Ergonomic Fish Tape Case With Side Extraction and Low Friction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fish tape cases often encourage awkward postures due to textured or contoured grips and misinterpretation of handles, leading to user fatigue during tape handling.
Innovation Solution
A fish tape case design with a smooth inner diameter and a freely rotatable storage tray that allows the fish tape to be extracted from the side, reducing friction and eliminating textured grips, enabling ergonomic handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If textured or contoured grips are added to the inner diameter of the fish tape case, then grip strength is improved, but user fatigue increases due to awkward postures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the textured or contoured grips from the inner diameter of the fish tape case, extracting the problematic gripping feature that caused awkward postures. Instead, the fish tape is designed to be gripped directly at its free end, eliminating the need for users to rotate the case from an awkward position while still providing adequate grip through the fish tape's own structure
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than providing grips on the case that require rotation, the invention inverts the approach by making the fish tape itself the primary gripping element. Users grip the fish tape at its free end and pull linearly, reversing the traditional rotation-based operation and eliminating wrist strain
2Ease of operation
If the fish tape is extracted from the center aperture of the ring-shaped case, then dispensing is simplified, but friction increases leading to user fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the extraction geometry by allowing the fish tape to be pulled from the free end in a linear direction rather than requiring rotation around the center aperture. This dimensional change from rotational to linear motion reduces friction between the fish tape and the case interior, making dispensing easier and less fatiguing while maintaining operational simplicity
Data Source
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AI summary
An ergonomic fish tape configured to house a fish tape in accordance with some example embodiments is provided. The fish tape includes a shell having an upper base wall, a lower base wall, an inner side wall extending between inner perimeters of the base walls and forming a central aperture through the shell, an outer side wall extending between outer perimeters of the base walls and defining an outer diameter of the shell, the walls defining a cavity therein, and a storage tray within the cavity. An opening through which the fish tape can pass is provided through the outer side wall. The fish tape case does not include a handle, and the walls of the shell are devoid of surfaces which would indicate or suggest to a user as to how to grip the fish tape case.