Modular Cord Protector Structure for Rigid Custom-Length Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cord protectors are often sold in fixed lengths, are not rigid enough to withstand weight, and are typically packaged in coils, making them difficult to use effectively in maintaining cord organization and safety.
Innovation Solution
An expandable cord protector system comprising elongated bodies with channels, ridges, and couplers that can be connected to form any desired length, featuring a lid with grooves and a central pillar for support, and a gripping material for surface attachment, allowing for flexible length adjustment and improved stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If cord protectors are made from rigid materials to withstand weight, then strength is improved, but cost increases prohibitively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction by combining a rigid base structure (made from cost-effective materials like PVC or rubber) with a rigid lid component. This composite approach allows the protector to achieve the necessary weight-bearing strength while maintaining affordability through strategic material selection and distribution of structural requirements across multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The cord protector is divided into separate components including a base, lid, and optional couplers. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while using appropriate materials, reducing the need for expensive rigid materials throughout the entire structure. The modular design also enables cost-effective manufacturing and assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If cord protectors are sold in predetermined short lengths, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to different cord lengths is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cord protector is designed as a modular system with a base unit and detachable couplers that can connect multiple units end-to-end. This segmentation allows manufacturers to produce standardized base units (maintaining manufacturing simplicity) while enabling users to create custom-length protectors by connecting multiple units, thus achieving both manufacturing efficiency and length adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The protector system transitions from a fixed-length design to a dynamic, adjustable-length configuration through the use of connectable couplers. Users can adapt the total length by adding or removing coupler units based on their specific cord length requirements, providing versatility without complicating the fundamental manufacturing process of each individual unit.
3Volume of moving object
If cord protectors are packaged in coils for compact storage, then storage efficiency is improved, but ease of deployment is worsened due to straightening difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the protector into separate modular components (base, lid, couplers), each piece can be individually packaged in a compact manner. The components can be stored in a nested or stacked configuration within a small box or container, achieving space-efficient storage without requiring the entire protector to be coiled. This segmentation eliminates the straightening problem while maintaining compact storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular component design acts as an intermediary solution between the conflicting requirements of compact storage and easy deployment. Each component can be independently packaged and stored in a compact form factor, then quickly assembled at the deployment location without requiring time-consuming straightening or uncoiling operations, thus mediating between storage efficiency and deployment ease.
4Ease of operation
If cord protectors are made from soft vinyl material for flexibility, then ease of installation is improved, but reliability under weight is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes composite construction where the base is made from flexible, easy-to-install materials like soft vinyl or rubber, while the lid and structural support elements are made from rigid materials. This composite material approach allows the protector to maintain installation flexibility through the soft base while achieving weight-bearing reliability through the rigid lid and internal structure, resolving the contradiction between ease of installation and weight resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
A cord protector with an elongated body and a coupler that joins the elongated body to an adjacent elongated body to form an elongated cord protector system. The elongated body has a base and a lid. The base has a channel extending between a first end and a second end. The base also has ridges that extend into the channel, a cavity configured to mate with the coupler, and a central pillar that extends from the floor into the channel along a majority of the channel. The lid is configured to be inserted into the channel. The lid has two grooves that are sized and shaped to receive one of the ridges. The lid also has a slot configured to receive the top of the central pillar when the lid is inserted into the channel. The central pillar supports the lid when the lid is inserted into the channel.