Clipper holder
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clipper holders have structural limitations, including protruding ends that are problematic for repetitive hand movements and cleaning, lack of versatility in mounting options, and inability to accommodate various sizes and surfaces, with DuPont's design only suitable for edge mounting and not horizontal or vertical surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A clipper holder designed with a major arc upper enclosure and semicircular arc lower enclosure, featuring blunt ends and angled connecting rods for secure positioning, allowing mounting on horizontal, vertical, or edge surfaces, accommodating various clipper sizes, and enabling combination into a rack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If projecting retaining arms with unprotected ends are used to secure clippers, then the clipper is retained effectively, but the protruding ends cause problems for repetitive hand movements, cleaning, and user safety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful protruding ends into beneficial blunt ends that are rounded or capped. This transformation eliminates the safety hazard and cleaning difficulty while preserving the retention function. The blunt ends may even provide gentle stopping points for fingers during cleaning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies protective coatings or caps to the retaining arms that change the surface characteristics from sharp/protruding to smooth/blunt. This could involve coating materials that provide a smooth finish or adding protective caps that cover the arm ends, transforming the harmful surface properties into beneficial ones.
2Reliability
If a cradle-like structure with orthogonal retaining arms is used, then clippers are secured at angles less than 60 degrees, but the structure cannot be mounted on horizontal or vertical surfaces, only on edges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal mounting structure that can function on multiple surface types (horizontal, vertical, and edge surfaces). This is achieved through a mounting plate with adaptable attachment mechanisms that can secure the holder to various surface orientations, allowing the same device to serve multiple mounting locations and configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional edge-mounting structure to a three-dimensional mounting system using a mounting plate. This plate provides a broad attachment surface that can be oriented in multiple dimensions, enabling installation on horizontal surfaces, vertical surfaces, or edge surfaces, thus adding dimensional flexibility to the mounting options.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a mounting plate is added to enable versatile mounting, then mounting flexibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the holder into separate functional modules: the clipper-retaining portion and the mounting plate portion. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and facilitates easy assembly and disassembly. The mounting plate can be attached or removed as needed without affecting the clipper retention mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting plate is designed with pre-drilled holes and attachment mechanisms ready for installation. This preliminary preparation of mounting features allows for quick and easy installation without requiring complex assembly procedures during the mounting process, thereby reducing the perceived complexity for the end user.
Data Source
AI summary
A clipper holder, for electrical hair clippers, includes an upper enclosure with a major arc element having a diameter to accommodate the clipper. Left and right portions of the major arc element terminate in opposing blunt ends. The space between the opposing ends is wide enough to allow passage of the clipper's cord. A lower enclosure has a smaller major arc element that is coplanar and coaxial with the upper enclosure. The smaller major arc element can accommodate the clipper's cord. Left and right portions of the smaller major arc element are contiguous with curvilinear portions that extend forward, curving upward toward the opposing blunt ends, finishing as vertical extensions with blunt tips. The vertical extensions prevent forward movement of an enclosed clipper. The smaller major arc element prevents movement anywhere else but up. An angled connecting rear rod supports the enclosures and is attached to a mounting plate.