Quick-Release Anchoring Apparatus with Vent Port Sliding Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing anchoring apparatus with suction cups and suction seal stabilizers face challenges in quick and effortless release from surfaces, often requiring brute force or complex manual operation, and may not provide sufficient resistance to maintain items securely, especially under side loads or tilting.
Innovation Solution
A quick-release anchoring apparatus featuring a non-porous resilient anchor member with a flexible base seal and a central stem, combined with a movable auxiliary component that can slide between positions to open or close a vent port, allowing for airtight sealing and easy detachment without resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a suction cup or suction seal stabilizer is used to adhere to a surface, then secure attachment is achieved through differential pressure, but release from the surface requires brute force or complex manual operation
Solution Approach 1:
A movable auxiliary component acts as an intermediary to open the vent port and release the suction seal. This component slides between positions to either block or open the vent port, providing a mechanical means to release the seal without requiring brute force or complex manual operations. The intermediary component translates simple sliding motion into vent port activation, solving the release difficulty while maintaining secure attachment during normal use.
2Ease of operation
If the base seal member is made highly flexible to enable self-sealing, then ease of attachment is improved, but resistance to side loads and tilting forces is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its characteristics through the movable auxiliary component. When the component is in the closed position, the vent port is blocked and the seal operates in a high-resistance state capable of withstanding side loads and tilting forces. When opened, the system transitions to a release state. This dynamic positioning allows the flexible seal to maintain both self-sealing capability and load resistance depending on the operational state.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable auxiliary component introduces localized structural reinforcement at the vent port region. While the base seal member remains highly flexible for self-sealing, the auxiliary component provides localized rigidity and mechanical strength to resist side loads and tilting forces. This local quality enhancement allows the seal to maintain flexibility where needed while gaining strength where required.
3Ease of operation
If a mechanical stopper is used to control the vent port, then release control is achieved, but the stopper requires noticeable movement distance and cannot be actuated except by specific movement patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical stopper system with a sliding auxiliary component that moves along a guided path. This substitution eliminates the need for complex stopper mechanisms requiring noticeable movement distances and specific movement patterns. The sliding component provides simplified actuation through linear motion, reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining vent port control functionality.
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 secure attachment and quick release of items from surfaces without apparent resistance, maintaining stability under side loads or tilting by controlling air pressure within the anchoring apparatus.
Implementation Method 1
the base seal member has a natural tendency to return to its initial dome shape. As this rebounding occurs, the volumetric cavity that lies inside the peripheral rim between the base seal member's lower side and the reference surface begins to enlarge. This in turn causes the air pressure in the volumetric cavity to proportionately decrease in accordance with Boyle's Law
Implementation Method 2
A pressure differential is generated in which the pressure within the volumetric cavity is lower than the ambient air pressure outside the cavity, thereby resulting in a partial vacuum. The partial vacuum produces a suction force
Implementation Method 3
The vent port has a lower end disposed on the seal member lower side in fluid communication with the controlled pressure zone and an upper end disposed on the stem upper end in fluid communication with an area of ambient pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A quick-release anchoring apparatus includes an anchor member having a flexible base seal member that engages an external reference surface and forms a substantially airtight seal therewith to define a controlled pressure zone. The anchor member includes a central stem extending through an opening of a first auxiliary component. The anchor member is rigidly self-mounted to the first auxiliary component without discrete retainers or fasteners. A vent port extends through the anchor member. A vent port upper end is centered within a stem landing zone on the stem upper end. A second auxiliary component is slidably mounted to the first auxiliary component for guided movement between a vent port closure position wherein the second auxiliary component engages the stem landing zone and blocks the vent port, a vent port open position wherein the second auxiliary component is out of engagement with the stem landing zone and unblocks the vent port.