Removable Cooler Wheel Assembly With Secure Storage Fastening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable coolers become heavy when loaded, making them difficult to transport, and existing wheeled coolers lack efficient storage and attachment mechanisms for wheels.
Innovation Solution
A cooler design featuring a removable wheel assembly with a secure fastening system, including a U-shaped channel and locking clasp, and storage recesses in the lid for wheels and axle, allowing for easy attachment and detachment, as well as a telescoping handle for enhanced mobility and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wheels are permanently attached to the cooler, then the cooler can be easily transported when loaded, but the wheels cannot be removed for storage or when not needed
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel assembly is divided into separable components (wheels, axle, fastening mechanism) that can be detached from the cooler body. The fastening system uses individual clips and clasps that can be independently operated to remove the entire wheel assembly, allowing the cooler to transition between wheeled and non-wheeled configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel attachment system transitions from a fixed state to a removable state through the operation of the fastening mechanism. The clips and locking clasps enable dynamic reconfiguration, allowing users to attach wheels when transportation is needed and remove them when storage or portability without wheels is preferred.
2Reliability
If a wheel fastening system is added to secure wheels, then the wheels remain firmly attached during transport, but the attachment mechanism increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into separate functional components: mounting brackets attached to the cooler body, clips that engage with the wheel assembly, and locking clasps that secure the clips. This modular approach allows each component to perform its specific function while keeping the overall system manageable in complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip serves as an intermediary element between the mounting bracket and the wheel assembly. It provides a simple mechanical connection that can be engaged and disengaged easily, while the locking clasp acts as a secondary intermediary to secure the clip in place, creating a reliable yet straightforward attachment system.
3Ease of operation
If storage recesses are added to the lid for wheel components, then removed wheels have a designated storage space, but the lid structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The storage recesses are integrated directly into the lid structure, combining the lid's protective function with the storage function for wheel components. The recesses are formed as part of the lid's overall structure rather than as separate add-on components, merging multiple functions into a single structural element.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid serves multiple functions: it protects the cooler contents, provides structural support, and incorporates storage recesses for wheel components. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate storage compartments or structures, maintaining simplicity while adding storage capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A cooler comprises a main body which includes a base, an upper rim, and one or more cooler walls extending therebetween. The cooler further comprises a removable wheel assembly which includes two coaxial wheels, and an axle. The two coaxial wheels are removably securable to the axle. The cooler still further comprises a wheel fastening system configured to secure the removable wheel assembly to the base of the main body which includes a mount, a clip hingedly connected to the mount, and a locking clasp configured to lock the clip into a closed position to secure the wheel assembly. The cooler yet further comprises a lid including two wheel storage recesses, each being sized and dimensioned to receive and retain one of the coaxial wheel of the wheel assembly, and an axle storage recess sized and dimensioned to receive and retain the axle of the wheel assembly.