Movable Foot Clamping Storage for Sports Boards
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Solution Overview
Problem
Board-type sporting goods, such as surfboards and wakeboards, face challenges in secure storage and transportation due to varying sizes and the need for secure holding mechanisms to prevent damage and dislodgment during vehicle movement.
Innovation Solution
A sports board storage device featuring a housing with parallel prongs, movable feet with linkages, and a ratchet assembly that allows the feet to extend and securely hold boards of varying thicknesses, ensuring stable storage and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sports boards are stored on or around a tower of a boat, then the sports boards can be stored away from the floor to prevent damage and occupy less space, but the sports boards may become dislodged during movement of the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The storage device employs movable feet that can dynamically adjust their position between retracted and extended states. The feet are connected through linkages that allow them to move in response to board insertion, automatically adapting to different board thicknesses and providing secure retention during vehicle movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage device is divided into multiple independent components including a housing, multiple prongs, movable feet, linkages, and a ratchet assembly. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while contributing to the overall secure holding capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed storage structure is used, then the device is simple in design, but it cannot accommodate sports boards of varying thicknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The linkages connect the movable feet to the housing, enabling the feet to dynamically adjust their position based on the thickness of the inserted board. This dynamic adjustment allows the device to accommodate various board dimensions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes the positional parameter of the feet through the linkage mechanism, allowing the feet to extend or retract based on the specific thickness requirement of each board. This parameter adjustment provides versatility without requiring completely different storage devices for each board type.
3Reliability
If multiple independent clamping mechanisms are used for each board, then each board can be securely held, but the device complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The ratchet assembly is merged with the linkage system to provide a unified clamping mechanism. When the feet are moved into the clamped position, the ratchet assembly engages with the linkages to simultaneously secure multiple boards, eliminating the need for separate independent clamping mechanisms for each board.
Solution Approach 2:
The ratchet assembly serves as a universal locking mechanism that works with all the movable feet in the system. This multi-functional component provides secure holding for multiple boards of varying thicknesses through a single integrated mechanism rather than requiring individual clamps for each board.
Data Source
AI summary
Various implementations include a sports board storage device. The device includes a housing, one or more linkages, a foot, and one or more linkage members. The housing has a first prong and a second prong. The one or more linkages are pivotably coupled to the first prong. The foot is pivotably coupled to the one or more linkages. The one or more linkage members are coupled to at least one of the one or more linkages. The one or more linkage members are movable relative to the housing to cause rotation of the one or more linkages and to cause the foot to move between a retracted position and an extended position. The foot is closer to the second prong in the extended position than it is in the retracted position.