Slip Clasp With Interlocking Stop And Scoop For Dexterity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clasps, such as spring and lobster clasps, are difficult for elderly, young, and individuals with hand ailments to operate, making it challenging for them to secure jewelry like necklaces and bracelets without assistance.
Innovation Solution
A securement method using a female coupler with a shoot, ridge, and scoop portion, and a male coupler with a stop, shaft, and buffer, allowing for easy connection and disconnection by grasping without the need for squeezing, suitable for both right- and left-hand dominant individuals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional spring or lobster clasps are used, then the jewelry can be securely fastened, but the operation becomes difficult and requires excellent dexterity
Solution Approach 1:
The clasp is divided into two separate couplers (male and female) with distinct functional components. The male coupler contains the stop and shaft, while the female coupler contains the channels and scoop portion. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, enabling secure fastening through the interlocking mechanism while simplifying operation to basic grasping and sliding motions that do not require dexterity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using spring tension or magnetic attraction to hold the clasps together, this invention uses a reverse approach where the stop physically blocks the channel and the scoop portion mechanically interlocks with the shaft. The securing mechanism is inverted from force-based (spring/magnet) to geometry-based (stop/channel blocking), eliminating the need for dexterous manipulation while maintaining secure fastening
2Reliability
If spring or magnet mechanisms are used, then the clasp can be automatically secured, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the spring and magnet mechanisms from the clasp design. Instead of using these complex mechanical or magnetic components, the solution uses simple geometric features (channels, stops, scoop portions) that achieve automatic securing through basic sliding and interlocking motions. This extraction reduces device complexity while maintaining the automatic securing function
Solution Approach 2:
The couplers are designed to self-secure through their geometric configuration. When the male coupler is inserted into the female coupler, the stop automatically blocks the first channel and the shaft automatically engages with the scoop portion. No additional springs, magnets, or complex mechanisms are needed—the structure itself provides the securing function, reducing overall device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention utilizes a female coupler and male coupler to connect jewelry. The male coupler, featuring a stop, a shaft, and a buffer slides into a first channel within the shoot portion of a female coupler. The stop is rotated into position within a second channel of the scoop portion of the female coupler. The scoop portion secures the male coupler within the female coupler until a user forcibly rotates the stop to remove it from the scoop portion. The present invention only requires grasping of each of coupler and does not require squeezing any components.