Flat Key Fitting with Perpendicular Sliding Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing key fittings for flat keys fail to securely hold the key head while allowing the bit to protrude, leading to accidental disengagement during use, and lack aesthetically pleasing and cost-effective solutions for differentiation and information marking, especially when multiple keys with identical appearances are needed for uniformity or customization.
Innovation Solution
A key fitting comprising a drawer-shaped shell with a cutout for the key head and a box-like cover that slides in a direction perpendicular to the key bit axis, featuring guide rails and locking mechanisms to ensure secure engagement, along with securement options like pins, screws, or adhesives, and optional features like radio frequency chips and lighting, allowing for customization and easy assembly/disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a key fitting uses a simple shell structure to cover the key head, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the key can become disengaged during axial movement or rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The key fitting is divided into multiple functional components: a shell with a cavity for the key head, a separate cover that snaps onto the shell, and an optional filling piece for wedging. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function while maintaining overall reliability without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed with clipping features that预先 (pre-) establish secure engagement with the shell before the key is even inserted. The filling piece is pre-configured with a cutout matching the key head profile, ensuring proper positioning and wedging action occurs automatically upon assembly
2Ease of manufacture
If the key head surface area is reduced to limit material cost, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but it becomes difficult to mark multiple pieces of information on the head
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves the information marking from the limited key head surface to the key fitting cover, which provides a much larger surface area. The cover can be inscribed with manufacturer brand, key reference, intended use, and place of use information, effectively utilizing the third dimension (the cover itself) to solve the information storage problem
3Ease of operation
If a clip-on cover is used to secure the key head, then assembly is simplified, but the cover can pop off when a user rotates the key or exerts significant torque
Solution Approach 1:
The filling piece acts as an intermediary element between the key head and the cover. It provides wedging action that distributes and reinforces the clipping forces, preventing the cover from popping off under torque or rotation while maintaining the simplicity of the snap-on assembly
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
Key set, adapted to receive a flat key (2) having a head (20) and a shank or bit (21), comprising on the one hand a drawer (3) having a housing (33) for the head (20), delimited by a bottom (30) and a peripheral wall (31) which has a cutout (32) intended to allow the bit (21) to be extracted from the drawer (3), and on the other hand a box (4) having two facing walls (40, 41) connected by a partial peripheral wall (42) namely having an opening (44) designed to allow the passage of the drawer (3) for its introduction into said box (4) by sliding, the drawer (3) and the box (4) having for this purpose matching guiding means (5), so as to allow sliding in a direction not parallel to the axis along which the bit (21) is extracted from the drawer (3) by the cutout (32).