Reversibly Interlocking Carabiner with Lip and Tab Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Carrying snowboarding and skiing equipment in snowy and icy conditions requires a device that secures objects to the user, allowing hands and arms to be free for balance and control, as existing solutions are cumbersome and unsafe.
Innovation Solution
A reversibly interlocking carabiner device with two carabiners at each end, which can be locked as a belt buckle and unlocked to secure objects, featuring a mechanism with a lip and tabs for secure interlocking and adjustable strap attachments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If objects are carried in hands and arms, then objects can be transported, but hands and arms are not free for balance and control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a waist belt as an intermediary carrier between the user's body and the objects to be transported. The belt system with carabiners allows objects to be secured to the waist, freeing hands and arms while maintaining secure transport through the intermediary belt mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If a waist belt with carabiners is used to secure objects, then hands and arms are free, but the device must be securely locked to prevent accidental detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: lips on one carabiner that engage with the other carabiner's body, and tabs that interact with the second carabiner's proximal end. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific locking function, simplifying the overall mechanism while ensuring secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The carabiner device employs a self-locking mechanism where the lips and tabs automatically engage when the carabiners are brought together. The design allows the components to lock themselves without requiring additional locking actions or complex mechanisms, achieving secure attachment through the inherent geometry of the interacting parts.
3Reliability
If two carabiners are interlocked to form a belt buckle, then the device is secure, but it must be easily unlockable for attaching or detaching objects
Solution Approach 1:
The interlocking mechanism is designed to be dynamically controllable, transitioning between locked and unlocked states. The lips and tabs are positioned and dimensioned to allow easy manual separation when force is applied, while maintaining secure engagement under normal conditions. This dynamic design enables the device to switch between secure attachment and easy detachment as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a reversibly interlocking device for attaching one or more objects to a strap, which includes a first carabiner including a first base portion with a first strap attachment, a first proximal end including at least one lip, and a first distal end including two or more tabs; and a second carabiner including a second base portion with a second strap attachment, a second proximal end, and a second distal end, wherein the first carabiner reversibly interlocks with the second carabiner through the at least one lip and the second distal end, and through the two or more tabs and the second proximal end.