Taxidermy Mounting Plate and Peg for Stable Trophy Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional taxidermy hanging apparatuses face challenges in securely and conveniently mounting large, heavy taxidermied bodies, particularly in aligning the hanging device with the center of gravity, maintaining orientation, and resisting rotation due to gravity, while also concealing the apparatus for aesthetic display.
Innovation Solution
A game hanging apparatus comprising a body member with bay openings and dog recesses, and a wall member with a peg and dog, allowing for secure attachment to a support structure without exact alignment, enabling adjustment of the taxidermied body's orientation and position without disengagement, using a peg and saddle mechanism to distribute the load and resist rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional hanging apparatus with a single hook or nail is used to mount a heavy taxidermied body, then the apparatus is simple in structure, but it is difficult to align with the center of gravity and the body may rotate or fall due to gravity
Solution Approach 1:
The hanging apparatus is divided into multiple functional components: a mounting plate with multiple mounting holes for wall attachment, a central bay opening for receiving the peg, and multiple dog recesses for engagement with the dog. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while collectively providing stable support for the taxidermied body.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus combines multiple functions into a single integrated structure: the mounting plate serves both as the wall-mounted base and as the support for the bay opening and dog recesses. The peg integrates both the hanging function (receiving the hook) and the alignment function (fitting into the bay opening). This merging reduces the number of separate components while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of operation
If a small aperture hanging device is used, then the apparatus is simple, but proper alignment is especially difficult when the taxidermied body is large and/or heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment mechanism transitions from a single-point aperture to a two-dimensional bay opening that receives the peg. This dimensional change provides a larger alignment target that is easier to see and align, especially for large and heavy taxidermied bodies. The bay opening accommodates slight misalignments while ensuring proper engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The dog recesses are pre-positioned around the bay opening to provide multiple potential engagement points. This preliminary arrangement of alignment features allows the installer to easily find the correct alignment by simply lowering the body until the dog engages with one of the recesses, without requiring precise pre-alignment.
3Shape
If the taxidermied body is hung to achieve a natural pose with tilt or rotation, then the aesthetic appearance is enhanced, but the center of mass causes the body to rotate from the desired display position
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus provides dynamic adjustability through multiple dog recesses positioned at different angular locations around the bay opening. The installer can select different dog recesses to engage with the dog to achieve different orientations and tilts of the taxidermied body, allowing the body to be positioned in natural, aesthetically pleasing poses while maintaining stability through the secure engagement of the dog with the selected recess.
4Weight of moving object
If a heavy taxidermied body exceeding 200 pounds is mounted, then the display is impressive, but it is very difficult to hoist, hold steady and engage with the support structure
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting process is facilitated by the three-dimensional bay opening that receives the peg vertically. This vertical reception path allows the heavy body to be lowered straight down onto the peg, converting a difficult lateral alignment problem into a simpler vertical insertion task. The enlarged head on the peg provides a wide entry point that is easy to align from above.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus enables self-aligning through the bay opening and dog recess mechanism. As the heavy taxidermied body is lowered, the bay opening automatically guides the peg into position, and the dog automatically engages with one of the dog recesses without requiring precise manual alignment. This self-service feature significantly reduces the difficulty of mounting heavy bodies.
5Reliability
If the hanging apparatus components are exposed, then the mounting is secure, but the observer is distracted from the beauty of the taxidermied body
Solution Approach 1:
The dog is nested within the bay opening structure, and the dog recesses are integrated into the mounting plate. When the body is mounted, these components are positioned behind or within the contours of the taxidermied body, concealing them from the observer's view. The mounting plate can be positioned flush against the wall or behind the body, hiding the hardware while maintaining secure hanging.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus to hang a game trophy on a support structure and to facilitate adjustment of the orientation of the game trophy relative to the support structure comprising a first member, having a dog and a protruding peg with an enlarged head, and a saddle portion adjacent to the enlarged head, and a second member having a bay opening, a bay, a recess adjacent to the bay opening, and a plurality of generally adjacent dog recesses. A method of hanging a game trophy comprises receiving the enlarged head of the peg through the bay opening to align the saddle portion of the first member with the throat of the bay of the second member, and by then receiving the dog into an aligned dog recess of the second member to releasably couple the second member to the first member.