Telescoping Sign Frame for Pinch-Safe Retail Display Racks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display fixtures, such as quad racks and convertible racks, lack an efficient mechanism to support signs and prevent hand pinching during assembly and disassembly, limiting their usability in retail environments.
Innovation Solution
An extendable frame assembly with a telescoping inner frame and outer frame, featuring bent lateral supports and fixed stops, which allows for safe insertion and extension to support signs while preventing hand pinching by maintaining structural integrity and spacing to avoid finger contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If telescoping members are added to support multiple levels of merchandise, then the display capability is improved, but the risk of hand pinching during assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
A safety guard member is introduced as an intermediary component between the telescoping members. This guard member physically blocks access to the pinch point where the telescoping members meet, preventing hand insertion while allowing the telescoping mechanism to function normally for displaying merchandise at multiple levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety guard member is pre-installed on the telescoping mechanism before assembly begins. This preliminary protective measure ensures that the pinch point is blocked from the start, preventing hand pinching during the entire assembly process rather than requiring users to take caution during assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If signs are added to display fixtures, then promotional capability is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sign support functionality is merged with the existing telescoping mechanism. The safety guard member serves dual purposes: it prevents hand pinching and provides a mounting surface for signs. This integration adds promotional capability without requiring separate complex sign-supporting structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping mechanism and its safety guard member are designed to serve multiple functions: supporting merchandise at different levels, preventing hand pinching, and displaying promotional signs. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in structural complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If telescoping mechanism is used for extension, then the adjustability is improved, but the safety during assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The safety guard member acts as a protective intermediary that maintains the telescoping mechanism's adjustability while eliminating the safety hazard. The guard member allows the telescoping action to proceed smoothly for adjustment purposes while physically preventing hand insertion into the dangerous pinch point throughout the assembly process.
Data Source
AI summary
A display fixture has a convertible rack fixture and an extendable frame assembly. The convertible rack fixture has a base with a top surface, two uprights extending from the top surface, two bottom crossbars extending between the two uprights, and two top crossbars extending between tops of the two uprights. The extendable frame assembly is located between the two bottom crossbars and between the two top crossbars and has a base frame and a telescoping frame that telescopes out of the base frame. The base frame has two substantially vertical legs that rest on the top surface of the base of the convertible rack and a lateral support that extends between the two substantially vertical legs separate from the top surface of the base.