Slidable Latch Bolt Hook Extraction for Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing displaceable locking latches for container lids hinder stacking when aligned due to spring-loaded hooks interfering with each other, leading to potential damage and inefficient, costly stacking processes.
Innovation Solution
A displaceable locking bar with a conical plug-in part, a handle part, and a resilient hook that interlocks with other locking bars when stacked, allowing for secure engagement without stress, enabling lids to be stacked in the same orientation without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If lids are stacked in the same orientation for storage, then stacking simplicity and space efficiency are improved, but the spring-loaded hooks of overhead lids interfere with and damage the locking latches underneath
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful spring-loaded hook is extracted and relocated from the locking latch structure. The locking latch now consists only of the plug-in part with shoulders and the handle part with recess, without the upwardly projecting hook that caused interference during stacking.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the hook project upward to engage with the slot (conventional design), the design inverts the engagement mechanism by having the recess in the handle part receive the plug-in part from below, eliminating the need for upwardly projecting hooks.
2Reliability
If lids are stacked rotated by 180° to avoid hook interference, then locking latch damage is prevented, but the stacking process becomes expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful spring-loaded hook is extracted and relocated from the locking latch structure. The locking latch now consists only of the plug-in part with shoulders and the handle part with recess, without the upwardly projecting hook that caused interference during stacking.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the hook project upward to engage with the slot (conventional design), the design inverts the engagement mechanism by having the recess in the handle part receive the plug-in part from below, eliminating the need for upwardly projecting hooks.
3Reliability
If the locking latch uses a spring-loaded hook mechanism, then the locking function is achieved, but the hook interferes with stacked lids and causes damage
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful spring-loaded hook is extracted and relocated from the locking latch structure. The locking latch now consists only of the plug-in part with shoulders and the handle part with recess, without the upwardly projecting hook that caused interference during stacking.
Solution Approach 2:
The recess in the handle part serves as an intermediary structure that receives and holds the plug-in part from below, mediating the locking function without requiring upwardly projecting hooks that cause interference.
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
Enables simple, cost-effective, and gentle stacking of lids in the same orientation, preventing damage to locking latches and streamlining the stacking process.
Implementation Method 1
The plug-in part (3) has a resilient hook (7) projecting upwards from its lower end
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The latch (1) has a plugging part (3), held in a slot of a cover flange and slidably supported between closing and opening positions. The plugging part penetrates into a slot of a container flange when the cover is closed. The plugging part has a spring hook (7), which presses the latch into the closing position. A handle part (5) has a slot-like plastic recess (9) at its upper side, where breadth of the recess corresponds to thickness of the hook such that the latch with its hook fits into the recess such that the hook engages into the recess.