Foldable Absorbent Pad Holder With Hinged Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pad holders for absorbent pads are often bulky, difficult to store, and require extensive cleaning due to exposed surfaces that can become wet, and they lack efficient mechanisms for securing pads during use.
Innovation Solution
A foldable pad holder with two halves that can be hinged together, featuring a polygonal shape with eight sides, a shallow trough for liquid catch, and releasable locking elements to secure the pad in place without pressing it against the bottom, allowing for easy storage and reduced cleaning needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional pad holders are made with flat or sidewall structures, then they can hold absorbent pads, but they become bulky and difficult to store
Solution Approach 1:
The pad holder is divided into two separate halves that can be folded together. Each half contains a bottom wall section and side wall sections, with hinge elements allowing the halves to be joined. This segmentation enables the holder to be folded into a compact form for storage while maintaining full functionality when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The pad holder incorporates hinge elements that allow dynamic folding between deployed and stored positions. The structure transitions from a flat, space-consuming configuration to a compact, folded configuration, enabling easy storage and portability while maintaining structural integrity during use
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional pad holders have exposed surfaces, then they are simple in structure, but they require extensive cleaning due to wet surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The two halves of the pad holder are joined together with their bottom wall sections in facing juxtaposition, creating an enclosed structure that contains the absorbent pad. This merging of halves eliminates exposed surfaces that would otherwise be subject to liquid contamination, reducing cleaning requirements while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge elements and folding mechanism, which create joints that could potentially be weak points, are designed to align precisely when folded. The joints become strength points that reinforce the structure while eliminating exposed surfaces, converting potential weaknesses into structural benefits
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional pad holders lack securing mechanisms, then they are simple to manufacture, but they fail to secure pads effectively during use
Solution Approach 1:
The pad holder is divided into two halves that can be independently manufactured and then joined together. This segmentation allows for simple manufacturing of each half while the joined structure provides effective pad securing through the facing bottom wall sections and side wall containment
Data Source
AI summary
A holder for an absorbent pad, the pad holder having two halves with a bottom wall section bounded by a hinged side and a plurality of wall-in sides, the hinged sides of the two halves cooperating to make the pad holder foldable for packaging, shipment and storage, at least one selectively releasable locking or latching mechanism to hold the pad holder in an unfolded position during use, and a plurality of spaced-apart, selectively releasable pad attachment devices, each preferably disposed in a corner wall section, to limit relative motion between the pad holder and an absorbent pad installed inside it without pressuring any portion of the absorbent pad against the bottom wall.