Hook-Mounted Sales Table Side Walls for Easy Reassembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sales tables with foldable side walls have complex and expensive mechanisms for attachment and detachment, making them difficult to manufacture and operate efficiently, especially when needing to be easily dismantled or reassembled for space-saving storage and to facilitate access to deep storage areas.
Innovation Solution
A sales table design featuring legs with recesses for hook-shaped folds of the side walls, allowing for simple manual attachment and detachment, with a cap to cover sharp corners and secure the side walls, enabling easy folding and reassembly without complex mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex mechanisms are used to attach and detach side walls, then the side walls remain securely fastened, but the manufacturing cost increases and operation becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is divided into multiple segments that can be independently attached and detached. Each segment connects to the leg through simple hook-shaped folds engaging with recesses, allowing individual sections to be separated without affecting the entire structure. This segmentation enables easy reconfiguration while maintaining secure attachment through gravity-dependent hanging.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex locking mechanisms that require active engagement, the design inverts the approach by using gravity as the securing force. The side wall hangs from the leg through hook-shaped folds, where gravity naturally maintains the attached state. Detachment simply requires lifting against gravity, eliminating the need for complex fastening systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the table is designed for easy dismantling and reassembly, then storage becomes space-saving, but the structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall attachment system transitions from static fixed connections to dynamic gravity-dependent hanging. The hook-shaped folds engage with recesses in a way that allows the side wall to be easily raised and lowered. When attached, gravity maintains the connection; when detached, the side wall can be freely moved for storage or reconfiguration, providing adaptability without compromising stability during use.
3Strength
If side walls are made fixed and non-foldable, then structural integrity is maintained, but access to deep storage areas becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is segmented into multiple sections that can be independently folded or detached. When access to deep storage areas is needed, the upper segments can be folded down or removed, creating an open pathway while the lower segments remain attached to maintain structural support. This segmentation allows the side wall to transition between providing full enclosure and facilitating access.
Solution Approach 2:
The side wall design incorporates dynamic folding capability where segments can be raised or lowered based on operational needs. During normal use, the side walls maintain their upright position for structural integrity and display. When access is required, segments can be dynamically repositioned to fold down, creating access pathways while maintaining the overall table structure.
4Ease of manufacture
If simple hook-shaped folds are used for attachment, then manufacturing cost decreases, but the risk of accidental detachment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design uses gravity as a counterforce to prevent accidental detachment. The hook-shaped folds are positioned and oriented such that the weight of the side wall itself acts to maintain engagement with the leg recesses. To detach, upward force must be applied to overcome gravity, making accidental detachment unlikely while keeping the attachment mechanism simple and easy to manufacture.
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 solution provides a cost-effective, stable, and easy-to-manufacture sales table with reduced risk of accidental detachment, allowing for efficient reconfiguration and access to deep storage areas, while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetic appeal.
Implementation Method 1
The side wall can be hung on or off again with a simple movement of the hand. It remains in the suspended state due to its own gravity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The sales table comprises a product receiving area (4) for receiving products as well as four legs (1) and a base (7) for supporting the products in the product receiving area. Four side walls (5) for laterally delimiting the product receiving area are fastened to the legs. At least one of the side walls (5) has a bent area (19) directed downward like a hook which can be hooked from above in a recess (17) at the upper end of at least one of the legs (1). The side wall (5) or a part (13) thereof can be unhooked from the recess (17) and folded away by means of a simple hand movement, and the sales table can be completely disassembled or reassembled by means of only a few more hand movements. Thus the recess (17) and the bent area (19) are robust components of the table which are simple to produce, provide a stable and rigid connection between the side walls and the legs (1), and enable easy handling of the table.