Hinged Lid Handling Tool with Angled Vertical Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hinged lids used for accessing underground utilities require substantial force to open and lack means to maintain the lid in an open position, posing ergonomic and safety challenges for workers.
Innovation Solution
An ergonomically configured tool with a horizontal and vertical member configuration, allowing for reduced lifting force and maintaining the lid open, featuring a handle positioned for comfortable leverage and an anti-slip extension to prevent accidental closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a worker manually lifts a hinged lid by bending over and pulling with hands, then the worker can open the lid, but the worker experiences ergonomic injury and requires substantial force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a lid handling tool as an intermediary device between the worker and the hinged lid. The tool includes a horizontal member that engages with the lid and a vertical member with a handle that extends upward, allowing the worker to apply force vertically rather than bending over. This intermediary mechanism transforms the lifting action from a direct manual pull to an indirect leveraged operation, reducing ergonomic strain while maintaining effective lid opening capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the dimension of force application by extending the vertical member upward from the horizontal member. Instead of pulling horizontally or diagonally as in conventional methods, the worker pulls vertically upward on the handle. This dimensional change in force application direction, combined with the lever arm created by the vertical member length, reduces the mechanical force required while improving ergonomics
2Ease of operation
If conventional lid lifters are used to lift non-hinged covers, then lifting force is reduced, but they cannot maintain the lid in an open position or provide ergonomic closing assistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the lid handling tool to perform multiple functions: opening the lid by lifting, maintaining the lid in an open position through the vertical member's support, and assisting with controlled closing. The tool's universal design allows it to handle various stages of lid operation (opening, holding, closing) that conventional single-function lid lifters cannot address, thereby improving overall lid handling capability while maintaining ergonomic benefits throughout the entire operation cycle
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
The tool significantly reduces the force needed to open and maintain hinged lids in an open position, enhancing safety and ergonomics by allowing operators to lift and close lids with minimal exertion while standing, preventing accidental closure.
Implementation Method 1
The vertical element and handle are ergonomically configured relative to the horizontal member to make lifting the hinged lid from a closed position, maintaining the hinged lid in an open position, and closing the hinged lid easier with reduced lifting force required
Implementation Method 2
The handle is positioned to form an obtuse angle relative to the vertical member in the range of about 155° to 170°, such that the handle, when combined with the forward bend of the vertical member, is positioned at an angle of about 20° to 35° forward of the axis orthogonal to the horizontal member, to assist an operator in grasping the handle
Data Source
AI summary
An ergonomic apparatus for handling a hinged lid that reduces force required to open the hinged lid and bending by a user, maintains the lid in an open position to prevent accidental closure of the lid, and assists with closing the lid. The apparatus has a horizontal member with an attachment means for removably coupling the apparatus to the hinged lid, a vertical member extending from a proximal end of the horizontal member, and a handle in operable communication with the vertical member. The vertical member and handle are configured relative to the horizontal member such that when the vertical member is positioned on a flat surface, the handle is raised above the flat surface by about 10° to 25° and the hinged lid is maintained in an open position having an angle greater than 90° relative to an opening the hinged lid was covering.