Resilient Wall Retainer Clip for Secure Protective Sheet Holding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for securing protective sheets on partially constructed walls, such as those made of bricks or breezeblocks, are hazardous due to the use of heavy objects like bricks to hold the sheets in place, which can fall and cause injury or damage, especially during inclement weather when mortar takes longer to set.
Innovation Solution
A retainer clip formed of resilient material with parallel arms connected by a cross-piece, allowing the arms to grip a protective sheet against the wall, featuring a stop member to ensure correct positioning and ridged surfaces for enhanced engagement, and optionally a curved portion for increased pressure and a mass retention volume for added stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heavy objects like bricks are used to hold the protective sheet in place, then the sheet is secured firmly, but the risk of injury and damage increases due to falling objects
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the heavy brick weights from the system and replaces them with a lightweight retainer clip that has resilient arms. The clip is pushed over the wall top and uses elastic recovery to grip the sheet, eliminating the hazard of falling heavy objects while maintaining sheet securing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state from heavy static weights to lightweight resilient components. The retainer clip uses elastic deformation and recovery of its arms to provide gripping force, transforming the mechanism from gravity-dependent weighting to elasticity-dependent retention.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the retainer clip uses resilient arms to grip the sheet, then the clip is lightweight and safe, but the gripping force may be insufficient compared to heavy weights
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer clip is pushed over the wall top in advance, compressing the resilient arms beforehand. This preliminary action stores elastic potential energy in the arms, which then converts to gripping force when the clip engages the sheet, providing sufficient retention without heavy weights.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient arms of the retainer clip automatically grip the sheet through their own elastic recovery after being pushed over the wall. The system is self-actuating and does not require additional heavy weights or external forcing mechanisms to maintain the gripping force.
3Device complexity
If the clip is made to be easily transportable and reusable, then the device complexity is reduced, but the durability and strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer clip uses flexible resilient arms made of elastic material that can deform during use but return to their original shape. This flexibility allows the clip to be lightweight and portable while maintaining sufficient strength and durability through elastic recovery, enabling repeated use without permanent deformation.
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 retainer clip effectively holds protective sheets in place without the need for heavy weights, reducing the risk of injury and damage, while being inexpensive, easily transportable, and reusable, ensuring the sheet remains secure during varying weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient nature of the arms enables the clip to be pushed over the bricks and the sheet to be held in position, by slightly forcing the arms apart, the tension in the arms then acting to grip the sheet against the wall.
Implementation Method 2
One or both arms advantageously has an at least partially ridged inner surface to assist engagement with a wall or wall covering and to resist movement of the clip.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~4
AI summary
A retainer clip (10) for use in retaining a protective cover sheet on a wall made of brick or similar constriction elements is disclosed. The retainer clip (10) is formed from a resilient material and has a first and second arm (11, 12) substantially parallel to each other. A cross-piece (13) links the first and second arms (11, 12) to keep the arms (11, 12) separated by the width of a standard brick or breezeblock and allowing the free ends of the arms (11, 12) to pass over the wall. The first arm (11) includes a stop member (16) which extends towards the second arm (12) and can, in one embodiment extend to and be joined to the second arm (12). In addition one or both arms can include ridges (15a, 55) to aid in gripping the wall covering material.