Padlock Plate Stamping Without External Web
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laminated padlocks face cost, design, and security limitations due to excess material waste during manufacturing and exposed seams that can lead to unauthorized access or environmental damage.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing process that stamps lock plates without an external web, using a sequential stamping pattern to eliminate excess material and incorporate internal and external fasteners for enhanced security and assembly, along with a sleeve for additional support and customization of the lock body's appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional stamping operations with external web are used to manufacture lock plates, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but material waste increases and cost efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external web from the stamping process, extracting only the necessary lock plate components without generating excess material. The stamping operation directly produces the final plate shape without requiring removal of surrounding web material, thereby eliminating material waste while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock plates are pre-formed with precise geometry through optimized stamping patterns that define the exact plate contours before assembly. This preliminary formation eliminates the need for subsequent web removal operations and ensures material efficiency from the outset of the manufacturing process.
2Reliability
If exposed seams between stacked plates are present, then assembly simplicity is maintained, but security and environmental resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the locking mechanism with the plate assembly by integrating fasteners that simultaneously secure the plates together and cover the seams between them. This combination eliminates exposed seams that would otherwise compromise security and environmental resistance, while the integrated fastening system does not significantly increase assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fasteners serve as intermediary elements that both join the plates and seal the seams between them. These intermediaries provide dual functionality: mechanical fastening and protective sealing, thereby improving security and environmental resistance without requiring separate sealing components or complex assembly procedures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If non-rectangular horizontal cross section is used for lock body, then design flexibility and appearance are improved, but manufacturing efficiency and cost efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The lock body is segmented into multiple plates that can be stamped from standard rectangular sheets and then assembled into non-rectangular configurations. This segmentation allows each plate to be manufactured efficiently using conventional stamping processes while the final assembled structure achieves the desired non-rectangular shape and design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional plate stamping to three-dimensional lock body assembly, where flat rectangular plates are stacked and arranged to create non-rectangular horizontal cross sections. This dimensional transformation enables complex external appearances and design variations while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through standardized plate production.
Data Source
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AI summary
A padlock includes a lock body, a shackle, and a sleeve. The lock body includes opposed front and rear longitudinally extending side walls terminating at first and second end portions. The shackle extends from the first end portion of the lock body. The sleeve covers at least a portion of each of the longitudinally extending side walls, and an internal surface of the sleeve includes at least one longitudinally extending rib contacting at least one of the front and rear longitudinally extending side walls to define a gap between the sleeve and the lock body.