Lockable Container Uniform Cylinder Ring Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lockable containers with programmable combination locking caps face challenges such as ring indexing tolerance, difficulty in aligning narrower rings, and issues with manufacturing tolerances, which can make unlocking more difficult, especially for senior consumers with limited eyesight or dexterity.
Innovation Solution
The design of a lockable container with a cylindrical member of uniform diameter, featuring annular flanges to retain rotatable rings, and a method to control access by aligning identification elements on the outer surface of the rings with corresponding tabs on the inner surface, eliminating the need for tapered cylindrical members and reducing ring indexing tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If tapered cylindrical members are used to hold rotatable rings, then the rings can be retained on the cylindrical member, but ring indexing tolerance increases and alignment becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the cylindrical member from tapered to uniform diameter. This parameter change eliminates the cumulative alignment errors that occur with tapered cylinders, thereby reducing ring indexing tolerance and improving manufacturing precision while maintaining ring retention through alternative means such as flanges or interference fits.
2Reliability
If narrower rings are used to fit within standardized container sizes, then more rings can be accommodated for higher security, but the rings become more difficult to manipulate and see
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the locking function into multiple independent rotatable rings, each contributing to the overall security. By using a uniform diameter cylindrical member, each ring maintains adequate width for ease of manipulation while the combination of multiple rings provides the required security level through layered complexity rather than narrowing individual rings.
3Reliability
If multiple rotatable rings are used to increase security, then the combination code complexity increases, but the unlocking process takes longer due to alignment difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the cylindrical member geometry from tapered to uniform diameter, which eliminates the cumulative alignment errors that cause time loss during unlocking. This parameter change allows multiple rings to be aligned quickly and accurately without the need for repeated adjustments, thereby reducing unlocking time while maintaining the security provided by multiple rings.
4Ease of manufacture
If manufacturing tolerances are relaxed for easier production, then production cost decreases, but ring alignment accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the cylindrical member from tapered to uniform diameter, which fundamentally alters the tolerance accumulation behavior. With a uniform diameter cylinder, manufacturing tolerances do not cumulate along the length as they do with tapered cylinders, allowing relaxed production tolerances while maintaining ring alignment accuracy. This makes the system more robust to manufacturing variations.
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
A lockable container (100) for securing items or objects, the container including a first element (20), which may include a cylindrical member (26) and a retainer (21) for capturing two or more rotatable rings (30) on the cylindrical member, and a second element (40), which is mateable with the first element, cooperating with the rings to close an open end (41) of the cylindrical member of the first element.