Clip Attachment System for Utensils
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing utensil attachments that permanently affix toys to handles are cumbersome, lead to increased maintenance, food retention issues, and bacterial growth, while lacking versatility and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A clip attachment system with a proximal end featuring prongs and extensions that allow for non-permanent attachment of toys to utensils, providing ease of manipulation and functionality while maintaining structural rigidity and preventing food retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a toy is permanently affixed to the end of a utensil handle, then the toy remains securely attached and visible, but the utensil must be washed multiple times leading to deterioration and increased maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is divided into separate components: a clip mechanism and a toy element. The clip can be attached to the utensil handle independently, and the toy can be attached to or removed from the clip. This segmentation allows the toy to be detached for cleaning while leaving the clip on the utensil, reducing maintenance frequency while maintaining secure attachment when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment system transitions from a static permanent affixing method to a dynamic removable attachment. The clip features movable components including springs and latches that allow the toy to be easily attached and detached. This dynamic capability enables the user to attach the toy when entertainment is needed and remove it during washing, resolving the contradiction between secure attachment and reduced maintenance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a toy is permanently attached to the handle of a utensil, then the toy is always available for interaction, but the intersection creates food retention areas that are difficult to clean and promote bacterial growth
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the toy from the utensil handle through an independent clip mechanism, the system eliminates the permanent intersection that creates food retention areas. The clip is designed with open structure and gaps that prevent food accumulation, while still allowing the toy to be securely attached when needed for child entertainment.
Solution Approach 2:
The toy is extracted from direct permanent attachment to the utensil handle and instead attached through a separate clip mechanism. This extraction removes the problematic intersection area where food would be trapped, eliminating the breeding ground for bacteria while preserving the toy's availability for child interaction during mealtime.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a toy is permanently affixed to a utensil, then the same utensil must be used whenever the child needs to interact with the toy, but this limits versatility and ease of use
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the attachment functionality into a reusable clip component that can be transferred between different utensils. The clip maintains its attachment capability across multiple utensil types, allowing the toy to be used with various utensils rather than being permanently bound to one specific utensil, thereby increasing both versatility and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip mechanism is designed as a universal attachment that can be applied to multiple different utensil handles. This multi-functionality allows the same toy-clip assembly to work with various utensils, giving parents flexibility in choosing which utensil the child uses while maintaining easy attachment and detachment capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A clip attachment system and method of manufacture can include: a proximal end; a first prong and a second prong, the first prong and the second prong extending from sides of the proximal end; a proximal extension extending from a middle portion of the proximal end between and spaced apart from the first prong and the second prong, and the proximal extension extending further from the proximal end than all portions of the first prong and the second prong that are in direct contact with the proximal end; a first intermediate extension extending from the first prong toward the second prong and a second intermediate extension extending from the second prong toward the first prong; and wherein the first prong terminates in a first curved end that extends toward and is spaced apart from a second curved end of the second prong.