Portable Modular Bar Frame with Tool-Free Hook-and-Slot Panel Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable modular bars are often heavy, bulky, and require complex assembly and disassembly processes, taking up significant storage space and time, especially when they need to be transported and reassembled at events.
Innovation Solution
A modular bar design featuring hingedly connected front and side bar sections with tubular rails and display panel portions that use hooks to mount securely without tools, along with a corner section to prevent outward rotation and conceal hinges, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly without tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If portable bars are made modular to reduce storage space, then storage space requirement is reduced, but assembly and disassembly time increases and requires tools
Solution Approach 1:
The bar is divided into modular sections (front bar section, side bar sections, rear bar section) that can be independently assembled and disassembled. Each section contains frame portions with rails and panels that can be separately attached, enabling compact storage while maintaining quick assembly through simple hinge connections rather than complex fastening systems
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using traditional fastening mechanisms that require tools for assembly, the patent uses hinge connections that allow panels and sections to be attached by simply opening and closing the hinge, inverting the conventional approach where fixed structures require disassembly tools
2Volume of moving object
If portable bars use complex modular structures for compact storage, then storage space is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential connection function from complex fastening systems and implements it through simple hinge mechanisms. The hinge is taken out from being a complex multi-component assembly to a simple single-component connection that provides both structural support and assembly functionality, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining modular compactness
3Strength
If traditional portable bars are designed for structural stability, then strength is improved, but weight increases making them difficult to move
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin-walled tubular rails and panel constructions that provide sufficient structural strength through their geometry and material properties rather than through heavy mass. The tubular frame portions and panel edges are designed with optimized wall thicknesses that maintain strength while minimizing weight, allowing the bar to be easily moved while retaining structural integrity during use
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design reduces weight and storage space requirements while simplifying the assembly and disassembly process, enabling quick setup and teardown at events without the need for tools, enhancing portability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a side bar section hingedly connected to the front bar section
Implementation Method 2
a display panel portion comprising a hook configured to cooperate with the slot in the frame portion in order to mount the display panel portion on the frame portion
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a bar section for a portable modular (1) bar comprising a frame portion (3) having spaced upper (5) and lower (6) rails connected by opposing side rails (7,8), the upper rail comprising a slot (10) extending into its upper surface, and a display panel (4) portion comprising a hook (22) configured to cooperate with the slot (10) in the frame (3) portion in order to mount the display panel (4) portion on the frame portion (3) . The present invention also relates to a modular bar comprising a front bar section, a side bar section hingedly connected to a side rails of the front bar section, and a cover section (53) having a peripheral lip (56) configured to fit around the upper part of the front and side bar sections.