Screwless Plastic Mouse Chassis for Recyclability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current information handling system mice face challenges in recyclability, durability of scroll wheels and input buttons, power management, audio quality during conferences, and user accessibility to KVM switches.
Innovation Solution
A mouse with a plastic chassis assembled without screws, featuring a variable magnetic scroll wheel for tactile feedback and configurable button responses, along with a motion power switch for efficient power use, and a keyboard with directional microphones and a touchscreen display for enhanced audio capture and KVM control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mouse housing is assembled with screws to provide durable construction, then reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to additional assembly steps and difficulty in recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes screws and metal coupling devices from the mouse assembly, extracting the fastening function entirely. The housing is instead assembled using heat-staked plastic components that integrate structural support and fastening functions into the molded plastic parts themselves, eliminating the need for separate metal fasteners and simplifying both assembly and recycling processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the structural support and fastening functions into the plastic housing components themselves. The inner frame and outer housing are molded with integrated features that provide both structural integrity and assembly attachment points, combining multiple functions into unified plastic components rather than separate parts.
2Ease of operation
If a metal spring is used in the scroll wheel to provide tactile feedback, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to wear over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical metal spring system with a magnetic field-based tactile feedback mechanism. Magnets positioned behind the scroll wheel interact with a magnetic sensor to provide tactile feedback without physical contact or wear, substituting a mechanical system with a magnetic field-based system that eliminates wear while maintaining operational feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the tactile feedback mechanism from mechanical (metal spring with physical contact) to magnetic (field-based interaction). This parameter change allows the scroll wheel to maintain tactile feedback functionality while eliminating the wear associated with mechanical contact between metal components.
3Ease of operation
If a cantilever key plate is used for input buttons to provide button motion, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to imprecise input detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cantilever key plate system with a magnetic field-based button detection system. Magnets positioned behind the button interact with a magnetic sensor to detect button presses, substituting the mechanical lever system with a magnetic field-based detection system that provides more precise input detection while maintaining button motion functionality.
4Reliability
If the mouse is built robustly with screws to withstand impact forces, then reliability is improved, but loss of substance increases due to difficulty in recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes all metal screws and coupling devices from the mouse assembly, extracting the fastening function entirely. The housing is instead assembled using heat-staked plastic components that integrate structural support and fastening functions into the molded plastic parts themselves, eliminating the need for separate metal fasteners and simplifying both assembly and recycling processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the mouse housing and components to be easily disassembled and recycled. By using heat-staked plastic components instead of metal screws, the entire housing can be more easily separated and processed for recycling, improving the recoverability of materials at the end of the product lifecycle while maintaining structural integrity during use.
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
The solution enhances recyclability, provides durable and wear-resistant components, reduces power consumption, improves audio quality by filtering unwanted noise, and simplifies KVM switch management, offering a more intuitive user experience.
Implementation Method 1
A magnetic focus lens concentrates the magnetic flux so that variable magnetic attraction is provided to the scroll wheel
Implementation Method 2
variable magnetic attraction is provided to the scroll wheel so that a tactile feedback is provided
Implementation Method 3
electropermanent magnets that provide a configurable button response
Data Source
AI summary
An information handling system mouse has a plastic chassis that assembles without the use of metal screws to that the mouse more readily breaks down to recycle at end of life. The mouse chassis has a complete perimeter at a bottom side to accept a bottom surface within the interior and having the assembly gap hidden from view under the mouse when in normal use. An inner frame heat stakes to the chassis to provide structural support without metal coupling devices like metal screws.