Laundry Securing Device to Prevent Tangling of Large Bedding Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large laundry items such as bedding and long-sleeve shirts often twist, tangle, or wad during washing and drying, leading to inefficient cleaning and drying, appliance imbalance, and increased wear-and-tear, with no effective method to prevent these issues in existing technologies.
Innovation Solution
A novel laundry device with a center base and attachment system that secures multiple corners or points of large laundry items, using male and female elements to lock and contain the fabric, reducing the probability of twisting and tangling, and preventing smaller items from becoming lodged in larger ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large laundry items are laundered in washing machine and dryer, then cleaning and drying is achieved, but the articles twist, tangle, ball, and wad preventing proper cleaning and drying
Solution Approach 1:
The device attaches to the laundry article before washing and drying, pre-positioning corners and edges to prevent twisting and tangling from occurring in the first place. The attachment system secures multiple points on the article (corners, edges, or center) to maintain proper configuration throughout the laundering process.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes a flexible band or film that can wrap around and secure the laundry article. This flexible element adapts to the article's shape while maintaining tension to prevent movement and distortion, allowing the article to remain properly configured during tumbling and agitation.
2Productivity
If large articles twist and tangle in dryer, then drying time increases and appliance efficiency decreases, but manual manipulation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables the laundry article to maintain its own proper configuration without requiring external intervention. By self-securing the article's corners and edges, the device eliminates the need for manual manipulation during and after drying, allowing the article to dry efficiently in its proper position.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment is applied before drying, pre-positioning the article to prevent tangles and balls from forming during the drying cycle. This preliminary configuration maintenance ensures efficient drying without requiring subsequent manual intervention to redistribute or reposition the article.
3Quantity of substance
If washing machine capacity is increased, then more articles can be washed, but articles become more likely to twist and tangle
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the article into multiple secured points (corners, edges, or center sections) that are independently attached to the device. This segmentation prevents any single point from moving or twisting, maintaining overall article configuration stability even when multiple articles are washed together in a large-capacity machine.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible band or film adapts to accommodate multiple articles in the washing machine while maintaining secure attachment to each article. This flexibility allows the device to function effectively whether one or multiple articles are being laundered, preserving configuration stability across different load sizes.
4Productivity
If dryer capacity is increased, then drying efficiency improves, but articles are more likely to ball and wad
Solution Approach 1:
The device is attached before drying, pre-positioning the article to maintain its proper shape throughout the drying cycle. By securing corners and edges in advance, the article resists balling and wadding even in a high-capacity dryer with intense tumbling action.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible band or film maintains constant gentle tension on the article during drying, preventing it from collapsing into balls or wads. This flexible constraint allows the article to tumble and move in the dryer while maintaining its proper configuration and shape.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for attaching large articles of bedding such as bed sheets, blankets, duvet covers, comforters, and quilts, as well as other machine-washable large items such as sleeping bags, tablecloths, shower curtains, and shower curtain liners, in order to prevent or greatly reduce said articles from twisting, tangling, balling and/or wadding either independently or with each other in either or both the automatic washing machine or automatic clothes dryer. Exemplary fabric securing devices include a rigid base having keyholes and slit-holes, and flexible straps or tongues having a hollow post to engage a base keyhole and a crescent-shaped beveled edge to engage a base slit-hole.