Button Adapter Fastening System Using Magnetic Twist-Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard fastening systems, such as snaps, buttons, zippers, and hook-and-loop fasteners, are unreliable in extreme conditions and difficult for individuals with fine motor skill challenges, including those with disabilities or injuries, as they tend to jam, break, or require complex manipulation.
Innovation Solution
A button adapter fastening system utilizing a twist-lock or magnetic mechanism that attaches to existing buttons and buttonholes, providing a secure, durable, and easy-to-use fastening solution by forming a buttonhole assembly that reversibly engages with a button cover assembly, allowing for magnetic attraction and easy manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard fasteners (snaps, buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop) are used, then they provide basic fastening function, but they are unreliable in extreme conditions and prone to jamming or breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is divided into separate functional components: a button adapter assembly that attaches to the button, a buttonhole adapter assembly that attaches to the buttonhole, and a magnetic coupling mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for reliability while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces adapter assemblies as intermediary components between the existing button/buttonhole and the magnetic fastening mechanism. These adapters serve as mediators that bridge the gap between standard garment fasteners and the improved magnetic locking system, enabling reliable fastening without requiring modification of the original garment.
2Ease of operation
If standard fasteners are used, then they provide basic fastening function, but they are difficult for people with fine motor skill challenges to manipulate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical manipulation (threading buttons, zipping, snapping) with a magnetic coupling mechanism that requires minimal fine motor skill. The button adapter and buttonhole adapter assemble through simple magnetic attraction, making the fastening operation accessible to people with limited dexterity while maintaining secure fastening through the magnetic lock.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic coupling mechanism provides dynamic adjustment capability, allowing the fastening system to adapt to different button and buttonhole sizes and positions. The magnetic field strength can be adjusted to provide appropriate holding force for different applications, making the system both easy to operate and reliably secure.
3Ease of operation
If a magnetic mechanism is used to attach button adapter to buttonhole adapter, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The button adapter and buttonhole adapter are designed with universal magnetic coupling interfaces that can accommodate variations in button and buttonhole dimensions. The magnetic mechanism serves multiple functions: alignment, attachment, and securing, eliminating the need for high-precision manufacturing of individual components while maintaining ease of assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic field strength and polarity are designed with tolerance ranges that accommodate manufacturing variations. By optimizing the magnetic parameters within specific ranges, the system achieves reliable attachment without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances, thus balancing ease of operation with manufacturability.
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
The system offers a secure, durable, and aesthetically appealing fastening solution that is immune to jamming and easy to use for individuals with varying abilities, enhancing the usability of garments without altering their appearance or function.
Implementation Method 1
a magnetic component of the buttonhole assembly attracts a magnetic component of the button cover assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A fastening system that either attaches to existing buttons or attaches directly to an article of clothing are presented. The fastening system has a first portion that attaches to a button hole or a first part of the article and a second portion that attaches to a button or second part of the article. The first portion and second portion detachably attach to each other by a twist-lock, magnetic mechanism, or some other attachment mechanism. Alternatively, the fastening system can be built directly into an article without augmenting an existing button and button-hole fastener.