Vessel Base Element Locking for Secure Twist-Resistant Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for permanently attaching a plastic foot element to a glass or metal body, such as in mixers or food processors, face challenges with loose connections and high assembly complexity, particularly with screw-on solutions that do not guarantee a secure fixation.
Innovation Solution
A vessel design featuring a foot element with a retaining ring and locking springs that interact with corresponding locking grooves or threads on the vessel, ensuring secure attachment in multiple spatial directions, including a niche for a securing element to prevent twisting, allowing for easier and more reliable assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If screw-on solutions are used to attach the foot element to the vessel, then the assembly is easier to manufacture, but the connection becomes loose during use and does not guarantee permanent fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is divided into two functional segments: locking springs/grooves for axial fixation and a separate securing means (screw or clip) for radial fixation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally - the spring-loaded locking mechanism provides easy assembly and axial stability, while the dedicated securing means prevents loosening and ensures permanent fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking springs are designed to be elastic and dynamic, allowing them to deform during assembly and then maintain constant contact force with the locking grooves. This dynamic characteristic enables the connection to remain tight and secure during use, preventing loosening while still allowing for easy assembly through elastic deformation.
2Reliability
If an elastic intermediate piece with two-part plastic ring is used to fix the plastic base to the glass container, then permanent attachment is achieved, but the assembly effort and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking springs and locking grooves are integrated directly into the foot element and vessel respectively, eliminating the need for separate elastic intermediate pieces and multi-part plastic rings. This merging of functions into unified components achieves permanent attachment while significantly reducing assembly complexity and the number of parts required.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex elastic intermediate piece and two-part plastic ring system is extracted and replaced with a simpler direct integration approach. The locking springs are formed directly on the retaining ring of the foot element, and the locking grooves are formed directly on the vessel, removing unnecessary intermediate components and simplifying the overall assembly process.
3Reliability
If locking springs and locking grooves are used to fix the foot element in the first spatial direction, then secure attachment is achieved, but twisting protection is insufficient without additional means
Solution Approach 1:
The securing means (screw or clip) serves multiple functions simultaneously: it prevents twisting of the foot element relative to the vessel, provides additional radial fixation, and maintains the alignment of the locking springs with the locking grooves. This multi-functionality achieves comprehensive protection against twisting without requiring multiple separate components.
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 permanent and secure attachment of the plastic foot element to the vessel with reduced assembly complexity, suitable for glass or metal mixers and food processor attachments, preventing twisting and ensuring a stable connection with fewer components.
Implementation Method 1
locking springs which interact with locking grooves formed at least in sections on the vessel and the foot element fixed to the vessel with respect to a first spatial direction
Implementation Method 2
locking springs and locking groove fixing the foot element to the vessel
Implementation Method 3
the locking springs and locking groove fixing the foot element to the vessel with respect to a first spatial direction, the first spatial direction being defined as an axis (y) perpendicular to the surface formed by the bottom opening
Implementation Method 4
a securing element 30 is simply and easily inserted so deeply that a securing spring 31, preferably formed on the securing element 30, can be inserted into a corresponding, in the niche 23 formed locking groove 24 snaps
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a vessel (10) with a bottom opening (14) that may be sealed with a base element (20). The vessel (10) in question improves on conventional vessels (10) with a bottom opening (14) that my be sealed with a base element (20) in that the base element (20) comprises a retainer ring (21) on which catch springs (22) are at least partly embodied which cooperate with catch grooves (12) at least partly embodied on the vessel (10) and fix the base element (20) to the vessel (10) in a first direction, said first direction defined as an axis (y) perpendicular to the plane formed by the bottom opening (14)and at least one further means (30) is provided for fixing the base element (20) to the vessel (10) in the remaining directions. The present invention can be achieved with relatively few components, which are in particular easier to handle than conventional solutions. The invention is particularly suitable for mixers or mixer accessories made from glass or metal on modern compact kitchen appliances.