Rotatable Tip for Smoke Detector Testing Pole
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools for testing smoke detectors in hard-to-reach locations are cumbersome and require frequent replacement, as they rely on canned smoke that depletes with use and necessitate the use of long, burdensome poles.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible extendable pole system with a rotatable tip designed to fit smoke detector buttons, allowing for easy extension to reach smoke detectors, featuring telescoping segments and a magnetic, light-equipped tip for precise button activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If canned smoke is used to test smoke detectors, then the smoke detector can be tested, but the consumable is depleted upon use requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the consumable canned smoke system with a mechanical button-depression system. Instead of using smoke (a consumable substance) to trigger the detector, the invention uses a physical mechanism (extendable pole with button-depressing tip) to directly activate the detector's test button, eliminating the need for consumables while maintaining reliable testing capability.
2Ease of operation
If a long pole is used to reach smoke detectors in hard-to-reach places, then the detector can be tested, but the pole is burdensome and not easily carried
Solution Approach 1:
The pole is divided into multiple telescoping segments that can be extended to reach high or distant detectors and collapsed to a compact size for easy carrying. This segmentation allows the tool to provide long-reach capability when needed while maintaining portability for storage and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The pole transitions from a static long structure to a dynamic telescoping mechanism that adjusts its length based on operational needs. When extended, it reaches hard-to-access detectors; when collapsed, it becomes compact and portable, resolving the contradiction between reachability and ease of carrying.
3Device complexity
If a fixed tip is used on the pole, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate different button configurations on smoke detectors
Solution Approach 1:
The tip is made rotatable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its orientation to match different button configurations on smoke detectors. This simple rotational movement enables the tip to accommodate various button positions and angles without requiring complex mechanisms or multiple specialized tips.
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 efficient and reusable testing of smoke detectors in hard-to-reach places without the need for frequent replacement of consumables, providing a durable and user-friendly solution for ensuring detector functionality.
Implementation Method 1
featuring telescoping segments and a magnetic, light-equipped tip for precise button activation
Implementation Method 2
featuring telescoping segments and a magnetic, light-equipped tip for precise button activation
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a collapsible system for depressing a button on a device, such as a smoke detector, that is out of reach. The system may include a generally cylindrically-shaped handle having an inner portion and a proximal end and a distal end, a plurality of extendable segments configured to telescope outwardly from the inner portion of the handle through the distal end of the handle, the plurality of extendable segments including a distal-most segment, and a tip rotatably attached to the distal-most segment of the plurality of extendable segments. The tip may have a concave portion configured to accommodate at least a portion of the device button when in contact with the device button.