Single-Piece Plastic Drawer Divider with Integrated Spring Clamping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drawer dividers are complex and costly to assemble, requiring multiple parts and significant time due to separate components and intricate mechanisms, making them inefficient for adaptation to different drawer dimensions.
Innovation Solution
A drawer divider design featuring a single-piece plastic clamping piece with integrated spring bars, allowing for compact and stable assembly with adjustable clamping travel, and a hollow profile partition that can be easily adapted to various drawer sizes using transverse divider clamping pieces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate parts and intricate mechanisms are used in drawer dividers, then the clamping function can be achieved, but the assembly complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the plug-in section, spring element, and contact section into a single integrated clamping piece. This merging of previously separate components (plug, spring, and contact part) into one monolithic structure reduces the number of parts that need to be assembled while maintaining the complete clamping function, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and assembly complexity
2Reliability
If multiple separate parts are used in drawer dividers, then the clamping function can be achieved, but the assembly time and effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the spring element, plug-in section, and contact section into a single clamping piece, the patent eliminates the need to assemble multiple separate components. This single-piece design allows for rapid installation into the partition opening without the time-consuming process of assembling multiple parts, directly addressing the time loss issue
3Reliability
If separate components are used in drawer dividers, then the clamping function can be achieved, but the manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent manufactures the clamping piece as a single injection-molded plastic component that integrates the spring element, plug-in section, and contact section. This consolidates multiple manufacturing operations into one process, reducing tooling costs, assembly costs, and inventory management costs while maintaining the full clamping function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from using metal springs and separate metal/plastic components to using a plastic spring element integrated into a plastic clamping piece. This material and structural parameter change simplifies manufacturing and reduces costs while maintaining functional performance
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
Enables simplified and cost-effective manufacturing, easy adaptation to different drawer dimensions, and flexible subdivision of drawer space with reduced assembly effort, resulting in a compact and stable design.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element of the clamping piece, which is formed by at least one spring bar
Implementation Method 2
the contact section can be moved in the direction of the plug-in section against the restoring force of a spring element
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3b
Figure 4a~5b
AI summary
The divider (10) has a partition wall (11) whose two ends are arranged with a front-sided aperture (16), and a springy clamping piece (12) including a plug-in section (17) that is placed in the front-sided aperture and rests with a stop part outside at a front side of the partition wall. An arrangement portion (18) is arranged at a drawer wall. The arrangement portion is movable toward the section against return force of a spring element. The spring element is formed through a spring bar that is formed as a one-piece plastic part together with the section and the arrangement portion.