Screen Slat Click-Fit Attachment to Prevent Creasing and Detachment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional screen slats are laborious to attach and may cause creasing or unintentional detachment, with visible fastening elements being aesthetically undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A screen device with a screen slat featuring a fitting element and a fitting slot, utilizing click-action means with elastic click-fit legs that engage behind a flange for a secure, crease-free attachment, eliminating the need for lateral fitting and providing a detaining element to prevent unintentional release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional screen slats are attached using bolts or screws, then the attachment is secure, but the visible fastening elements are aesthetically undesirable and the installation is laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastening function from visible external fasteners (screws/bolts) and integrates it into the fitting slot structure itself. The fitting slot incorporates internal retention features that secure the screen edge without requiring separate visible fastening elements, thereby achieving aesthetic simplicity while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the fitting slot structure with the retention mechanism into a single integrated component. The fitting slot is designed to accommodate the screen edge fitting element and simultaneously provide retention features, combining multiple functions into one structure to eliminate the need for separate visible fasteners.
2Ease of manufacture
If screen slats are attached using clamping forces, then the installation is simpler, but the screen slat may unintentionally come away when forces act on it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic retention mechanism where the fitting slot structure can adapt to forces acting on the screen slat. The retention features are designed to maintain secure engagement under varying load conditions, allowing the structure to respond dynamically to applied forces rather than relying solely on static clamping pressure.
3Reliability
If a thickened screen edge is used as a fitting element, then the screen can be clamped securely, but it is laborious to fit the thickened edge into the fitting slot laterally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from lateral fitting to vertical insertion by designing the fitting slot to receive the thickened screen edge from above. This dimensional change in the fitting approach allows the thickened edge to be inserted vertically into the slot rather than laterally, significantly reducing installation difficulty while maintaining secure clamping.
4Reliability
If the screen slat is designed to be securely attached, then stability is improved, but ease of removal for maintenance or repositioning is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic retention mechanism where the fitting slot structure can adapt to forces acting on the screen slat. The retention features are designed to maintain secure engagement under varying load conditions, allowing the structure to respond dynamically to applied forces rather than relying solely on static clamping pressure.
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 easy, secure, and aesthetically pleasing attachment of the screen to the screen slat without creasing, ensuring stability and ease of removal if needed.
Implementation Method 1
click-action means which are at least partly elastic in order to attach the fitting element in the fitting slot by means of a click-fit connection
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
AI summary
Screen device (1) comprising a screen (2) which, on a screen edge (4), is provided with a fitting element (5), a screen slat (3) which comprises a fitting slot (6), in which this fitting element (5) is at least partly accommodable and one or several click-action means (9, 10) which are at least partly elastic in order to secure the fitting element (5) in the fitting slot (6) by means of a click- fit connection.