Wire Bender Disc and Shoe Mechanism for Helical Fence Joins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire joining tools struggle to accommodate different wire sizes and provide adequate axial and radial clearance for helical wraps, resulting in difficulty in achieving professional-looking helical connections between fence line ends.
Innovation Solution
An article bender apparatus with a disc and a shoe mechanism that allows for precise alignment and helical wrapping of two malleable line ends, featuring a disc with a longitudinal axis and a slot, a shoe with a channel, and a pivotal lock system to secure the lines, enabling adjustable and secure helical wrapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed slot design is used in wire joining tools, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate different wire sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the slot adjustable rather than fixed. The slot can be repositioned along the disc to accommodate different wire diameters, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that adapts to varying wire sizes while maintaining operational effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The slot is divided into multiple positions or segments along the disc, allowing selective engagement with wires of different diameters. This segmentation enables the single slot structure to serve multiple wire size requirements without adding complex additional components
2Ease of operation
If a compact shoe design is used, then the device is more compact, but it does not provide adequate axial clearance for helical wraps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the clearance issue by utilizing the radial dimension of the disc rather than solely extending axially. The shoe is positioned to engage wires radially from the disc center, allowing helical wraps to occur in the axial direction while the shoe itself occupies minimal axial space, thus providing clearance without significantly increasing device volume
3Manufacturing precision
If a simple ratchet mechanism is used, then the device is easier to operate, but it lacks precision for professional-looking helical connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the disc as an intermediary element between the ratchet mechanism and the wire joining process. The disc provides precise rotational control and positioning for the shoe, enabling accurate helical wrap formation while the ratchet handles the coarser function of preventing reverse motion, thus dividing precision and simplicity functions between two components
Data Source
AI summary
An article bender apparatus that assists in joining two separate malleable article line free ends in a selected helical wrap, the article bender apparatus including a disc that has a slot disposed therethrough that originates from the center at a root extending radially outward, a shoe having a selectable pivotal lock to a face of the disc, wherein the shoe is in an open state when the slot is open and the shoe is in a closed locked state when the shoe partially covers the slot leaving the slot root section open. Also, a means for rotating the disc about the root, operationally the disc is inserted onto a first line free end portion to the root, the shoe is placed in the closed locked state, with the shoe intersecting a second line free end portion, next rotating the disc to helically wrap the second line about the first line.