Expandable Mobile Socket Grip With Spring-Locked Collapse
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collapsible grips and stands for mobile electronic devices lack versatility and user-friendly mechanisms for easy expansion and collapse, often requiring complex mechanisms or materials that are not safe and comfortable for frequent use.
Innovation Solution
The use of bistable thin-strip springs, conical coil springs, or concentric rings with friction-based taper locks, combined with elastomer skins for safety and comfort, allows for easy expansion and collapse by rotating a button, providing a simple and secure attachment to mobile devices or their cases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If complex mechanisms or materials are used for collapsible grips and stands, then structural stability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The grip is divided into multiple telescoping segments that can independently extend and retract. Each segment contains its own spring mechanism, allowing the grip to be collapsed into a compact form factor while maintaining structural integrity when extended. This segmentation enables the grip to transition between stable extended configurations and compact collapsed states without requiring complex locking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The grip incorporates self-contained spring mechanisms within each segment that automatically provide expansion force and maintain structural stability. When a user presses a segment, the internal spring compresses and automatically pushes the segment outward to its stable extended position, eliminating the need for complex external actuators or multiple operation steps. The system serves itself by using the compression of one segment to trigger the expansion of others.
2Ease of operation
If frequent use of collapsible grips is intended, then ease of operation should be improved, but safety and comfort deteriorate due to exposed mechanical parts
Solution Approach 1:
The grip segments are covered with flexible elastomeric materials that provide a soft, comfortable surface for frequent user contact. These elastomeric skins completely enclose the internal mechanical components including springs and moving parts, eliminating exposed sharp edges or pinching hazards. The flexible material conforms to the user's hand while maintaining the structural integrity of the underlying mechanical segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The grip combines rigid structural segments with soft elastomeric materials to create a composite structure. The rigid segments provide the necessary mechanical strength and telescoping functionality, while the elastomeric covers provide safety and comfort for frequent handling. This composite approach allows the grip to be used frequently without compromising user safety or comfort.
3Volume of moving object
If compact form factor is achieved through collapse mechanisms, then portability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grip segments are designed to nest within each other when collapsed, similar to nested dolls. Each segment contains the next smaller segment within its hollow interior, allowing the entire grip to be compressed into a compact form factor that fits easily in pockets or bags. This nesting arrangement achieves portability without requiring complex folding or disassembly mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The grip transitions dynamically between extended and collapsed states through simple user interaction. Each segment can be independently compressed and will automatically return to its extended position through internal spring mechanisms. This dynamic behavior allows the grip to maintain a compact form factor for portability while providing full functionality when needed, without requiring complex locking or latching systems.
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
These mechanisms enable a user-friendly, safe, and comfortable way to expand and collapse the grips and stands, enhancing versatility and usability while ensuring secure attachment to mobile electronic devices, addressing the limitations of existing solutions.
Implementation Method 1
two thin-strip springs 102... Each spring 102 can have one end mounted to the underside of button 104... and the other end of spring 102 can be mounted to the top side of the platform 106
Implementation Method 2
featuring conical coil spring 202, that can be fabricated from, for example, metal or plastic, as the expansion mechanism
Implementation Method 3
concentric rings 302 with wedge-shaped cross-sections as the expansion mechanism... friction-based taper locks
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable socket for attachment to a mobile electronic device. The expandable socket includes a platform adapted to engage a portion of the portable media player, a skin coupled to the platform, wherein the skin is deformable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The expandable socket includes a button coupled to the skin opposite the platform. The expandable socket also includes a biasing element arranged within the skin between the platform and the button, the biasing element configured to bias the skin into the expanded configuration.