Interlocking Tab Wrap for Easy Tube and Handle Covering
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for wrapping complex shapes like tubes, handles, and hoops with flexible materials face issues such as user error, time-consuming processes, material restrictions, damage to objects, and difficulty in installation, especially for those with low dexterity or in tight spaces.
Innovation Solution
A flat, flexible material with interlocking tabs that can be easily installed without special skills or tools, using adhesive and a crisscross pattern to secure the wrap without loose ends, and accommodate various materials like rubber, leather, and vinyl.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a long piece of tape is used to wrap handles or tubes, then the surface can be covered, but the overlap consistency becomes difficult to control and user error prevents perfect results
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap is divided into multiple segments with tabs at the ends. Each segment can be wrapped and secured independently, eliminating the need for continuous long tape handling. The segmentation allows for consistent overlap without requiring the user to maintain precision over the entire length at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs are pre-formed at the ends of the wrap segments during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation of the interlocking features eliminates the need for the user to create consistent overlaps during installation, as the alignment features are already in place to guide proper positioning.
2Area of stationary object
If a long length of tape is required to cover a given space, then the coverage is complete, but the tape becomes unwieldy to control in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap is divided into multiple shorter segments that can be easily manipulated in tight spaces. Each segment covers a portion of the surface and can be installed independently, avoiding the handling difficulties of a single long piece while still achieving complete coverage through multiple segments.
3Ease of manufacture
If adhesive is used to secure the wrap, then the wrap is easily installed, but loose ends may peel away due to frictional use
Solution Approach 1:
The solution combines adhesive bonding with mechanical interlocking through the tab system. The adhesive provides initial bonding and ease of installation, while the interlocking tabs provide mechanical reinforcement that prevents peeling under frictional use. This merging of chemical and mechanical fastening methods achieves both ease of installation and long-term reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The wrap system uses a composite approach combining adhesive material with mechanical tab structures. The adhesive layer provides bonding while the tab geometry provides structural interlocking, creating a composite fastening system that leverages both chemical adhesion and mechanical strength to prevent peeling.
4Reliability
If a flat piece of material is wrapped around and laced on, then the cover is secure, but the lacing process is very time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional needle-and-thread lacing system is replaced with a simplified tab-based mechanical interlocking system. The tabs are pre-formed and can be inserted and secured without requiring threading through holes, eliminating the time-consuming lacing process while maintaining secure attachment through the interlocking tab geometry and adhesive bonding.
5Adaptability or versatility
If rubberized liquid is used to cover complex cylinders, then small items can be covered, but large or attached items cannot be covered and liquid-sensitive objects are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap uses a flexible thin film or sheet material that can be conformally wrapped around objects of various sizes and shapes. This flexible material approach replaces the liquid rubberized coating, allowing coverage of large and small items alike without using liquid that could damage liquid-sensitive objects like leather steering wheels. The thin film can be easily removed without damaging the underlying object.
6Reliability
If molded parts are used to cover rods or tubes, then the grip can be securely fastened, but installation is difficult and requires free ends not covered with knobs
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap is provided as a separate flexible segment that can be installed over the existing object without requiring access to free ends. This segmentation allows the wrap to be applied to objects with knobs or attached ends, overcoming the limitation of molded parts that require insertion from a free end. The flexible segment can be wrapped around and secured from any starting position.
7Adaptability or versatility
If molded parts are used, then the grip can be made from various materials, but only base materials that can be melted and processed through injection molding can be used
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap uses flexible sheet or film material instead of molded thermoplastics. This approach allows the use of a broader range of materials including rubber, leather, vinyl, and other flexible materials that cannot be processed through injection molding. The flexible material can be cut and formed into the required shape, providing material versatility without being constrained to melt-processable materials.
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
Provides a durable, aesthetically pleasing cover that resists frictional slippage and is easy to remove without damaging the object, while allowing for complex shapes and varying materials.
Implementation Method 1
using adhesive and a crisscross pattern to secure the wrap
Implementation Method 2
the overlapping design of the tabs at the meeting point provide an additional layer of mechanical advantage to the wrap
Data Source
AI summary
An interlocking wrap and method for covering an outer surface of an object provides desirable qualities to complex tube shapes using a flat piece of material. The wrap may cover tubes, handles, rods, or hoops, in their many examples. Existing adhesive technologies applied to the back of the material, combined with the formation of the material into a series of three or more offset tabs that interlock when folded together in the prescribed alternating order at their meeting points, creates a cover that is pleasing to the eye, protective, and durable to frictional use. The tabs overlap one over the next in similar fashion to a zipper or a braid, only leaving the bottom tab exposed to use.