Stack-on Panel Assembly with Connector Bracket
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stacker panels for partition systems are difficult to install, require numerous parts, and often fail to provide adequate routing pathways for power and communication lines, increasing manufacturing and assembly costs.
Innovation Solution
A stack-on panel assembly featuring a base panel with tubular frame uprights and a stacker panel with vertically extending slots and latch members, along with a connector bracket that securely and easily connects the panels in a vertically stacked relationship, minimizing parts and tool requirements for installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If prior stacker panels are used to modify partition panel height, then height adjustability is improved, but installation difficulty and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connector bracket integrates multiple functions into a single component: it provides structural support, enables vertical stacking, facilitates horizontal positioning through slots, and secures panels through latch members. This consolidation eliminates the need for multiple separate parts, making installation straightforward while maintaining height adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector bracket is designed as a modular component that can be independently installed and removed. The separation of the bracket from the panels allows for easy assembly and disassembly, reducing installation complexity while preserving the ability to reconfigure panel heights.
2Reliability
If prior stacker panels include multiple parts to ensure secure mounting, then mounting reliability is improved, but manufacturing and assembly costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions previously requiring separate parts (support structure, positioning mechanism, locking mechanism) are integrated into the single connector bracket. This reduces part count, simplifying manufacturing and assembly while maintaining secure mounting through the coordinated action of the bracket's integrated features.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector bracket serves multiple purposes simultaneously: it supports the stacker panel vertically, positions it horizontally via slots, and secures it with latch members. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple specialized components, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Adaptability or versatility
If prior stacker panels are designed with adequate routing pathways, then utility accommodation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector bracket's slot design serves dual purposes: it enables horizontal positioning of the stacker panel and simultaneously provides a routing pathway for utilities. This integration of positioning and utility routing functions into a single feature avoids adding separate routing structures, maintaining simplicity while accommodating utilities.
4Ease of operation
If prior stacker panels use simple mounting mechanisms, then ease of installation is improved, but mounting reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector bracket combines support, positioning, and locking functions in one component. The latch members provide secure engagement while the overall simple design maintains ease of installation. The integration ensures that all mounting functions work together reliably without requiring complex multi-step procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A stack-on panel assembly is supported on a base panel having tubular uprights disposed adjacent opposite sides thereof with open tops and a fastener end extending into an interior of the uprights. A stacker panel has a bottom portion abuttingly supported on a top portion of the base panel, a vertically extending slot along one side thereof, and a first latch member adjacent to the slot. A connector bracket has a lower portion received in the interior portion of the frame upright, and an aperture shaped to receive the fastener end to vertically locate the connector bracket relative to the base panel. The connector bracket is received in the slot to horizontally locate the stacker panel relative to the base panel, and has a second latch member selectively engaging the first latch member on the stacker panel.