Pet Collar Accessory Base with Nested Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for attaching accessories to pet collars are generic, cumbersome, unreliable, lack versatility, and do not effectively allow pet owners to securely, safely, compactly, and reliably append accessories to collars or other strap-like objects worn by pets.
Innovation Solution
The disclosure provides a base and housing configuration that securely couples accessories to a pet collar, featuring a body with connecting walls, arms, and protrusions that retain the collar and interface with housings to attach accessories, ensuring they remain proximal to the pet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current generic attachment mechanisms are used, then accessories can be attached to collars, but the attachment is unreliable and lacks security during pet activity
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is divided into separate functional components: a base unit with a through-slot for the collar, multiple arms with protrusions for securing, and interfaces for accessories. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function reliably while maintaining overall system security without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design uses nested structural elements where arms with protrusions fit into corresponding recesses, and interfaces are nested within the base structure. This nesting creates multiple levels of security retention, ensuring accessories remain attached during pet activity while keeping the mechanism compact and manageable.
2Ease of operation
If current attachment solutions are used, then accessories can be attached to collars, but the structure is cumbersome and not compact
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple attachment functions are merged into a single integrated base structure that includes the through-slot, arms with protrusions, and accessory interfaces. This merging simplifies the overall structure, making it more compact and easier to operate while maintaining secure attachment capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The base structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the through-slot for collar insertion, contains the arms with protrusions for securing, and includes interfaces for various accessories. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, making the overall structure more compact and easier to operate.
3Adaptability or versatility
If current attachment mechanisms are used, then accessories can be attached to collars, but the solution lacks versatility for different accessories and pet needs
Solution Approach 1:
The base structure includes multiple interfaces designed to accommodate different types of accessories through standardized connection points. This universality allows the same base to work with various accessories (health trackers, location trackers, identification holders, treat holders, etc.) without requiring different attachment mechanisms, thereby increasing versatility without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism is segmented into a universal base structure and separate accessory interfaces. This segmentation allows the base to remain simple and standardized while accommodating different accessories through modular interfaces, thereby achieving versatility without excessive overall complexity.
4Reliability
If current attachment solutions are used, then accessories can be attached to collars, but the attachment is not secure enough to prevent detachment during pet activity
Solution Approach 1:
The arms with protrusions are nested within the base structure, creating multiple levels of retention. The protrusions engage with corresponding recesses to provide strong retention force, while the nested arrangement ensures that the attachment remains secure during pet activity without requiring excessive strength in any single connection point.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism utilizes composite structural elements combining rigid base material with flexible protrusion components. This composite approach allows the structure to provide strong retention force while maintaining flexibility to withstand the forces generated during pet activity, thereby achieving both security and strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A base has a body defining a connecting wall having a first end and a second end. The body also defines a first arm extending from the first end of the connecting wall, the first arm including a first surface and a first protrusion extending from the first surface, and a second arm extending from the second end of the connecting wall, the second arm including a second surface and a second protrusion extending from the second surface toward the first arm. The second protrusion overlaps with the first protrusion to retain a collar received in a through-slot defined by the connecting wall, the first and second surfaces, and the first and second protrusions. The body further defines a first interface extending from the first arm opposite a side of the first arm including the first surface, where the first interface is configured to couple a housing to the base.