Snap-Acting Plug for Box-Like Body Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for closing box-like bodies, such as those containing electrical or hydraulic devices, are impractical due to the need for numerous exposed screws, which prolong assembly and maintenance times and have poor aesthetic appeal, and fail to efficiently manage multiple intake or delivery ducts without opening the body.
Innovation Solution
A plug with snap-acting stems made of plastic, featuring elastically deformable portions and teeth for quick engagement and disengagement, allowing for easy closure and opening of box-like bodies and ducts without screws, enhancing aesthetic appeal and reducing the number of screws required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If exposed screws are used to close box-like bodies, then the closure is secure and reliable, but the aesthetic appeal deteriorates and the number of screws required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the visible screw heads from the exterior surface by incorporating them into recesses within the box-like body walls. The screw sockets are positioned inside the walls rather than on the exposed faces, allowing the exterior surface to remain smooth and aesthetically pleasing while maintaining secure closure through the same screw mechanism.
2Reliability
If numerous screws are used to close box-like bodies, then the closure is secure, but the assembly and maintenance time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple screw sockets into a single integrated plug component that can be inserted and removed as one unit. The plug contains multiple recesses with screw sockets arranged in a specific pattern, allowing all fastening points to be engaged or disengaged simultaneously through a single insertion or removal action, dramatically reducing assembly and maintenance time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple openings are provided for ducts in box-like bodies, then the hydraulic device functionality is improved, but the complexity of closing and managing the openings increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plug serves multiple functions: it simultaneously closes multiple openings in the box-like body, provides access points for hydraulic ducts, and allows selective opening/closing of individual ducts. The same plug component integrates wall closure and duct management capabilities, eliminating the need for separate mechanisms for each function.
4Productivity
If a plug with multiple screw sockets is used to close box-like bodies, then the number of screws is reduced and assembly is simplified, but the plug structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The plug structure embeds multiple screw sockets and recesses within a single integrated body. The complex functionality of multiple fastening points is nested within one compact component that can be inserted through a single opening, reducing the overall number of parts while consolidating complexity into a manageable single piece.
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 plug enables rapid and practical closure of box-like bodies and ducts, reducing the need for screws, improving aesthetic appeal, and allowing for quick modification of hydraulic system configurations without opening the body.
Implementation Method 1
each one of the two stems being provided with at least one elastically deformable portion which is shaped substantially like a leaf spring and which is intended to be compressed when the stem is inserted in the accommodation portion until the tooth enters the insertion seat and then return to its initial configuration
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A plug (10, 110) for closing box-like bodies (13), which comprises a head (11, 111) that has a circular perimeter and from which at least two substantially flat stems (12, 112) protrude substantially tangentially, the plug (10, 110) entering, by means of the stems, the box-like body (13) through an opening (14) provided in a wall (15) of the box-like body (13), each stem (12, 112) having snap-acting means (16, 116) for quick engagement with a portion (17) for accommodating the box-like body (13) and at least one elastically deformable portion (20, 120) designed to be compressed during insertion.