Id Card Holder With L-Shaped Return Arms

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing card holders do not allow for easy and intuitive individual retrieval of identification cards, often requiring complex mechanisms like drawers or rotary arms, which can be cumbersome and difficult to operate, especially when multiple cards need to be accessed quickly.

Innovation Solution

A card holder with a housing featuring parallel slides and L-shaped return arms that push cards out of slots when actuated, allowing for compact storage and easy access of multiple cards, with recesses on outer slides to facilitate independent operation of each slide and prevent accidental ejection of other cards.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If drawer-like sliders are used to hold cards, then cards can be individually accessed, but the mechanism becomes complex and requires additional removal steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of card retrievalVSAvoidcomplexity of sliding mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the card ejection function from a complex drawer mechanism and implements it through a simple L-shaped return arm that pushes cards out laterally. This removes unnecessary structural complexity while maintaining individual card accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of pulling cards out through drawers as in conventional designs, the patent inverts the approach by pushing cards out laterally through return arms, simplifying the mechanical interaction between user and card storage compartments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Volume of moving object

If multiple cards are stored in a compact holder, then space efficiency is improved, but individual card access becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevolume of card holderVSAvoidease of individual card access
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The card holder is segmented into multiple independent compartments, each with its own return arm mechanism. This allows compact storage of multiple cards while enabling independent access to each card without affecting others, resolving the contradiction between compactness and accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Volume of moving object

If lateral sliding mechanism is used for card ejection, then space efficiency is improved, but mechanism complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevolume of card holderVSAvoidcomplexity of lateral sliding mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The L-shaped return arm is designed to be actuated by the user's natural finger movement when pressing against the card, making the ejection mechanism self-service and eliminating the need for complex external actuation systems. This maintains compact dimensions while reducing mechanical complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3183988B1Id card holder
Publication Date: 2020.09.09 DURABLE HUNKE & JOCHHEIM GMBH & CO KG
  • EP3183988B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3183988B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3183988B1 patent drawingFigure 4a~4b

AI summary

The invention relates to an identification card holder (1a, 1b, 1c) comprising a housing with two broad sides (2, 3), two first narrow sides (4, 5), and two second narrow sides (6, 7). One of the first narrow sides (4) has, as an insertion side (4), a number of insertion openings (8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f) for inserts (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f). The latter are arranged parallel to the broad sides (2, 3) in the housing. Furthermore, at least on one of the second narrow sides (6) as a slider side (6), a number of sliders (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f) are arranged, each of which has a return arm (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f) in an associated insert (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f). This insert is designed such that, when the associated slider (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f) is actuated, it pushes a card (K) inserted into the insert (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f) in the direction of the insert side (4).