Shelf Support Device with Cam-Actuated Pin for Hidden Fixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shelf support devices are laborious to assemble, inconvenient to use, and aesthetically unsatisfactory due to visible fixing means and protruding pins, with complex installation and disassembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A compact, cylindrical casing with a compression spring and cam element allows the pin to be easily actuated between maximum and minimum extraction positions, using an eccentric lobe and slot mechanism for smooth operation and concealment within the shelf edge, enabling easy assembly and disassembly without visible parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional brackets, screws, and pins are used to fix shelves, then the shelf can be securely fixed, but the fixing means remain visible and assembly becomes laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the visible fixing means (brackets, screws, pins) and replaces them with a hidden elastic pin mechanism contained within a support device. The pin is normally retracted into the support device body, making the fixing mechanism invisible when the shelf is installed, while still providing secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic pin is nested within the support device body, with the pin able to protrude from and retract into the device. This nesting allows the fixing mechanism to be concealed within the support device structure, eliminating visible fixing elements while maintaining functionality.
2Ease of operation
If an elastic pin with spring action is used to automatically retract the pin, then assembly is simplified, but the pin always protrudes to maximum from the casing in rest condition making it visible and unsightly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a cam element that can rotate to change the extraction position of the pin dynamically. The cam element has an asymmetric profile that, when rotated, pushes the pin to different extension positions. This allows the pin to be positioned at minimum extraction (retracted) when not in use, improving aesthetics, while still allowing maximum extraction when needed for assembly or adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam element changes the parameter of pin extraction position by rotating to different angular positions. The asymmetric cam profile translates rotational motion into axial displacement of the pin, allowing controlled variation between minimum and maximum extraction positions based on operational requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If a slider mechanism with slot and projection is used to control pin movement, then the pin can be precisely positioned, but the base with slot remains visible on the outside of the shelf which is unsightly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the visible slot and projection mechanism from the external view by containing it within the support device body. The slot is formed in the pin itself rather than in an external base, and the cam element interacts with this internal slot, keeping all positioning mechanisms hidden within the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The slot is nested within the pin structure rather than being part of an external base. The cam element rotates within the support device and interacts with the slot that is formed in the pin, creating a compact nested arrangement where all positioning components are contained within the device body and not visible from the outside.
4Device complexity
If the pin is allowed to spring freely without stopping points, then the mechanism is simpler, but the device is complicated to install and inconvenient to use due to lack of controlled positions
Solution Approach 1:
The cam element provides controlled stopping positions through its asymmetric profile. As the cam rotates, its lobes engage with the slot in the pin at specific angular positions, creating defined stopping points. This allows the pin to be positioned accurately at predetermined locations while maintaining a relatively simple overall mechanism structure.
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 facilitates rapid, secure, and aesthetically pleasing shelf fixing with a stable and hidden pin mechanism, enhancing user convenience and shelf appearance.
Implementation Method 1
a pin (12) which is stressed by a compression spring (13)
Implementation Method 2
a cam element (50) having an eccentric lobe (55) which can be positioned in two opposed positions in a longitudinal slot (37) of the pin (12)
Data Source
Figure 1~1a
Figure 2
Figure 2a~2c
AI summary
Device (10) for supporting and fixing shelves (21) of furniture items (20), such as bookcases, shelf units and the like, comprising a casing (11) of substantially cylindrical shape, inside whereof is mounted a pin (12) that is stressed by a compression spring (13), said device (10) being inserted in the edge of a shelf (21), with a tip (31) of the pin (12) normally protruding from the edge of the shelf and apt to re-enter the casing (11) when the shelf is brought into interference with a wall (22) of the furniture item (20), wherein a cam element (50) is provided for the actuation of said pin (12) between a position of maximum extraction and a position of minimum extraction of said tip (31) from the casing (11), the pin (12) being free to spring to re- enter the casing (11) when the cam element is in said positions of maximum and minimum extraction of the tip (31).