Soap holder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional soap holders are prone to soiling due to dissolved soap, have unreliable magnetic attachments that can cause the soap to fall, and are inconvenient for installation, especially for users with reduced dexterity.
Innovation Solution
A flexible soap holder with a through-hole design that uses permanent magnets for secure attachment to a support element, allowing easy installation and replacement, and can be connected to a tap or wall using various attachment means, preventing soiling and accommodating users with limited dexterity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional soap holders are used, then they can hold soap bars, but they soil the walls and surrounding environment due to dissolved soap
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the soap holder from the traditional container form and transforms it into a flexible cable system with a holding element. The cable passes through a hole in the soap bar and connects to a support element, separating the holding function from the containment function that caused soiling.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a flexible cable instead of rigid containers. The cable can be positioned and adjusted to hold the soap bar in an optimal location that prevents soiling of surrounding surfaces while maintaining secure attachment.
2Ease of operation
If magnetic soap holders are used, then attachment is simplified, but the hold is poor and the soap holder often falls into the basin
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple attachment mechanisms: the flexible cable can be attached to support elements via various means (adhesive, mechanical, magnetic), and the cable itself provides flexible securing. This merges the simplicity of magnetic attachment with the reliability of mechanical fastening.
3Reliability
If magnetic plates are embedded in soap bars, then magnetic attraction is achieved, but placement precision is poor and installation is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of embedding magnetic plates in the soap bar (as in prior art), the invention inverts the approach by using a flexible cable that attaches to support elements and holds the soap bar through the cable's flexibility and attachment mechanisms. The soap bar itself remains unchanged.
4Reliability
If traditional soap holders are used, then they provide basic holding, but they require frequent cleaning and have reduced useful life
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible cable material is resistant to soiling and degradation from soap residue. Unlike rigid plastic containers that accumulate grime in corners, the smooth, flexible cable surface can be easily cleaned and maintained, extending the useful life of the soap holder.
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 soap holder effectively prevents soiling of sinks and bathtubs, ensures secure and easy installation, and allows for easy soap replacement, making it suitable for various users, including those with reduced manual dexterity.
Implementation Method 1
attachment means (5) connected to the elongated body (2) and configured to constrain the elongated body (2) to the support element (15, 20)
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~7
Figure 8~9
AI summary
It is provided a soap holder (1) suitable for supporting a soap bar (3), the soap bar (3) comprising a through-hole (3a), the soap holder (1) comprising at least one elongate body (2) having a prevailing extension direction (2a) and being capable of being inserted within the through-hole (3a), attachment means (5) connected to the elongate body (2) and configured to constrain the elongate body (2) to a support member (15, 20) with the prevailing extension direction (2a) parallel to the vertical direction, a holding element (18, 18') capable of supporting the soap bar (3) preventing the soap bar (3) from sliding away from the elongate body (2) when the elongate body (2) is inserted inside the through-hole (3a); connection means (7) for releasably constraining the elongated body (2) to the holding element (18, 18') and for allowing the soap holder (1) to be arranged in a constraining configuration, in which the holding element (18, 18') obstructs the dropping of the soap bar (3), and in a spare configuration, in which the holding element (18, 18') does not obstruct the insertion of the elongated body (2) within the through-hole (3a), and in which the connecting means (7) comprise permanent magnets (70).