Shoulder-Worn Cord Device for Reduced-Strength Bottom-Wear Dressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for aiding individuals with reduced mobility and compromised strength in putting on and taking off bottom-wear require significant arm strength, dexterity, and range of motion, making them unsuitable for users with arthritis or other diseases.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a base component worn over the shoulders with slot components and cords that extend to clips, allowing for minimal strength and dexterity required to attach and detach bottom-wear, featuring ergonomic design and anchoring tabs to secure the cords in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If prior devices use a strap configuration that requires pulling to put on bottom-wear, then the device can assist with dressing, but it requires significant arm strength and range of motion which worsens usability for reduced-mobility users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual pulling mechanism with a mechanical assistance system comprising a base component worn around the waist, a reel component that automatically winds the cord, and a clothes engagement component. This mechanical system substitutes for the user's arm pulling action, eliminating the need for significant arm strength while maintaining the dressing assistance function.
Solution Approach 2:
The reel component is designed to rotate and wind the cord automatically as the clothes are pulled up, converting the user's minimal pulling motion into effective dressing assistance. The dynamic reel mechanism amplifies the user's limited input motion into sufficient force to raise the bottom-wear, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and force requirement.
2Ease of operation
If prior devices use small clips to attach to bottom-wear, then the attachment mechanism is compact, but it requires decent hand strength and dexterity to open and actuate the clips
Solution Approach 1:
The clothes engagement component is designed to automatically engage with the bottom-wear once the cord is pulled, eliminating the need for manual manipulation of small clips. The component self-activates through the pulling motion, requiring minimal hand strength and dexterity while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: the clothes engagement component that attaches to the bottom-wear and the reel component that provides mechanical assistance. This segmentation allows the engagement component to be designed for automatic operation rather than manual manipulation, reducing the dexterity requirement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a device is designed to work with any bottom-wear, then it provides universal applicability, but it may require a more complex attachment mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The clothes engagement component is designed with a universal attachment mechanism that can interface with various types of bottom-wear including pants, shorts, and skirts. The component features a generalized clamping or hooking mechanism that can securely attach to different fabric types and garment constructions without requiring garment-specific modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism incorporates adjustable parameters such as cord length, engagement force, and component positioning that can be modified to accommodate different bottom-wear types. This adjustability allows the same basic mechanism to effectively work with diverse garments while maintaining simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A device with ergonomic features for assisting with pulling up and releasing down bottom-wear of users with reduced mobility, compromised strength, and/or issues with dexterity while providing increased comfort when wearing the device for extended periods of time. The device includes a base component, configured to be placed over shoulders of the user, slot components extending from the ends of the base component, each having two holes, and two cords, each disposed through the holes of the slot components. Pulling one end of the cord shortens the usable length and pulling the other end of the cord lengthens the usable length. The device further includes clips disposed at an end of each cord, configured to clip onto and release from the bottom-wear. The device further includes anchoring tabs disposed at an end of each cord opposite the clips, configured to lock the usable length of the cord in place.