Toggle Anchor Assembly With Ratcheting Sleeve for Secure Drywall Fixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wall anchors for drywall and other friable wallboards face challenges in manufacturability and performance, particularly in providing secure and efficient installation without damaging the wall material.
Innovation Solution
The anchor assembly comprises an elongated toggle body with a strap and a locking sleeve, featuring a ratchet mechanism and various retention profiles, such as dovetail and spherical recesses, to ensure secure engagement with the wall, along with a positioning tip and blade projections for effective hole creation and debris management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional strap toggle design is used, then the anchor can be installed in drywall, but the manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the strap and toggle body into a single integrated component where the strap is formed as an extension of the toggle body itself. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly steps and reduces manufacturing complexity while maintaining the functional benefits of a strap toggle design.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated strap toggle design serves multiple functions: the toggle body provides the anchoring mechanism, the strap provides flexibility for installation, and the combined structure enables both easy installation and secure load-bearing capacity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall manufacturing process.
2Ease of operation
If the strap is made flexible to allow installation, then the anchor can be inserted through wallboard, but the structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The strap is designed with distinct functional segments: a flexible portion that allows bending during installation and a reinforced portion that maintains structural strength when loaded. This segmentation enables the strap to be easily installed while still providing the necessary strength to support loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The strap exhibits dynamic properties where it is flexible during the installation phase (allowing bending and insertion) but becomes rigid and strong once installed and loaded. This dynamic behavior ensures both ease of installation and structural integrity under operational conditions.
3Reliability
If the toggle body is designed with retention features, then the anchor prevents pull-out, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Retention features such as barbs or hooks are applied locally at specific positions on the toggle body where they are most effective for preventing pull-out. This localized application provides reliable anchoring without requiring complex features throughout the entire structure, thus maintaining simplicity while ensuring reliability.
4Reliability
If the strap extends away from the toggle body axis, then the anchor provides secure engagement, but the anchor assembly size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The strap extends perpendicular to the toggle body axis, utilizing a different spatial dimension to achieve secure wall engagement. This dimensional arrangement allows the anchor to provide reliable holding power without increasing the length of the toggle body itself, thus maintaining a compact overall size while ensuring effective wall engagement.
Data Source
AI summary
An anchor assembly for wall installation includes a toggle body that is elongated along an axis, and a strap connected to and extending from the toggle body, wherein the strap includes a main segment that extends in a first direction away from an axis of the toggle body when the strap and toggle body are in an unstressed state, and the main segment is bendable down toward the toggle body such that the main segment extends in a second direction, where the second direction runs more closely to parallel with the axis than does the first direction. A locking sleeve mounted for movement along the strap toward the toggle body. The strap is substantially L-shaped and includes a small segment extending laterally relative to the main segment, wherein the small segment is seated within a recess on the toggle body.