Twist Lock Clasp With Diagonal Front Ends
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clasps and couplings for jewelry are difficult to connect and disconnect, especially when the latching mechanisms are not visible, making it challenging to align and engage the male and female members by touch alone, leading to potential accidental disconnection.
Innovation Solution
A releasable clasp or coupling with a female member and a male member, each having a cylindrical body and a flat rear end, featuring a diagonal flat front end with a centrally disposed aperture and a tongue element that aligns and slidably engages, allowing for pivotal movement to secure the members in a frictionally engaged position, preventing accidental removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional clasps and couplings use small latching mechanisms to maintain aesthetic appearance and avoid accidental disconnection, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in alignment and engagement by touch
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling device is divided into distinct male and female members with specific geometric features. The male member has a cylindrical body with a longitudinal groove, while the female member has a corresponding protrusion that fits into the groove. This segmentation allows each component to have a defined function and shape that guides proper alignment during operation by touch.
Solution Approach 2:
The male and female members feature asymmetric geometric configurations including diagonal flat front ends at specific angles, longitudinal grooves, and protrusions with particular orientations. These asymmetric features create a unique fit that guides alignment during connection by touch, ensuring proper orientation without visual assistance while maintaining secure engagement.
2Reliability
If conventional clasps use spring-biased jaws or tongue and slot arrangements to ensure secure connection, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases making the mechanism harder to operate blindly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates complex spring-biased mechanisms, tongue and slot arrangements, and other complicated latching systems from the coupling device. Instead, it uses a simplified geometric interlocking system where the protrusion fits into the longitudinal groove and the diagonal flat ends provide alignment guidance, achieving secure connection without complex internal mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using active spring-biased jaws that require manipulation to open and close, the invention uses a passive geometric interlocking system where the shape itself provides both the locking mechanism and the alignment guidance. The diagonal flat ends and groove-protrusion arrangement automatically guide alignment during insertion, inverting the approach from active mechanical latching to passive geometric guidance.
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
Enables easy alignment, connection, and disconnection of jewelry ends by touch, reducing the risk of accidental disconnection and maintaining a secure locked position, suitable for both jewelry and industrial applications.
Implementation Method 1
The tongue element may be configured to frictionally engage the female member upon relative pivotal movement to releasably maintain the members in the coupled condition
Data Source
AI summary
A releasable clasp or coupling includes a female member and a male member each having a cylindrical body, a flat front end disposed at an angle diagonal to the longitudinal axis of its body, and a rear end adapted to be connected to the end of a flexible member such a necklace, or the like. The female member has an aperture through its diagonal front end and the male member has a tongue element that extends outwardly from its diagonal front end. The aperture and the tongue element are aligned and slidably engaged to place the diagonal front ends face-to-face, and upon relative pivotal movement of the bodies, the longitudinal axis of the male and female members become axially aligned and the aperture and tongue element become oriented out of alignment to prevent accidental removal. The tongue may also frictionally engage the female member.