A new safety mechanism by IKEA motivates customers to anchor their dressers to a wall to prevent them from tipping over and potentially injuring cabinet-climbing kids. Until a unit is attached to a wall, only one or two drawers can be opened at once, depending on the piece's height. Once properly secured, an unlocking mechanism activates, allowing multiple drawers to be opened simultaneously.
IKEA has included anchoring hardware with tall furniture for years. But, all too often, customers assemble their bookcase or chest of drawers and reckon they'll get to the anchoring part later. By limiting functionality until safety measures are taken, IKEA is integrating physical reminders into their products, encouraging people to complete the task sooner rather than later (or never).
Since other furniture manufacturers also produce cabinets capable of tipping over, IKEA has drawn up a patent pledge for 'Anchor and Unlock,' inviting its competitors to adopt the feature. "For us at IKEA, clothing storage furniture stability is not a matter of competition but one of collaboration," says Carl Ervér, patent manager at IKEA of Sweden.
