Multiply Functioning Finger Ring with Pivotable Friction Crown
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional finger rings are limited to ornamentation and do not enhance the finger's ability to grasp or manipulate objects effectively, particularly slippery ones.
Innovation Solution
A multiply functioning finger ring design incorporating structural components like bands with interlocking teeth, a high friction elastomeric crown, and pivotally attached shafts that allow the ring to transition between ornamenting and friction-enhancing positions, enabling secure grip of objects through adjustable fitting and counter-orbiting mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional finger rings are designed for ornamentation only, then the aesthetic function is achieved, but the ability to enhance finger's grasping capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The finger ring is designed to perform multiple functions: ornamentation through the decorative crown and enhanced grasping through the friction-enhancing crown. The same device serves both aesthetic purposes and functional purposes for manipulating objects, eliminating the need for separate items.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring incorporates movable components including a rotatable crown that can transition between different orientations. The shafts with laterally extending arms allow the crown to rotate and reposition, enabling the ring to dynamically adapt between ornamenting mode and friction-enhancing mode based on user needs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ring structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the ability to provide both ornamentation and friction enhancement functions is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The ring is divided into distinct components: a first band, a second band, shafts with laterally extending arms, and a crown. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately using appropriate processes and then assembled, managing manufacturing complexity while achieving dual functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The crown incorporates an elastomeric material layer with high friction characteristics bonded to a substrate. This composite structure provides both the aesthetic appearance needed for ornamentation and the high friction surface needed for enhanced grasping, achieving dual functionality through material composition.
3Reliability
If the ring provides high friction surface for grasping objects, then the ability to hold slippery objects is improved, but the ornamentation function may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The crown is designed with different local properties: the outer surface maintains a smooth, decorative appearance for ornamentation, while the inner surface or specific contact areas incorporate high friction elastomeric material for reliable grasping. Each local area is optimized for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The crown can rotate and reposition relative to the ring bands, allowing the user to orient the high friction surface toward objects being grasped while maintaining the aesthetic appearance when the ring is worn passively. This dynamic repositioning allows both functions to be optimized at different times.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The ring effectively enhances fingertip friction to securely hold and manipulate slippery objects like cell phones, providing a slip-free grip while maintaining ornamentation functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a friction enhancing upper surface comprises a pad or layer of a high friction elastomeric material such as synthetic rubber
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for ornamenting a proximal end of a finger and for enhancing friction at the distal end of the finger, the assembly incorporating first and second bands; a void within the second band for receiving and releasing the finger; a frictional crown attached to the second band; and a shaft having an anchor end pivotally attached to the first band and having an opposite end pivotally attached to the second band, the shaft being adapted for guiding, orbiting, and counter-orbiting movements of the second band between flexed and extended positions, wherein in the flexed position, the crown overlies the proximal end of the finger, and wherein in extended position, the crown overlies the finger's distal end.