Card Holder Retaining Clip Design for Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Card holders with varying designs and dimensions incur high production costs due to connection methods like gluing, welding, or form-fitting connections, which are material-intensive and costly.
Innovation Solution
A card holder design featuring a retaining clip in an angle or Y-shape that overlaps corner edges, allowing for easy production of variants using the same design for casings and clips, with options for welding and material variations to enhance elasticity and stability, and incorporating a securing element for secure card retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If connection methods like gluing or welding are used to assemble side wall elements, then the structural integrity is improved, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The card holder is divided into separate side wall elements that can be manufactured independently through injection molding, then assembled using a form-fitting connection with retaining clips, eliminating the need for expensive gluing or welding processes while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs inexpensive retaining clips made from standard materials to replace costly welding or gluing operations. The clips provide sufficient structural strength for the application without requiring expensive joining processes, thereby reducing production costs while maintaining adequate structural integrity
2Ease of manufacture
If form-fitting connections are used to assemble side wall elements, then the production cost of materials is reduced, but the connection stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall elements are designed with pre-formed geometric features (protrusions and recesses) that guide the assembly process and ensure proper alignment before the retaining clips are installed, preventing misalignment and ensuring stable connections without requiring additional stabilization measures
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining clips feature a Y-shaped geometry with curved surfaces that provide optimal contact areas with the side wall elements. The curved design distributes mechanical loads more evenly across the connection points, enhancing connection stability while maintaining the simplicity of the form-fitting connection approach
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple variants of card holders are produced with differently designed fastening elements, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single standardized retaining clip design serves multiple functions across different card holder variants. The same Y-shaped clip configuration can be used with different side wall element designs, allowing manufacturers to produce various card holder models without developing new fastening elements for each variant, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining design flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves product variants by modifying geometric parameters of the side wall elements (such as dimensions, shapes, or arrangements) while keeping the retaining clips standardized. This approach allows for diverse card holder designs without increasing fastening element complexity, as only the casing parameters need to be adjusted for each variant
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
This design reduces production costs by enabling the creation of multiple variants with minimal material expenditure, while ensuring secure card retention and flexibility in design configurations, including increased elasticity and stability through material choices and securing elements.
Implementation Method 1
the retaining clip can be welded to the cover. The retaining clip can be connected to the shell, for example by ultrasonic welding.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
Figure 7~8
AI summary
The map holder (1) has a covering (8), which has a supporting pit with a supporting opening for the admission of a card-shaped storage medium in a module direction pointing against a module direction. A fixing clip (4) is extending itself over no more than two edges of the covering. An independent claim is also included for a component system for optional assembly of map holder.