges that are vulnerable to damage and limiting the ease of construction and customization.
Innovation Solution
An outdoor modular system featuring vertical support pieces with mating features like notches, grooves, and flanges, and panel wall assemblies with thumb screws and set screws for secure engagement, allowing for tool-free assembly and enhanced durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If decorative panels are secured with multiple fasteners after frame construction, then the panels are firmly attached, but the assembly process becomes time-consuming and requires multiple tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates fastener holes directly into the vertical support pieces during frame construction, allowing panels to be secured immediately as each support piece is installed. This preliminary preparation of attachment points eliminates the need for separate panel-securing operations, reducing both assembly time and tool requirements while maintaining firm panel attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the frame construction and panel attachment operations into a single integrated process. By incorporating fastener holes in the vertical support pieces and designing panels to engage with these pre-positioned holes, the patent merges two previously separate tasks (building the frame, then attaching panels) into one simultaneous operation, thereby reducing overall assembly time without compromising attachment strength
2Stability of the object's composition
If decorative panels are installed on the outside of the modular frame, then the frame structure is maintained, but the panel edges are exposed and vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the decorative panels within the frame structure by integrating them with the vertical support pieces through pre-formed fastener holes. This nesting approach allows panels to be securely attached to the frame while having their edges protected by the frame components themselves, eliminating exposed vulnerable edges while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical support pieces serve as intermediary elements that both maintain frame structure and protect panel edges. By designing these support pieces with integrated fastener holes and positioning them to cover panel edges, the invention creates a mediating structure that simultaneously preserves frame integrity and shields vulnerable panel edges from damage
3Strength
If multiple fasteners are used to secure each decorative panel, then the panels are firmly attached, but the construction process requires extra tools and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastening function from separate multiple fasteners and integrates it directly into the vertical support pieces through pre-formed holes. This extraction simplifies the fastening system by eliminating the need for multiple discrete fasteners and associated tools, while maintaining firm panel securement through the integrated hole design that accommodates standard fastening methods
Data Source
AI summary
An outdoor modular system includes a plurality of vertical support pieces and a plurality of panel wall assemblies selectively engagable with the plurality of vertical support pieces, wherein a respective panel wall assembly is secured between a pair of adjacent vertical support pieces via one of thumb screws and set screws positioned in the screw holes of vertical support pieces. Each of the plurality of vertical support pieces include a support piece mating feature comprising at least one of notches, grooves, channels, and flanges, and a screw hole formed in the vertical support piece for receiving one of a thumb screw and a set screw therein. In addition, each panel wall assembly includes a set of vertical and horizontal framing pieces encompassing a decorative panel assembly, and at least one fastener configured to secure the set of vertical framing pieces to the set of horizontal framing pieces.