Clip With Stop and Spring to Prevent Gripping Surface Sticking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clip designs face issues with material wastage due to thick lug retaining portions for strength, elastomeric pads becoming stuck, and protrusions damaging retained items, along with inefficient assembly and material usage.
Innovation Solution
A clip design featuring biased clip halves with a stop to prevent gripping surfaces from sticking, a pivotal connection for easy assembly, and a spring for even force distribution, along with tapered lugs and elastomeric or ABS materials for improved grip and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lug retaining portion is made thick to withstand the force of assembly, then the strength and reliability of the clip is improved, but the amount of material used increases and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is divided into two complementary halves, each with its own lug or lug retaining portion. This segmentation allows the assembly force to be distributed between two separate joining interfaces rather than concentrated on a single thick retaining portion, reducing the material needed in each half while maintaining overall joint strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The lug retaining portion is designed as a separate, dedicated feature on one clip half rather than a thickened general structure. By extracting the force-withstanding function into a specific geometric feature optimized for its purpose, the overall material usage is reduced while maintaining the necessary strength at the critical joining point.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If elastomeric pads are added to the gripping portion to reduce damage to retained items, then the protection of retained items is improved, but the pads become stuck together when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
A spring element is introduced as an intermediary between the two elastomeric pads. This spring maintains a slight separating force that prevents the pads from sticking together during storage and transport, while allowing the pads to contact and grip the retained item during use. The spring acts as a mediator that resolves the contradiction between pad contact and pad separation.
3Reliability
If protrusions are added to the gripping surface to hold apart the gripping surfaces, then the pads are prevented from sticking together, but the protrusions can mark and/or damage the item being retained
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding protrusions to the gripping surfaces that could damage the retained item, a spring element is used as an intermediary mechanism. The spring provides the separating force needed to prevent pad sticking without requiring any protrusions or irregularities on the gripping surfaces themselves, thus avoiding damage or marking to the retained item.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution changes the parameter of how the pads are held apart - rather than using geometric protrusions that increase surface irregularity, the system uses a spring to dynamically maintain an optimal separation distance. This parameter change allows the gripping surfaces to remain smooth and conformal, preventing damage to retained items while still preventing pad sticking.
4Reliability
If a thin plastic strip is placed between the pads to prevent sticking, then the pads are kept apart, but the process is time consuming and wasteful of materials
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element that prevents pad sticking is integrated into the clip structure itself, merging the pad-separation function with the main clip body. This eliminates the need for separate plastic strips and manual insertion steps, as the spring is permanently attached and automatically performs the separation function throughout the clip's lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element automatically performs the function of keeping pads apart without requiring external intervention. Once the clip is assembled, the spring self-regulates the pad separation, eliminating the need for manual insertion of plastic strips before shipping or removal before use, thereby improving productivity and eliminating material waste.
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 solution reduces material consumption, prevents elastomeric pads from sticking, and minimizes damage to retained items by maintaining the gripping surfaces' appropriate distance, ensuring efficient assembly and effective item retention.
Implementation Method 1
The two clip halves are biased by a biasing means to urge the stop against a point on the other clip half
Implementation Method 2
The method of assembling a known clip is to slide a clip half having lugs into a recess between a lug retaining portion and a clip body
Data Source
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AI summary
According to the invention there is a clip (10) comprising: a pair of opposed gripping portions (18, 20) each having a gripping surface (22, 24), each gripping portion being located on a clip half, wherein one clip half further includes a stop (40) space apart from the gripping portion which is engageable with a point spaced apart from the gripping portion on the other clip half.