Summary:

The goal of this design project was to create a coat hook that could be securely attached to a cubicle work setting and have it be safe, sturdy, and efficiently sized. The hook must be able to hold any coat or jacket that is placed on it.  However, because of the lack of space in most cubicle settings it must be small in size so that it does not get interfere with office employees as they work.  To do this it was decided that a retractable hook would have to be made in order to create the most efficient system.  This required numerous hours of work with Ideas Mater Series 6, the 3-dimensional CAD program at Hope College and would be used to construct the blueprint for the cubicle coat hook’s prototype.  The concept decided upon was named the Retractable Cubicle Coat Hook.  This new system has 3 main parts: the Hook Unit, Housing Unit, and the Lever Clip. The Hook Unit is 2.85” x 0.86” x 0.73” in size and rotates on journals with rounded ends that sit in rounded out cavities in the Housing Unit.  These rounded out cavities allow the journals to rotate smoothly until the journals hit their stops located just above the journal cavities. The Housing Unit is definitely the most complicated part of the 3 parts because of its unique cutouts and odd shapes.  However, these shapes are all made the way they are for a reason, which is a smooth operating product.  The Housing Unit is the largest piece in the design and it is still only 2.65”x 1.40” x 0.95” at its largest point.  The third and final piece is the Lever Clip it is a 1.375” x 1.0” x 0.47” piece of metal with a metal lever reaching out 0.29”.  The lever comes in contact with the Hook Unit through the Rocker, which is located at the bottom of the Hook Unit.  The purpose of this lever is to apply enough force on the hook so that it is not just “flapping in the breeze”.  It should takes a good tug to pull it out of the housing as well as being put back in.