Spring-Loaded Clip-On Mount Prevents Snagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mounting devices for flashlights or other devices on hats or helmets lack flexibility in positioning, often result in insecure attachment, and can catch or snag external objects, limiting their usability and safety.
Innovation Solution
A mounting device with a base, a movable plate biased by a spring, and an adjustable bracket that allows for secure attachment and rotation of objects, featuring a non-circular cavity and periphery to prevent rotation and ensure detented mounting, reducing the likelihood of snagging or tangling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional mounting devices use rubber or elastic bands, then the mounting is simple and secure, but the positioning flexibility and range of orientations are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting device is divided into separate functional components: a base unit with spring mechanism and a detachable bracket system. This segmentation allows the base to provide secure attachment while the bracket provides positioning flexibility, resolving the contradiction between mounting simplicity and positioning flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting device incorporates a spring-loaded plate that provides dynamic adjustment capability. The spring mechanism allows the bracket to be easily positioned and secured at various orientations while maintaining secure attachment, combining the simplicity of elastic mounting with the flexibility of adjustable positioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional mounting devices use thumbscrews and articulated joints, then the range of orientations is wide, but the device can become caught, snagged, or tangled with external objects
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the problematic articulated joint mechanism from conventional mounting devices. Instead, it uses a spring-loaded plate with a bracket that achieves wide orientation range without protruding moving parts that could snag or tangle with external objects.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using an articulated joint that extends outward to provide orientation adjustment, the invention inverts the approach by using a spring-loaded bracket system that adjusts orientation through a compact, recessed mechanism that cannot snag on external objects.
3Device complexity
If certain prior art mounts are used, then the mounting device is compact, but the attachment is insecure and subject to slippage and movement
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded plate acts as a cushioning element that maintains constant contact pressure between the bracket and the mounting surface. This beforehand cushioning ensures secure attachment by compensating for any movement or slippage, providing reliable mounting while keeping the device compact.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the pressure parameter dynamically through the spring mechanism. The spring maintains optimal contact pressure to prevent slippage and movement, ensuring secure attachment without requiring a complex, bulky structure.
4Reliability
If mounting devices are designed to hold flashlights of a particular diameter, then the attachment is secure for that specific size, but the adaptability to different objects is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed with adjustable geometry and the spring mechanism provides adaptable pressure, allowing the same mounting device to securely attach various objects of different sizes and shapes. This universal design maintains secure attachment across multiple object types without requiring size-specific configurations.
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 solution provides a secure, adjustable, and versatile mounting system that allows for a wide range of orientations and prevents snagging or entanglement, ensuring stable and safe attachment of devices to various objects.
Implementation Method 1
a spring for biasing the plate away from the base in the axial direction
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
A mounting device (10) may comprise a base (20) having first and second sides and having a cavity (30) in the first side thereof; a pin (50) in the cavity (30) and extending from the base (20) to define an axial direction; a plate (40) disposed in the cavity (30) and movable in the axial direction on the pin (50); a spring (60) for biasing the plate (40) away from the base (20) in the axial direction; and a bracket (70) extending from the second side of the base (20), wherein the bracket (70) may be adjustable for gripping an object to which the mounting device (10) may be mountable.