Concentric Canister Light String Storage Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Holiday light strings are inconvenient to store due to tangling and breakage, requiring significant time to untangle before reuse, leading to frequent replacement rather than reusing the existing strings.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a concentric canister with a cylindrical feed tube and a removable cartridge-style dispensing tube, allowing for quick and easy loading and unloading of tubular plastic, with a handle that protects the plastic and enables handheld use, facilitating efficient encasing and retrieval of light strings without tangling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If light strings are stored without a protective device, then storage is simple, but the light strings become tangled and break
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs nested tubes where an inner collapsible tube is contained within an outer protective tube. The light string is encased in the inner tube which can collapse around it during storage, while the outer tube provides additional protection. This nested structure prevents tangling and breakage while maintaining storage simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner tube is designed to be collapsible and flexible, allowing it to conform around the light string and collapse to a minimal volume for storage. This flexible shell protects the light string from mechanical damage while enabling compact storage without complex structures.
2Ease of operation
If light strings are wrapped or hanged for storage, then storage organization is improved, but they still tangle and break
Solution Approach 1:
The nested tube structure provides organized storage by containing the light string within the collapsible inner tube, which is itself protected by the outer tube. This eliminates the need for wrapping or hanging while maintaining organization and preventing tangling through the enclosed protective structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system is segmented into multiple functional components: the inner collapsible tube that directly contacts and protects the light string, and the outer protective tube that provides additional shielding. This segmentation allows each component to address specific protection needs while working together to prevent tangling and breakage.
3Reliability
If a sheath collapses around the light string for encasement, then protection is provided, but access and replacement is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the protective function into two independent tubes: an inner collapsible tube that encases the light string and an outer protective tube. The inner tube can be quickly removed and replaced independently, allowing rapid replacement without affecting the outer protective structure, thus maintaining both protection and speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner tube is designed to be dynamically collapsible and expandable. During storage, it collapses around the light string for compact protection. During replacement, it can be quickly expanded and removed, enabling rapid exchange without complex mechanisms, thus balancing protection with fast replacement capability.
4Ease of operation
If plastic is fully exposed during dispensing, then access is improved, but the plastic is unprotected and vulnerable
Solution Approach 1:
The inner tube containing the plastic is nested within the outer protective tube. During dispensing, the inner tube can be accessed and manipulated while remaining protected by the outer tube. This nested configuration provides both easy access to the plastic and continuous protection from external harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner tube serves as a flexible protective shell that encases the plastic throughout the dispensing process. This thin film protection remains in place during operation, shielding the plastic from contamination and damage while allowing sufficient access for dispensing operations.
5Loss of substance
If the device requires reloading of plastic for each use, then material efficiency is improved, but time efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inner tube is pre-loaded with plastic material before use. This preliminary action eliminates the need for reloading during each application, allowing the tube to be simply removed and replaced when exhausted. The outer tube remains in place, maintaining protection while enabling rapid replacement of the inner tube without time-consuming reloading operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic-containing inner tube is segmented as a separate replaceable component from the outer protective tube. This segmentation allows the inner tube to be pre-filled and replaced as a complete unit, eliminating the need for time-consuming reloading operations while maintaining material efficiency through controlled dispensing.
6Stability of the object's composition
If the device is not handheld, then structural stability is improved, but convenience and immediate use deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The outer tube serves as a flexible protective shell that provides structural stability while being lightweight and manageable for handheld operation. This thin film structure offers sufficient protection during portable use without the weight and complexity of rigid structures, enabling both stability and handheld convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates dynamic elements including the collapsible inner tube and flexible outer tube that adapt to handheld manipulation. These dynamic components maintain structural integrity during use while allowing the device to be easily held and maneuvered by hand, balancing stability with portability and immediate usability.
Data Source
AI summary
This device for encasing light strings for storage provides a canister as a handle that is concentric with a cylindrical feed tube that is at least partially within the canister together with a cartridge type removable dispensing tube that slides over the feed tube and within the canister. The canister is attached to the large end of a funnel on the feed tube entry end through which a light string may be fed. The canister and feed tube thus form an annular slot into which the removable cartridge type dispensing tube may be received and releasably secured slidably over the feed tube. The tubular plastic is loaded on the dispensing tube prior to the dispensing tube being slid and secured over the feed tube.