Two-Part Clip Assembly for Securing Material Away From Edges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional clips are limited in their ability to securely hold objects beyond the perimeter and are not versatile enough to grasp materials from any location, often requiring additional solutions like fabric pins, which can be unsafe and ineffective.
Innovation Solution
A clip system with superimposable parts that can be assembled to securely retain materials from any location, featuring protruding connectors and a flexible tethering mechanism, allowing for secure engagement of materials between opposing edges or at any position on the material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional clips are used to secure objects, then the perimeter areas can be held, but the central areas cannot be reached
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is divided into two separate parts: a first clip part and a second clip part. These parts can be separated and repositioned independently, allowing the user to access and secure central areas of objects that would be inaccessible to a single-piece conventional clip. The segmentation enables the clip to reach anywhere on the object surface, not just the perimeter.
2Adaptability or versatility
If fabric pins are used as a complementary solution, then central areas can be reached, but safety concerns and functionality issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the clip into two parts with connectors, the invention eliminates the need for fabric pins with sharp needles. The segmented design allows central area access through safe, blunt connectors rather than sharp extremities, resolving the safety hazard while maintaining the ability to reach central areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector acts as an intermediary element between the first and second clip parts. This intermediary component provides a safe, controlled mechanism for joining the parts, replacing the need for dangerous fabric pins while enabling the clip to function in central areas of objects.
3Adaptability or versatility
If clothespins are separated into parts, then versatility is improved, but the parts become faulty and will not work properly
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is designed with explicit segmentation into first and second parts that can be separated and repositioned. Unlike conventional clothespins that become faulty when separated, this segmented design maintains functional integrity through dedicated connectors that ensure proper reassembly and continued operation after separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector design allows one clip part to be nested within or attached to the other part through interconnected structures. This nesting mechanism ensures that when parts are reassembled, they maintain proper alignment and functional relationship, preventing the faultiness that occurs with conventional separated clothespins.
4Ease of operation
If a leverage mechanism is used to open the catch area, then objects can be inserted, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the clip into two parts, the leverage mechanism is eliminated. The user can simply separate the first and second clip parts to open the catch area and insert objects, then rejoin them to close. This segmented approach simplifies the operation while maintaining the ability to open and close the catch area effectively.
Data Source
AI summary
A clip having superimposable parts for securing, between the parts, thin pliable materials, at any locations on the material, adjacent the material edges or at any position between opposing material edges.