Adjustable Support Rail With Hidden Fasteners for Appliance Interiors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator and freezer cabinet support systems experience significant bending moments due to load transfer, requiring a solid anchorage on the wall, but conventional screw fixings are aesthetically unsatisfactory as they leave screw heads visible.
Innovation Solution
A vertical rail system with a profile element that includes a movable strip, allowing the screw to be accessible for anchoring and then hidden, featuring snap-in recesses that can be formed in the strip or the profile element, enabling secure and aesthetically concealed attachment to the wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a solid anchorage with visible screw heads is used to bear the bending moments, then the rail's stability and strength are improved, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates due to visible screw heads
Solution Approach 1:
The profile element is divided into two functional parts: a fixed anchoring section that provides structural stability and bears bending moments, and a movable strip section that can be positioned to hide or expose the screw heads. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The strip is designed to be movable relative to the profile element, allowing it to be dynamically positioned between a retracted position (where screw heads are visible for installation) and an extended position (where screw heads are hidden for aesthetic purposes). This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between visibility and aesthetics.
2Ease of operation
If the screw is always accessible through the profile element, then ease of installation and maintenance is improved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates due to permanently visible screw heads
Solution Approach 1:
The strip's movable design allows it to be temporarily retracted during installation to expose the screw heads for easy access, and then extended during normal use to conceal them. This dynamic positioning provides ease of operation when needed while maintaining aesthetic appearance at other times.
Solution Approach 2:
During installation, the strip is preliminarily positioned in the retracted state to allow screw access. After installation is complete, the strip is moved to the extended state to hide the screws. This preliminary positioning facilitates easy installation without compromising final aesthetic appearance.
Data Source
AI summary
A cupboard-type domestic appliance is provided having an interior in which a height-adjustable support system is mounted. The support system includes a vertical rail provided with a plurality of snap-in recesses and a supporting arm that has a plurality of projections each of which engages with one of the snap-in recesses. The rail includes a profiled element that is immobilized on a wall via an at least one fastener and a strip is provided that can be vertically displaced in the profiled element between a position in which the at least one fastener is accessible through an opening on one side of the profiled element that faces away from the wall and another position in which the at least one fastener is concealed behind the strip.