Plastic Pipe Clip Flange Layout for Single-Handed Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic pipe clips require two hands to open, making single-handed installation cumbersome and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
Design of a plastic pipe clip with pinching flanges that can be opened by one hand, featuring a hinging zone and elongated ears for easier pinching, allowing single-handed installation and versatility in pipe orientation, along with an optional annular insert for varying pipe diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the flanges are positioned adjacent to the slit in the annular body (prior art configuration), then the pipe clip structure is compact, but two hands are required to open the pipe clip for installation
Solution Approach 1:
The flanges are repositioned from an adjacent position to an opposite position across the annular body, effectively using the spatial dimension to create a new operational mechanism. This dimensional reconfiguration allows the flanges to function as leverage points for single-handed opening while maintaining structural integrity
2Ease of operation
If the flanges are moved to the opposite side of the annular body as the slit, then single-handed installation becomes possible, but the mounting flanges are farther from the pipe receiving area
Solution Approach 1:
The annular body incorporates a hinging zone that introduces dynamic flexibility to the structure. This hinge mechanism allows the flanges to move closer to the pipe during operation while maintaining their opposite-position mounting configuration, effectively resolving the distance issue through controlled movement rather than static positioning
3Ease of operation
If the flanges are formed as elongated ears extending from the annular body, then the lever length increases for easier pinching, but the overall device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flanges are designed as elongated ears with optimized dimensions that balance lever arm length against overall device size. By carefully controlling the length and width parameters of these ears, sufficient leverage is provided for single-handed pinching while preventing excessive increase in the overall device footprint
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
Enables convenient single-handed installation and versatile use for pipes of different orientations and diameters, improving user experience and installation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a hinging zone is formed in the annular body between the flanges. This hinging zone may facilitate the opening of the pipe clip such that the pipe clip can more easily be installed on the pipe single handed
Implementation Method 2
These ears provide a sufficient length and thus lever which allows an easier pinching together of the flanges and thereby opening of the pipe clip upon installation on a pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A plastic pipe clip includes a slitted annular body having a through slit to allow receiving a pipe in the annular body. The pipe clip includes pair of mounting flanges integrally formed on the annular body on an opposite side of the annular body as the side where the slit is located. The mounting flanges each having a support surface and at least one mounting hole adapted to mount the pipe clip to a support structure. The mounting flanges are arranged and configured to be pinched together so as to open the slit on the opposite side of the annular body.