Interlocking Dustpan Sidewall Grooves for Secure Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dustpans with smooth sidewalls and bottom surfaces cannot be locked together for carrying or display purposes due to their smooth surfaces, lacking interlocking features.
Innovation Solution
The dustpan design incorporates elongated grooves with interior chambers and exterior bulges on the sidewalls, along with channels on the lower surface, allowing adjacent dustpans to interlock securely by aligning the bulges and channels, enabling stacking and carrying multiple dustpans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If smooth sidewalls and smooth bottom surfaces are used in conventional dustpans, then effective receptacles for receiving dirt and debris are provided, but the ability to lock and stack dustpans together is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The dustpan is segmented into functional zones: smooth bottom surface for debris collection, and textured sidewalls with grooves and protrusions for interlocking. This segmentation allows each surface to serve its specific purpose without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different surface qualities are applied locally: the bottom surface remains smooth for effective debris reception, while the sidewalls incorporate raised portions and grooves with textured surfaces specifically for interlocking and stacking functionality.
2Ease of manufacture
If smooth surfaces are used on dustpans, then manufacturing is simplified, but interlocking mechanisms cannot be formed
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into forming the basic smooth dustpan body and then adding interlocking features through separate operations such as injection molding inserts or post-molding attachment, allowing each feature to be optimized independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlocking features utilize asymmetric geometries with raised portions on one dustpan matching corresponding grooves on another, creating a non-reversible interlocking mechanism that prevents accidental separation while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If interlocking features are added to dustpans, then stacking and carrying capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The interlocking features are merged with the dustpan body as an integrated structure rather than separate components. The grooves and protrusions are formed as part of the dustpan molding process, eliminating the need for separate fastening mechanisms and reducing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlocking features serve multiple functions: they enable stacking of dustpans for storage, provide carrying capability when multiple dustpans are linked, and maintain structural alignment during use. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved dustpan having interlockable mating grooves and channels to facilitate stacking together at least two dustpans. The unique feature of the present invention is to form at least one groove in the sidewall of a dustpan, which groove has an interior chamber and an exteriorly projecting bulge so that when slid together, the exterior bulge of the upper dustpan slides into the chamber of the groove of the lower dustpan so that they are locked together. In a preferred embodiment, the upper interior wall of the interior chamber and the upper portion of the bulge start at the same downward angle from front to back to facilitate locking two dustpans together.