Security Box Grooves and Locking Cable for Cord Theft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Utility cords and cables frequently become lost or stolen due to their mobile nature, causing inconvenience to users until they can be replaced.
Innovation Solution
A security box with a hinged design, featuring grooves and annular hollow features that secure cords of varying sizes, combined with a locking mechanism using a steel braided cable and lock, to prevent theft by locking the box to a fixed location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cords and cables are made mobile for convenience, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of substance worsens due to theft and loss
Solution Approach 1:
The cord is nested within a box structure that has grooves and annular hollow features. The cord passes through aligned grooves in the lid and bottom portion, and the annular hollow features form an enclosed tube that secures the cord in place, preventing theft while maintaining accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The box acts as an intermediary device between the cord and the user/environment. It provides a secure container with locking mechanisms (grooves and annular hollow features) that protect the cord from theft while still allowing the cord to be accessed and used when needed.
2Reliability
If a security box is designed with grooves and annular hollow features to secure cords, then reliability is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The security box is segmented into functional components: grooves for cord positioning and annular hollow features for locking. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific security function independently, creating a reliable multi-layered security system without requiring an overly complex integrated mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex active locking mechanism, the invention uses passive geometric features (grooves and annular hollow features) that inherently secure the cord through their shape and alignment. The security arises from the inverted approach of using simple geometric constraints rather than complex mechanical locks.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the security box accommodates cords of varying sizes, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity worsens due to additional grooves and sleeves
Solution Approach 1:
The box is designed with multiple grooves and annular hollow features that can accommodate different cord sizes using the same basic structural elements. The grooves and sleeves serve multiple functions: securing cords of various diameters, providing alignment, and enabling the locking mechanism to work with different cord types, achieving universality without requiring entirely separate systems for each cord size.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a unique security box secured to a fixed object for securing phone and tablet charging cords as well as electrical cords, thereby preventing theft of said cords. The security box includes a first groove formed in the interior surface parallel to one edge running the length of the lid and a second groove formed in the interior surface near the opposite edge, the two grooves aligned with identical grooves in a bottom portion of the box when the lid is closed. One annular hollow feature is centered within a groove in the bottom portion, a second and third annular hollow features securely positioned in the second groove spaced apart from each other at the distance equal to the length of the first annular hollow feature; the annular features forming an enclosed tube accepting a locking threaded through holding the box securely closed with the locking cable.