Paper Cable Retainer With Mechanical Interlocking Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable retainers face challenges in being environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and aesthetically appealing while maintaining functionality, as they often require multiple materials and adhesives, and are not easily recyclable.
Innovation Solution
A cable retainer formed entirely of paper, using a single integrally formed piece with preformed folds and mechanical interlocking tabs and slots to securely hold cables without adhesives, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional cable retainers use multiple materials and adhesives, then structural strength and reliability are improved, but environmental friendliness and recyclability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cable retainer is divided into multiple fingers and flaps that can be independently folded and interlocked. Each finger has a slot and each flap has a tab that mechanically interlock, creating a segmented structure that achieves strength through configuration rather than adhesives.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable retainer uses its own structural elements (fingers and flaps) to secure itself without external adhesives or fasteners. The tabs and slots are designed to self-interlock when folded, creating a self-securing mechanism that eliminates the need for additional bonding materials.
2Reliability
If cable retainers use adhesives to secure cables, then retention reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding mechanism of adhesives with a mechanical interlocking system. Fingers with slots and flaps with tabs create a purely mechanical retention system that is simpler to manufacture and eliminates adhesive application steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable retainer transitions from a rigid adhesive-based structure to a flexible folded structure. By changing the physical state and configuration parameters of the material (from flat to folded), the structure achieves retention capability without requiring adhesive materials.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If cable retainers are made from single material without adhesives, then environmental friendliness and recyclability are improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fingers and flaps are nested within the single-piece structure, with each element folded and interlocked within the overall form. This nesting arrangement allows complex three-dimensional structure to be achieved from a simple flat pattern that can be manufactured as one piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable retainer design transitions from two-dimensional flat patterns to three-dimensional folded structures. By utilizing fold lines and spatial configuration, the single-piece structure achieves complex retention geometry without requiring multiple materials or assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
Cable retainers may include a panel having a pair of loop locks. The loop locks may engage each other to form a loop. The cable retainer may include a first and a second retention loop. Each retention loop may have a finger with a slot formed at a fold line of the finger. Each retention loop may also have a flap with a tab formed at a fold line of the flap. The finger and the flap of the first retention loop may be located directly across the panel from one another. The finger of the second retention loop may be located at a first end of the panel while the flap of the second retention loop may be located at a second end of the panel. The tabs and slots of each retention loop may interlock to form a rectangular cable passage. The cable retainer may be formed entirely of paper and may be formed without adhesive.