Trophy mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current European mount display systems require damaging the skull by drilling holes for attachment, limiting flexibility in displaying the animal at various angles and directions, and often result in damage to the skull, reducing the mount's value.
Innovation Solution
A trophy mount system featuring a base with hinges for pivoting, adjustable brackets with a center prong and side arms that fit naturally into the skull's Foramen magnum and condyloid fossa, allowing secure attachment without drilling, enabling flexible angle and direction adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If screws, glue, staples or other attachment devices are used to secure the skull to the board or plaque, then the skull is securely attached to the display surface, but the skull is damaged by drilling holes or causing other damage
Solution Approach 1:
A bracket serves as an intermediary component between the skull and the wall mounting system. The bracket attaches to the skull using natural anatomical features (Foramen magnum and condyloid fossa) without drilling, while the base of the bracket mounts to the wall independently, thus mediating the attachment process to avoid direct damage to the skull
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is divided into separate functional components: a skull-mounted bracket that uses natural skull features for attachment, and a separate base that mounts to the wall. This segmentation allows the skull attachment mechanism to be independent from the wall mounting mechanism, eliminating the need to drill into the skull for wall mounting purposes
2Ease of manufacture
If the skull is affixed to the board or plaque in a parallel plane, then the attachment is simple and secure, but the horns or antlers stick out from the vertical surface creating an unattractive profile
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket incorporates pivoting joints that allow the skull to be positioned at various angles relative to the wall surface. This dynamic positioning capability enables the horns or antlers to be oriented in aesthetically pleasing directions while maintaining secure attachment, rather than being fixed in a single parallel position
3Stability of the object's composition
If the board or plaque is fixed perpendicular to the floor, then the mounting is stable and secure, but the view of the mount is limited to a two dimensional plane and the full scope of the game's size and majesty is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system includes pivoting mechanisms that allow the skull and bracket assembly to be angled relative to the wall surface while maintaining stable wall mounting. This enables three-dimensional display positioning that showcases the game's size and majesty from multiple perspectives, rather than being constrained to a fixed two-dimensional plane
4Shape
If additional steps are taken to remove and remount the skull to position horns or antlers upright, then the display profile is improved, but the complexity and cost of the mounting process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket's pivoting capability allows the skull to be positioned in various orientations, including upright positions for the horns or antlers, without requiring removal and remounting of the skull. The dynamic adjustment is achieved simply by repositioning the skull on the pivoting bracket, significantly reducing process complexity compared to complete removal and remounting procedures
Data Source
AI summary
A trophy mount for displaying the skull and horn or antler of game animals comprising; a base with one or more holes in the base for attaching the base to a vertical surface, a wing that attaches to the base by means of an upper and lower hinge socket on the base that are able to receive an upper and lower wing joint from the wing with the sockets and joints sized to allow the wing to pivot with respect to the base which is secured to the vertical surface, a bracket that has one or more adjustment holes and a pivot hole, means for securing the bracket to the wing such that the bracket can be positioned at various angles with respect to the base, a center prong on the bracket that is sized to fit within a Foramen magnum of a vertebrate game animal, and a right and left side arm that are spaced, sized and positioned below and slightly in front of the center prong such that the right and left side arms fit into the condyloid fossa of a game animal's skull.