Advent calendar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Home-made advent calendars lack flexibility in mounting options and present attachment, are difficult to assemble and disassemble, and are not easily compact for storage or transport, making them less versatile and user-friendly compared to commercial alternatives.
Innovation Solution
An advent calendar design featuring a central axis with radially extending side parts that can be joined, swung, or folded, equipped with pre-punched recess fields and suspension devices for hanging items, allowing for versatile mounting configurations and made from a single material like cardboard for easy disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If home-made advent calendars are constructed with fixed mounting mechanisms, then they provide stable structure, but they lack flexibility in mounting options and are difficult to assemble and disassemble
Solution Approach 1:
The advent calendar is divided into multiple side parts that can be independently assembled and disassembled. Each side part contains recess fields and suspension devices that can be independently configured, allowing the calendar to be assembled in different mounting configurations (standing, wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted) without requiring complex integrated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The side parts are designed with dynamic joining capabilities through tongue-and-groove systems and hinge mechanisms, allowing the structure to be easily assembled and disassembled. The side parts can be swung or folded over onto adjacent side parts and attached, providing adaptability in mounting while keeping the assembly process simple.
2Volume of moving object
If the advent calendar is designed for compact storage, then it saves space, but it may reduce the variability in mounting options
Solution Approach 1:
The side parts are designed to nest within each other when not in use, allowing the advent calendar to be stored in a compact form. The removable and foldable side parts can be nested inside the main structure, significantly reducing storage volume while maintaining the ability to be configured in various mounting positions when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The foldable and swingable side parts allow the calendar to transition between expanded functional configurations and compact storage configurations. This dynamic design enables the same structure to provide mounting variability when in use and compact storage when not in use, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
3Strength
If multiple materials are used for construction, then the structural integrity is improved, but disposal becomes difficult due to material mixture
Solution Approach 1:
The advent calendar is constructed primarily from cardboard, a single homogeneous material. This uniform material composition maintains sufficient structural integrity for the advent calendar's function while making disposal straightforward, as the entire structure can be easily recycled or disposed of without the complications of separating mixed materials.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the side parts are permanently joined, then the structural stability is improved, but the calendar cannot be easily disassembled for storage or transport
Solution Approach 1:
The advent calendar is segmented into multiple side parts that are joined through reversible tongue-and-groove systems and hinge mechanisms. These joining mechanisms provide structural stability when assembled but allow for easy disassembly when needed for storage or transport, resolving the contradiction between stability and disassembly ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The joining mechanisms are designed to be dynamically reversible - providing stable connection during use but allowing easy separation when needed. The tongue-and-groove systems and hinge mechanisms enable the side parts to be firmly joined for stability during the advent calendar period, then easily disassembled for compact storage or transport.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to an advent calendar (1) comprising: a central axis (10), from which at least three side parts (2) extend substantially radially outwards, wherein i) the side parts are joined together, preferably in the region of the central axis, ii) at least one side part is removable or can be swung or folded over onto an adjacent side part and can preferably be attached to the adjacent side part, iii) there are distributed over the side parts at least 24 pre-punched recess fields (3), which can be removed from the side parts and, after removal, each provide recesses (4) in the side parts, each of which has a first suspension device (5), for example a hook (6, 7) for hanging an article in the recess and/or wherein there are distributed on fields of the side parts at least 24 pre-punched second suspension devices, which can preferably be folded or bent out of the fields.