Removable Roller Support Bars and Living Hinge Dividers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gravity feed roller shelving systems face issues such as difficulty in removing or inserting items due to spring-loaded pusher members causing package damage, misalignment of rollers, and high installation costs, as well as limitations in accommodating non-standard item sizes and shapes.
Innovation Solution
A roller track system with a base, guide rails, and roller support bars that allow for easy assembly and disassembly, using a 'snap-fit' mechanism for roller insertion and retention, and a cable divider system with flexible securing members to manage cables and prevent tilting, enabling efficient item movement and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If spring-loaded pusher members are used to advance items on shelves, then items are automatically advanced when one is removed, but the force exerted makes it difficult to remove or insert items and can cause package damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the spring-loaded pusher member from the system entirely, replacing it with a gravity-based roller track system. This extraction eliminates the harmful force that made item removal and insertion difficult while preserving the automatic advancement function through gravitational pull on the rollers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the spring-loaded mechanical pusher system with a gravity-based roller track system. The spring mechanism is replaced by gravity-actuated rollers that automatically advance items without exerting damaging force, resolving the contradiction between automatic advancement and ease of operation.
2Productivity
If spring-loaded pusher members are used to advance items, then items are automatically advanced, but the force can cause package damage and product loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the spring-loaded pusher member that causes package damage and replaces it with a gravity-based roller system. This eliminates the harmful force while maintaining the automatic advancement capability, directly addressing the contradiction between productivity and harmful effects on packages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful force of spring-loaded pushers into a beneficial gravity-based system. Instead of using elastic force that causes damage, the system uses gravitational force to gently advance items through rollers, transforming a harmful mechanism into a beneficial one that protects packages while maintaining productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional gravity feed roller systems have rollers loosely disposed on a base with retainer strips, then rollers can be easily installed, but removing and replacing a roller requires removing the retainer strip which frees all rollers and allows accidental dislodgement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the roller retention system into individual roller-mounted retainers rather than a continuous strip. Each roller has its own retainer that can be independently engaged or disengaged, allowing one roller to be removed without affecting the retention of other rollers, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of installation and retention stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic retainers that can be easily engaged and disengaged from the base channels. These retainers move between engaged and disengaged states, allowing for simple roller installation and removal while maintaining stable retention when engaged, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and reliability.
4Reliability
If retainer strips are placed over rollers and attached via screws, then rollers are secured to the base, but if a screw loosens, rollers become misaligned and cannot rotate properly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the screw-based mechanical fastening system with a gravity-based roller track system using channels and retainer bars. This substitution eliminates screws entirely, removing the risk of screw loosening and misalignment while maintaining reliable roller securing through the channel-retainer mechanism, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
5Strength
If continuous plastic mats are used for gravity feed roller systems, then the system is integral and strong, but the cost is relatively high and some applications are difficult to accommodate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous mat system into discrete, modular roller track components. Individual tracks can be independently configured and assembled to suit different application requirements, providing both the structural integrity of a strong system and the adaptability to accommodate various applications, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal roller track system where modular components can be configured for different applications. The same basic track design can accommodate various item sizes, shapes, and weights by adjusting roller spacing and configuration, providing both structural strength and broad adaptability across multiple applications.
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 system allows for efficient and cost-effective item display and management, accommodating various item sizes and shapes without damage, while reducing installation costs and improving operational ease.
Implementation Method 1
roller tracks that use gravity as a mechanism for moving an item thereon
Data Source
AI summary
A roller track includes a base, parallel guides, roller support bars placed into their respective guides, and a plurality of rollers removably disposed between the roller support bars. The roller support bars preferably are removably secured to the base via the respective guides which are affixed to the base. The base also can be provided with connecting elements sidewalls thereof such that a plurality of bases of roller tracks can be connected laterally to accommodate any width of shelf or display planogram. Thus, the roller tracks can be used either separately roller tracks or as a continuous mat (i.e. a plurality of roller tracks affixed to adjacent roller tracks). Additionally, dividers can be removably affixed to each roller track via securing members comprising an upper body portion formed via a living hinge and at least one lower connector that removably connects the securing member to the roller track.