Spring Lock Clip with Side Opening for Shoelace Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with dexterity challenges face difficulties in using traditional spring cord locks to secure shoelaces, as they require threading the shoelaces through cavities, which is time-consuming and inefficient, and also detract from the aesthetic appeal of shoes.
Innovation Solution
A spring lock clip with a side opening that allows easy attachment and adjustment of shoelaces, featuring a cylindrical outer housing with a circular bore and a slidably received inner housing, utilizing a spring mechanism for secure locking and decorative attachments for aesthetic appeal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional spring cord lock is used to secure shoelaces, then the shoelaces can be held in position, but the device is large and bulky which detracts from the aesthetic appeal of shoes
Solution Approach 1:
The inner housing is nested within the outer housing, with the inner housing having a diameter smaller than the bore diameter of the outer housing. This nested configuration allows the functional components to be compact while maintaining the secure locking capability, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and aesthetic appearance.
2Reliability
If a traditional spring cord lock requires threading shoelaces through cavities, then the shoelaces can be secured, but users with dexterity challenges experience difficulty and time loss
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into an outer housing with a side opening and an inner housing with a cavity. The side opening provides an alternative access path that does not require threading through the cavity, making it easier for users with dexterity challenges to attach the shoelaces while still achieving secure locking through the spring mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner housing acts as an intermediary element that provides both the cavity for secure locking and the side opening for easy access. This intermediary structure mediates between the need for secure retention and the need for ease of operation, allowing users to insert shoelaces through the side opening without complex threading maneuvers.
3Ease of operation
If a threading device is used to assist in threading shoelaces through the spring cord lock, then attachment becomes easier for users with dexterity challenges, but the system becomes more complex and requires additional components that may not be available when needed
Solution Approach 1:
The threading function is extracted from the main body of the device and integrated into the side opening of the outer housing. This eliminates the need for separate threading devices or tools, as the side opening itself serves as the threading pathway. Users can directly insert shoelaces through the side opening without requiring additional components, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
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 clip provides a user-friendly solution for securing shoelaces while maintaining an attractive design, making it easier for those with dexterity challenges and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of shoes.
Implementation Method 1
A spring is housed within the outer housing and positioned between the base of the outer housing, which is closed, and a base of the inner housing. As such, the inner housing is manipulatable, as is the spring, between a first position and a second position by applying a compressive force to the plate to compress the spring.
Data Source
AI summary
A clip includes an inner housing slidably received in an outer housing with a spring housed in the outer housing between a base of the outer housing and the inner housing. Each of the inner and outer housings include a side opening and a main cavity. When a user manipulates the inner housing, the side openings are aligned with one another, such that a user can insert an object through the respective side openings to be secured within the main cavity of the clip. The clip may further include a decorative member coupled to the outer housing, wherein the decorative member includes a design or a safety feature formed on an outerwardly directed surface thereof.