Silk Flower Holder With Flexible Extensions and Stem-Locking Prongs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cemetery flower holders often fail to securely retain silk flowers due to improper sizing, leading to instability in high winds or when water accumulates, as existing holders are either too small or too large, causing the flowers to be dislodged.
Innovation Solution
A silk flower holder with multiple extensions, a disc with an aperture and prongs, and flexible fasteners that secure the flower stem, preventing disengagement and accommodating varying stem diameters through a flexible and interlocking mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a foam insert is used to hold silk flowers, then the flowers can be retained in the holder, but if the foam insert is too large it must be carved down and if the holder is too small the flower assembly is blown away by wind or floats upward when filled with water
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is divided into multiple functional components: a base element, a disc with aperture, and multiple flexible extensions. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function - the base provides structural support, the disc secures the flower stem, and the extensions adapt to different vessel sizes, collectively solving the retention and adaptability contradiction
Solution Approach 2:
The extensions are designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing them to dynamically adjust to different vessel dimensions. This flexibility enables the same holder structure to reliably retain flowers in vessels of varying sizes without requiring multiple fixed-size holders or excessive carving
2Adaptability or versatility
If the holder size is increased to accommodate larger flower arrangements, then more flower types can be held, but the holder becomes unstable in high winds or when water accumulates
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the securing function (disc with aperture and prongs) from the structural support function (base with extensions), the design achieves both stability and adaptability. The disc securely locks the stem while the extensions provide broad base support, preventing the holder from tipping in wind or water without requiring excessive size
Solution Approach 2:
The extensions are curved rather than straight, allowing them to flex and conform to the contours of different vessels. This curvature provides both structural stability to resist external forces and adaptability to fit various vessel shapes and sizes
3Ease of manufacture
If the holder structure is simplified to reduce manufacturing cost, then production becomes easier, but the holder cannot securely retain flowers with varying stem diameters
Solution Approach 1:
The extensions are made from flexible material that can bend and conform to different stem diameters. This flexibility allows a single simple holder design to accommodate varying stem sizes without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms or multiple specialized holders
Solution Approach 2:
The disc with aperture and_prongs serves multiple functions: it secures stems of various diameters, prevents rotational movement, and locks the flower arrangement in place. This multi-functional component achieves adaptability without increasing overall manufacturing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A holder for silk flowers including multiple extensions extending laterally outwardly of the holder, a pair of spaced discs respectively interconnected with the inner surface of the holder, a pair of apertures formed respectively in the discs, and multiple pointed prongs extending from the lower disc and into the aperture formed therein.