Ergonomic Sleeve Structure for Easier Personal Care Device Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users with limited hand mobility face difficulties in using personal care devices due to reduced grip and mobility, making it challenging to operate and control these devices effectively.
Innovation Solution
A personal care device with a widened portion extending around the longitudinal axis by at least 90 degrees and a sleeve with a button structure, made from specific Shore hardness materials, enhance grip and facilitate easier operation by providing a larger button area and improved texture for better handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a standard personal care device with a uniform grip area is used, then the device structure remains simple and easy to manufacture, but users with limited hand mobility experience difficulty in grasping and operating the device
Solution Approach 1:
The grip area is segmented into a first grip area with a first cross-sectional area and a second grip area with a second cross-sectional area that is larger than the first. This segmentation allows the device to provide both a standard gripping zone and an enlarged ergonomic zone, accommodating users with limited hand mobility while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The device applies local quality by creating a localized enlargement in the second grip area while keeping the first grip area at its original dimensions. This allows the improved ergonomic features to be concentrated where needed without unnecessarily complicating the entire device structure.
2Ease of operation
If the button area is enlarged to facilitate easier operation, then users with limited hand mobility can more easily locate and press the button, but the device housing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into distinct functional zones including a first grip area, a second grip area with enlarged cross-section, and a button area. This segmentation allows the button to be positioned within the enlarged second grip area, making it more accessible to users with limited hand mobility while organizing the housing structure into manageable sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The second grip area serves multiple functions: it provides an enlarged gripping surface for users with limited hand mobility, positions the button within an accessible location, and creates a transition zone between the first grip area and the button area. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.
3Ease of operation
If a uniform cross-sectional area is maintained throughout the grip area, then the device manufacturing process remains simple, but users with reduced grip strength experience difficulty in securely holding the device
Solution Approach 1:
The device applies local quality by creating a localized enlargement in the second grip area while keeping the first grip area at its original dimensions. This allows the improved ergonomic features to be concentrated where needed without unnecessarily complicating the entire device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross-sectional area parameter of the housing is changed in a specific region to create the second grip area with a larger cross-section. This parameter change is localized rather than applied throughout the entire device, balancing manufacturing complexity with ergonomic improvement.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
The present disclosure is concerned with a sleeve for being attached to a housing of a personal care device, the sleeve having a top end, a bottom end, a longitudinal axis connecting a center of the top end and a center of the bottom end, a button side and a back side opposite the button side, a hollow main body having a button on the button side, the button being arranged for allowing a user to operate a button on the housing of the personal care device in an attached state of the sleeve, and a widened portion arranged proximal the top end, the widened portion at least comprising a projection on the back side that circumferentially extends around the longitudinal axis along an angle of at least 90 degrees, and/or having a first sleeve component being made from a material having a Shore A hardness in the range from Shore A 5 to Shore A 70 and a second sleeve component being made from a material having a Shore D hardness in the range from Shore D 40 to Shore D 100.