Pack Cinching System for Simultaneous Load Compression and Fit Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packs require separate systems and actions for load compression and cinching, which can be cumbersome and inconvenient, especially during running or hiking, as they often need to be done before wearing the pack or require additional steps while wearing it.
Innovation Solution
The pack features a main compartment cinching system with left and right cinch cords that allow for simultaneous adjustment of fit and load compression while worn, using cord locks to maintain the cinched state, enabling easy manipulation to achieve a tight, customized fit and reduced load movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate systems are used for load compression and cinching, then each function can be performed independently, but the device complexity increases and ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the load compression function and cinching function into a single integrated system. The cinch cords are routed to pass through compression panels, allowing a single pulling action on the cinch cords to simultaneously compress the load and cinch the pack to the wearer's body, eliminating the need for separate compression and cinching systems
Solution Approach 2:
The cinch cords serve multiple functions: they cinch the pack to the wearer's anatomy and simultaneously compress the load within the main compartment. The compression panels also serve dual purposes as structural elements and as the medium through which load compression is achieved, making the system more versatile and reducing overall complexity
2Reliability
If separate actions are required for load compression and cinching, then each function can be optimized independently, but the ease of operation worsens and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the adjustment actions for cinching and compression into a single simultaneous operation. By routing the cinch cords through the compression panels, the wearer achieves both cinching and load compression by simply pulling the cinch cords, eliminating the need for separate adjustment steps and making the pack easier to operate during activities like running or hiking
3Stability of the object's composition
If pre-compression is required before wearing the pack, then load stability is improved, but the ease of operation decreases and flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static pre-compression requirement into a dynamic, on-demand compression system. The compression is not fixed before wearing but can be adjusted in real-time by the wearer through the cinch cord system, allowing load stability to be achieved and maintained flexibly during the activity without requiring pre-compression
Data Source
AI summary
A pack may include a main compartment to extend along a back of a person wearing the pack, wherein the main compartment has a front side to extend proximate the back of the person and a rear side to extend distant the back of the person. The pack may include left and right compression panels and a main compartment cinching system. The left and right compression panels extend along the left and right sides of the person, respectively, to the rear side of the main compartment. The compartment cinching system has left and right cinch cords and left and right cinch cord retainers located along left and right sides of the person, respectively, when the pack is worn. The left or right cinch cords are pullable to concurrently compress the main compartment and cinch the left and right compression panels about a torso of the person.