Support device for furniture shelves and related manufacturing process
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shelf support devices are either fragile when made with small diameter mounting pins or costly when made with steel, and they lack adaptability and ease of manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A shelf support device manufactured as a single piece from a flat metal sheet, shaped and bent to form a mounting pin and support body, using a process that includes cutting and plastic deformation to create an L-shaped structure with adjustable features, ensuring robustness and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the mounting pin is made with a small diameter to reduce cost and material, then the cost and material usage are reduced, but the mounting pin becomes excessively fragile and could break under the weight of the shelf
Solution Approach 1:
The support device is divided into two functional parts: a mounting pin for insertion into the furniture side and a support body for bearing the shelf load. The mounting pin has a smaller diameter for cost-effectiveness, while the support body provides the necessary structural strength, with both parts integrated as a single piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The support device utilizes a composite structure where the mounting pin and support body are made from the same material but form different functional components through shaping. The design combines a slender pin portion with a broader support body portion, creating a composite functional structure that optimizes both cost and strength.
2Reliability
If the mounting pin is made of steel to increase strength and prevent breaking, then the reliability is improved, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The support device separates the functions of mounting and supporting. The mounting pin has a smaller diameter sufficient for insertion and anchoring, while the support body provides the primary load-bearing capacity, allowing the use of less expensive materials for the pin portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the geometric parameters of the mounting pin, optimizing its diameter and length to achieve sufficient strength with a smaller, less expensive cross-section. The pin is designed with appropriate dimensions that balance strength requirements with material cost.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the support device is made from separate pieces that are subsequently coupled to manufacture pins of various diameters, then adaptability to different needs is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support device is designed as a universal single-piece component that can be adapted to different applications through variations in the mounting pin diameter and support body dimensions, all manufactured through the same stamping and bending process from a flat sheet.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process allows for parameter variations in the final product by adjusting the stamping and bending parameters during production, enabling different pin diameters and support body configurations to be created from the same basic manufacturing process.
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 robust, cost-effective, and easily adaptable shelf support device that can handle varying loads without breaking, using standard equipment and known installations, while maintaining simplicity in manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
shaped and bent to form a mounting pin and support body, using a process that includes cutting and plastic deformation to create an L-shaped structure
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
The present invention relates to a shelf support device (1, 1', 1", 1‴), comprising a mounting pin (10) adapted to be inserted into a hole obtained on a support structure and a support body (20) comprising a pair of side walls (21) defining a support surface (22) for said shelf and a rear wall (23) defining an abutment surface (24) adapted to abut against said support structure. In particular, said mounting pin (10) and said support body (20) are obtained as single piece from a flat sheet (30, 30', 30", 30‴) extending along a prevalent extension line (E) and shaped to define at least a pair of first portions (31), at least a pair of second portions (32), a pair of third portions (33) and at least a first connecting portion (34, 34', 34"), each continuously connected to the adjacent portions and delimitable with respect to the same through respective delimitation lines (41, 42, 43), extending transversely to the extension line (E) of the sheet (30, 30', 30", 30‴). Furthermore, the present invention relates to a process for manufacturing a shelf support device (1, 1', 1", 1‴) starting from a flat sheet (30, 30', 30", 30‴).