Meat Hook With Offset Shank And Wrist Strap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional meat hooks cause hand injuries and ergonomic issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger due to constant gripping stress, and existing alternatives have not adequately addressed these problems while maintaining practical functionality.
Innovation Solution
A meat hook design featuring an offset hook shank and a quick-release wrist strap that transfers pulling force to the wrist, allowing for reduced grip pressure on the handle and enabling easy detachment in emergencies, with a molded plastic handle that reduces irritation and allows finger straightening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the hook shank is positioned between the user's fingers to provide stability and prevent twisting, then the hook can be gripped firmly and used efficiently, but the hook causes irritation between the fingers and concentrates pulling pressure on a narrow band near the base of the fingers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the hook shank from between the user's fingers by offsetting it to the side. The hook shank is positioned lateral to the fingers, allowing them to grip the handle without direct contact with the sharp hook portion. This extraction eliminates finger irritation and callousing while maintaining grip stability through the offset configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a wrist strap as an intermediary element that transfers the pulling force from the hand to the wrist. The strap acts as a mediator between the user's hand and the hook, allowing the hand to grip the handle with reduced pressure while still maintaining control and stability during operation.
2Reliability
If the handle is gripped tightly to prevent hook twisting under load, then the hook remains stable and controlled, but constant gripping stress leads to carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, and other hand injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The wrist strap serves as a mechanical intermediary that transfers the tensile loads from the hook through the strap to the user's wrist. This force transfer mechanism allows the hand to maintain a relaxed grip on the handle while the wrist bears the primary loading, eliminating the need for constant tight gripping and thereby preventing hand injuries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the gripping function from the hand by introducing the wrist strap. Instead of the hand bearing the full gripping load, the wrist strap carries the load, allowing the hand to be removed from the force transmission path. This extraction enables relaxed hand positioning while maintaining hook stability through wrist support.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a D-handle configuration is used to avoid hook passage between fingers, then finger irritation is reduced, but the handle rotates adversely in the palm unless gripped very tightly
Solution Approach 1:
The wrist strap acts as a stabilizing intermediary that prevents the D-handle from rotating in the palm. By securing the handle to the wrist through the strap, the system eliminates the rotational instability that would otherwise occur with the D-handle configuration, allowing the hand to grip more comfortably without tight gripping.
Data Source
AI summary
An ergonomic meat hook is provided in which the hook portion is not directed between the fingers of the user and is provided with a safety and rest strap to secure the hook to the user's arm or wrist opposite the hook portion to thereby reduce weight which must be supported by the user's fingers. Such strap is arranged to be quickly detached in an emergency.