Button affixing device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elderly and handicapped individuals face difficulty in managing fine motor tasks such as inserting buttons through button holes due to declining motor control, making it challenging to dress independently and requiring assistance, which can be embarrassing.
Innovation Solution
A button affixing device with a handle, spring-loaded claw mechanism, and ergonomic design that assists in grasping, inserting, and releasing buttons through button holes, featuring a static and dynamic arm system with a trigger for easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a button is manually inserted through a button hole by pinching and pressing, then the task can be completed with simple tools, but it becomes difficult for elderly or handicapped people due to fine motor control depletion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a button insertion device as an intermediary tool between the user and the button. The device includes a grasping mechanism with fingers that can hold the button, and a pushing mechanism with a tip that can press the button through the button hole. This intermediary device compensates for the user's fine motor control depletion by providing mechanical assistance for grasping and pushing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual fine motor operations (pinching and pressing with fingers) with a mechanical system. The grasping mechanism uses fingers actuated by a first trigger to hold the button, and the pushing mechanism uses a tip actuated by a second trigger to press the button through the button hole. This mechanical substitution eliminates the need for precise finger dexterity required in manual button insertion.
2Ease of operation
If a button insertion device is designed with complex mechanisms to assist elderly or handicapped people, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the button insertion device into distinct functional segments: a grasping mechanism with fingers for holding the button, a pushing mechanism with a tip for pressing the button through the button hole, and a release mechanism. Each segment is actuated by separate triggers, allowing independent control of each function. This segmentation enables the device to perform complex tasks through simple, isolated actions rather than requiring complex integrated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates dynamic elements including spring-loaded fingers that automatically return to their initial position after releasing the button, and movable triggers that provide tactile feedback and controlled actuation. The spring mechanism ensures the grasping fingers automatically open after button insertion, and the dynamic triggers provide ergonomic operation with proper force feedback, reducing the complexity of control mechanisms.
3Productivity
If the button insertion device includes automatic release mechanism, then productivity improves by completing the task in fewer steps, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a release mechanism that is pre-positioned and spring-loaded to automatically release the button after insertion. When the pushing mechanism completes its stroke and the button passes through the button hole, the release mechanism is automatically triggered to open the grasping fingers and release the button. This preliminary positioning of the release mechanism enables automatic button release without requiring additional manual操作步骤, improving productivity while keeping the added complexity minimal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables elderly and handicapped individuals to easily insert and remove buttons from button holes with minimal effort, promoting independence and reducing the need for assistance during dressing.
Implementation Method 1
A button affixing device with a handle, spring-loaded claw mechanism, and ergonomic design that assists in grasping, inserting, and releasing buttons through button holes
Data Source
AI summary
A button affixing device is an apparatus that is used to assist a user in joining clothing buttons to their assigned hole. The apparatus includes a static arm, a dynamic arm, a hollow handle, a spring, a first claw, a second claw, and a trigger. The static arm is utilized for positioning of the first claw. The dynamic arm arranges the position of the second claw and slides relative to the static arm. The hollow handle provides the user a means of grasping the apparatus during use. The spring is a curved unit that expands and contracts to transmit energy to the dynamic arm. The first claw is a curved rigid segment of the static arm, and the second claw is a curved rigid segment of the dynamic arm. The trigger may be utilized to move the dynamic arm towards the spring.