Hinged Placard Holder for Secure and Fast Card Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing placard holders for hazardous materials on vehicles are either insecurely attached, causing labels to fall off, or cumbersome to remove and replace, failing to provide a convenient and secure solution for updating placards during transportation.
Innovation Solution
A hinged placard holder with a backing plate, a holder portion, and a fastener that allows for easy attachment and detachment of placard cards, featuring a hinge for rotating the holder portion to open and close, ensuring secure retention and easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If adhesive labels are affixed directly to the vehicle surface, then the placard can be applied quickly, but the label may not be properly secured and may fall off during travel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a placard holder as an intermediary device between the vehicle surface and the placard label. The holder includes a backing plate with fasteners that securely attach to the vehicle, while the placard is retained within the holder structure. This intermediary mechanism provides both secure attachment and ease of placard replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The placard system is segmented into separate components: the backing plate with fasteners for vehicle attachment, the holder portion for securing the placard, and the placard itself. This segmentation allows the backing plate to provide secure mounting while the holder portion enables easy placard changes without compromising attachment security.
2Reliability
If rigid placard holders are used to securely hold placard cards, then the placard is properly secured, but it becomes cumbersome or difficult for operators to remove and replace placard cards
Solution Approach 1:
The holder portion is designed with movable sides that can be flexed or opened to access and remove the placard card. This dynamic structure allows the holder to maintain secure retention during normal conditions while enabling easy placard replacement when needed, resolving the contradiction between security and ease of operation.
3Reliability
If the holder portion is securely fastened to the backing plate, then the placard card is retained securely, but the placard card becomes difficult to remove and replace
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into the backing plate with fasteners for secure attachment to the vehicle, and the holder portion that can be independently opened. This allows the backing plate to remain securely fastened while the holder portion can be accessed and opened to remove or replace the placard card.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder portion incorporates movable sides that can be flexed or opened, creating a dynamic access mechanism. This allows the holder to maintain secure attachment to the backing plate while enabling easy access to the placard card for removal and replacement operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Placard holders and methods of securing a placard card to a placard holder are described herein. The placard holders include a backing plate; a holder portion movably coupled to the backing plate, the holder portion including an opening and a pocket extending from the opening for receiving a placard card; and a fastener coupled to the backing plate, the fastener being configured to secure a side of the holder portion to the backing plate to retain the placard card in the pocket.