Cable Retaining Ring Slide Closure Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cable retaining rings require significant force to open and close, lose flexibility over time, and make it difficult to insert or remove cables with one hand, as they often leave a small gap that does not maintain a secure shape.
Innovation Solution
A cable retaining ring with an elongate interior and a shiftable slide that blocks or unblocks a gap, allowing for easy one-handed operation and maintaining the ring's closed shape even after repeated openings and closings, featuring a base with mounting projections for secure attachment to a cable support tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flexible portion is used to open the gap in conventional rings, then the ring can be opened to insert cables, but the ring loses flexibility over time and requires moderate force to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The ring is divided into a rigid body portion and a separate movable closure element (slide). The closure element is detached from the main ring structure, allowing the ring body to maintain its rigid, gap-free configuration while the closure element provides the opening/closing function independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible portion is extracted from the ring structure and replaced with a separate slide closure element that moves within a dedicated slot. This separates the closure function from the ring's structural integrity, allowing the ring to remain rigid while still enabling easy cable insertion and removal.
2Ease of operation
If the gap is opened to remove cables, then cable access is enabled, but two hands are required (one to hold open the gap, one to remove cable)
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element is designed to be held and moved by a single hand (thumb and finger), automatically performing the function of opening the gap while the other hand removes the cable. The slide's geometry and positioning allow it to be manipulated as a self-contained closure mechanism.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the ring is made rigid to maintain closed shape, then shape retention is improved, but the ring cannot be opened to insert or remove cables
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element is designed to move dynamically within a slot in the rigid ring body. The slide can shift between a closed position (blocking the gap) and an open position (allowing cable access), while the ring's overall rigid structure remains intact. This dynamic element provides the necessary flexibility for cable operations without compromising the ring's structural stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable retaining ring includes a base having at least one mounting opening or at least one mounting projection for connecting the cable retaining ring to a cable support tray, an elongate interior defining a cable retention region, a gap through the ring for allowing a cable to be placed into or removed from the interior, and a slide mounted on the ring and shiftable between a first position substantially blocking the gap to prevent the cable from being placed into or removed from the interior and a second position unblocking the gap.