Elastic Zip Tie with Foam Rubber and Flexible Grips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional zip ties are inconvenient to operate, non-adjustable, not reusable, cause resource wastage, and pose safety risks due to their irreversible engagement mechanism and lack of elasticity, making them unsuitable for bundling soft objects and posing hazards when trying to loosen them.
Innovation Solution
An elastic zip tie with a strap made from foam rubber containing micropores, featuring axially spaced flexible grips and a head with an opening for secure attachment, allowing for adjustable tension, reusability, and safety through elastic restorability and shock absorption, along with a solid rubber surface for marking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional zip tie with irreversible engagement is used, then the bundling speed is fast, but the zip tie becomes non-reusable and causes resource wastage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the engagement mechanism reversible. The flexible grip allows the head to be inserted and removed from the strap, transforming the static irreversible engagement into a dynamic reversible process. This enables the zip tie to be reused multiple times without wasting resources, while still maintaining fast bundling operation.
2Device complexity
If a conventional zip tie with fixed tightness is used, then the structure is simple, but it poses safety risks due to inability to adjust tightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the tightness adjustable by allowing the head to move along the flexible grip on the strap. Users can dynamically adjust the tightness by repositioning the head, transforming a fixed safety risk into a controllable parameter. This maintains relative structural simplicity while significantly improving safety through user-controlled adaptability.
3Ease of manufacture
If a non-elastic strap is used, then the manufacturing cost is lower, but it cannot firmly bind soft objects and lacks elasticity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from rigid non-elastic to elastic foam rubber. This material parameter change enables the strap to firmly bind soft objects through elastic deformation while maintaining cost-effectiveness. The foam rubber provides both the necessary elasticity for soft object binding and remains relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
4Quantity of substance
If a conventional zip tie without elastic properties is used, then the material cost is lower, but it cannot provide shock absorption and protection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter to elastic foam rubber with micropores, which provides shock absorption capabilities. The porous structure of the foam rubber allows it to absorb impact energy through compression, protecting bundled objects from shock damage while keeping material costs relatively low.
5Ease of operation
If a releasable zip tie with push end is added, then the loosenability is improved, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by making the flexible grip inherently reversible through its elastic properties. The same flexible grip mechanism that enables tightening also enables loosening without requiring separate components. The head can be easily inserted and removed by the user through simple manual manipulation, eliminating the need for additional release mechanisms and reducing structural complexity.
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 elastic zip tie provides a safe, reusable, and cost-effective solution for bundling various objects, including soft ones, by allowing adjustable tension and preventing slipping, while being environmentally friendly and reducing the risk of injury during use.
Implementation Method 1
a strap provided with a plurality of axially spaced flexible grips and a head located at a front end of the strap
Implementation Method 2
The elastic zip tie is more convenient for use, reusable, cost-saving and environmentally friendly
Data Source
AI summary
An elastic zip tie is integrally molded from foam rubber, and includes a long strip of strap, a head located at a front end of the strap, and a plurality of flexible grips axially spaced on an upper and a lower surface of the strap. At least one holding space is defined by between any two adjacent axially-spaced flexible grips. The head has a thickness defined between two lateral sides thereof and is substantially larger than a longitudinal length of the holding space, i.e., a distance between two adjacent flexible grips. When a tail end of the strap is extended through the head for the latter to rest on the strap in a selected holding space, the flexible grips located immediately before and behind the holding space are elastically pressed against the two opposite lateral sides of the head to thereby firmly hold the latter in the holding space.