Reversible Locking Garment Closure with Acute-Angled Pin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing garment closures with locking features are not reversible, making them inconvenient and uncomfortable under high stress conditions, such as in sportswear, as they require excessive stretching to operate in reverse orientations.
Innovation Solution
A reversible locking garment closure with male and female members featuring a pin at an acute angle, a corresponding channel, and a locking mechanism that provides resistance to decoupling, allowing the closure to function under high tensile stress and accommodate reversible operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a locking mechanism is added to resist high stress, then the strength and reliability improve, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is designed to be movable within its channel, allowing it to flex and rotate under load. This dynamic capability enables the pin to maintain a locked position under high stress while still allowing easy insertion and removal when not under load, resolving the contradiction between strength and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The pin is pre-positioned at an acute angle relative to the channel axis. This preliminary angular orientation creates immediate resistance to decoupling forces as soon as the closure is engaged, providing strong locking without requiring complex additional mechanisms that would hinder ease of operation
2Adaptability or versatility
If the closure is made reversible with mirror-image faces, then the adaptability and versatility improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is positioned asymmetrically at an acute angle to the channel axis rather than symmetrically in the center. This asymmetric positioning enables the closure to function in both orientations while maintaining effective locking, achieving reversibility without requiring duplicate symmetric components that would increase complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The single acute-angled pin design serves multiple functions: it provides locking in the primary orientation, maintains locking capability when the closure is reversed, and enables operation under high stress in both directions. This multi-functionality achieves reversibility without adding separate mechanisms for each orientation
Data Source
AI summary
A reversible locking garment closure includes male and female members each attached to an end of a garment. The male member has a pin at an acute angle and the female member receives the pin in a corresponding angled channel. The acute angle provides resistance to decoupling the male and female members, and allows the closure to function under high tensile stress. The male and female members are coupled via motion in a plane parallel to the front and rear faces of the closure, allowing the closure to be operable when worn in a reverse orientation. In an embodiment, the closure includes a locking mechanism which resiliently resists decoupling of the male and female members.