Collapsible Saw Horse Stacking Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsible saw horses, while improving transportability, become cumbersome when multiple units need to be carried together, as existing designs lack efficient stacking and locking mechanisms that allow for secure and easy handling.
Innovation Solution
A saw horse combination featuring a locking mechanism with pivotable latches and resilient protrusions that allow for secure stacking and orientation-independent engagement, along with a detent mechanism and spring bias for easy assembly and disassembly, enabling users to carry multiple units as a single, stable unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple collapsible saw horses are transported together, then transportability is improved, but handling difficulty increases due to lack of stacking mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple saw horses into a single stacked unit using latches that secure the legs of one saw horse to the body of another, enabling multiple units to be transported together as one integrated structure, thereby improving transportability while maintaining ease of handling
Solution Approach 2:
The saw horses are designed to nest within each other when stacked, with the legs of one unit fitting into the body structure of another, creating a compact nested configuration that reduces handling complexity while enhancing transportability
2Productivity
If multiple saw horses are stacked together, then carrying efficiency is improved, but stability decreases without proper locking mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The latches are pre-positioned on the saw horse bodies and legs with engagement features that automatically align when stacked, allowing users to secure multiple units together with a single action, thereby improving carrying efficiency while ensuring stacking stability through predetermined locking positions
Solution Approach 2:
The stacking mechanism is designed to be self-securing, where the latches automatically engage when the saw horses are stacked together, requiring minimal user intervention to achieve stable stacking, thus improving carrying efficiency while maintaining inherent stacking stability
3Ease of operation
If latches are made flexible for easy engagement, then ease of operation is improved, but locking strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The latches are made from plastic material that provides flexible engagement for ease of operation, while the locking strength is maintained through the geometric design of the engagement features between latches and corresponding slots, where the plastic flexibility allows easy manipulation but the interlocking geometry ensures sufficient locking strength
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 secure stacking and transportation of multiple saw horses, reducing the burden of carrying multiple units by allowing them to be combined into a single, stable unit with easy engagement and disengagement, enhancing usability in construction settings.
Implementation Method 1
resilient protrusions that allow for secure stacking and orientation-independent engagement
Implementation Method 2
detent mechanism and spring bias for easy assembly and disassembly
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 3A~3B
Figure 3C~5
AI summary
A saw horse combination includes two saw horses (10,10'). Each saw horse has a beam (11), first and second brackets (12) disposed respectively at the ends of the beam, and legs (13) pivotably attached to the brackets for supporting the beam. A locking mechanism is also provided for connecting the first and second horses (10,10'). The locking mechanism includes a first latch (51) movably connected to a bracket (12) of the first saw horse (10), and a second latch (51) movably connected to a bracket of the second saw horse (10'). These latches (51) are movable between a first position where the latches (51) do not engage and a second position where the latches engage.