Double-Injection Mouse Housing for OBP Warping Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless peripheral devices, such as mice, face challenges in using ocean-bound plastic (OBP) for housings due to warping issues caused by temperature fluctuations, making it difficult to deploy in final products without additional structural support.
Innovation Solution
A double-injected housing design is employed, where an inner shell made of OBP is supported by an outer shell made of more stable materials like post-consumer recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), minimizing the use of new plastic and preventing warping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ocean-bound plastic (OBP) is used for the housing, then sustainability is improved, but warping occurs due to temperature fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite material system consisting of an inner shell made of ocean-bound plastic (OBP) and an outer shell made of post-consumer recycled ABS or PET. This composite structure allows the OBP inner shell to provide sustainability benefits while the more thermally stable outer shell prevents warping from temperature fluctuations, thus resolving the contradiction between sustainability and dimensional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is segmented into two distinct shells: an inner shell and an outer shell. The inner shell is made of OBP for sustainability, while the outer shell is made of thermally stable recycled plastic to prevent warping. This segmentation allows each material to perform its specialized function, resolving the contradiction between sustainability and warping resistance.
2Reliability
If OBP is used for the housing, then environmental sustainability is improved, but additional structural support is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the inner OBP shell is placed inside the outer recycled plastic shell. This nesting approach provides the necessary structural support through the outer shell while maintaining the sustainability benefits of the OBP inner shell, avoiding the need for additional complex support structures.
Solution Approach 2:
By using a composite material system with an OBP inner shell and a structurally stable outer shell made of post-consumer recycled ABS or PET, the patent achieves both sustainability and structural integrity without requiring additional complex support mechanisms. The outer shell naturally provides the structural support needed.
3Loss of substance
If new plastic is minimized, then environmental impact is reduced, but structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by using post-consumer recycled plastics (ABS or PET) with known thermal stability characteristics for the outer shell, while minimizing new virgin plastic usage. This parameter change allows the outer shell to provide dimensional stability without requiring excessive new plastic material, thus resolving the contradiction between reducing new plastic usage and maintaining structural stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of assembly for a double-injection molded mouse housing for a mouse comprising a first injection molded inner housing shell of ocean bound plastic (OBP) of the double-injection molded mouse housing, a second injection molded outer housing shell of a plastic with higher thermal stability than the OBP to form the double-injection molded mouse housing, a keyplate panel operatively coupled to the top of the double-injection molded mouse housing, and a bottom case panel operatively coupled to the bottom of the double-injection molded mouse housing. The double-injection molded mouse housing components including a printed circuit board with microcontroller, position detector, scroll wheel detector and other components.