BLIND-ASSIST LABELING TEMPLATE Kevin Hackett, Darren Quelette, Ryan Risdon, Steven Rogers, Dominic Rosselli, Rob Sampson, and Joe Schultheis Ohio University ABSTRACT As part of the senior design experience at Ohio University, the members of ‘Team Better Way’ designed a template to aid in positioning and placing labels on mass mailings for a blind mailroom employee. The objective was to make a new template that can be set up much more quickly than his previous device by simplifying and improving the process. By using the new template, our customer can set up his labeling jig in the correct position on the first try in one-third the time it took to set up the previous jig. In addition, because of the new simplified process, the labeling template may be used by other blind or disabled employees that may have not been able to do this work previously. BACKGROUND Our NISH affiliated nonprofit agency (NPA) is SW Resources in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Their Mail Plus division provides billing, mailing, and direct imprinting services. They currently process over one million pieces annually[1]. Our customer works in this mailroom, and his primary job is to place address labels on bulk mailings. He is completely vision impaired, so he uses a special jig to help him locate the correct position of the labels on each of the mailings. His original setup used a small template with hand-cut cardboard pieces that he set up on his own. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The previous labeling jig setup process was difficult even for someone without a disability, and under normal circumstances our customer would take multiple tries to get the cardboard in the correct position to accurately place labels on the mail. The way the customer set up the original jig took multiple steps, as follows: 1) Locate a pre-labeled piece of mail in the square corner of the jig. 2) Open envelope of about 20 pre-cut cardboard pieces and pour onto table. 3) Sort through the cardboard pieces until a possible good fit is found. 4) Line up the cardboard on the jig. a. Repeat step 3 until the correct fit is found. b. If there is no good fit for the piece of mail, use scissors to cut a new piece. 5) Clamp down the cardboard on the jig with two large paper clips. 6) Check the position with an unlabeled piece of mail and compare. Our individual customer was the only one in the mailroom who was able to use his previous setup. Over time he became familiar with his own system, but even with that familiarity it took a considerable amount of time to set up for labeling large lots of mail. RATIONALE There was a significant opportunity presented by this problem to improve the setup of the labeling process. The customer needed a sturdier and simpler device that can be set up solely by tactile cues. After doing market research, we found no similar devices for this application. By providing the customer with an improved device, our design team would be able to reduce the customer’s frustration with his previous jig by reducing the time it takes to set up. We could also

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open up this process to other disabled employees who were unfamiliar with our customer’s original process. The objective was not to improve the productivity of the customer’s actual labeling, but through ergonomic considerations taken into the design an improvement in productivity is possible. DESIGN The idea behind this design is to improve on the following aspects of the current set up: - Number of steps - Ease of steps - Likelihood of error The design allows a blind user to set up for labeling in three simple steps. First, the user takes a pre-labeled piece of mail and locates it in the square corner. Keeping his hand on the label, he then adjusts the knob on the right side until the template is in the correct horizontal Figure 1: Final Design Rendering & Steps for Setup position. To adjust in the direction away from the user he loosens the thumb screw on the slider, moves the slider, and then retightens the thumb screw when it is in the correct position. At this point the user is ready to place labels on mass mailings by using the thin plastic tab attached to the end of the slider as a position guide. The plastic tab is the same width as the labels, and it flexes down to the working area when it is pressed down by the user. Detailed Design Description The working space in the design is 16 inches wide by 12 inches out from the user in order to accommodate different sizes of mail. The user can adjust in the full range of the horizontal direction and half of the range in the vertical. Only half of the vertical range is needed because the mail can be turned 180° and will never be greater than 12 inches on the shortest side. The horizontal motion is achieved with an Acme-threaded rod and nut system to which is attached the vertical adjustment. The vertical adjustment is a plastic T-shaped slider that is clamped in an aluminum bracket with thumbscrews. The plastic tab is permanently attached to the end of the T-slider using small machine screws. It is the main interface between the user and the mechanism, as he uses its position to locate the exact position of the label on each piece of mail. The user can set its position once and go through an entire lot of mailings of the same size. The rear of the template is elevated with a leg in each of the two corners to provide a more ergonomic workspace that is tilted up towards the user. We chose materials that balanced cost with sturdiness. The working space is made of plastic, and it is reinforced with a welded steel frame backing. The Acme-threaded rod is steel, and the polymeric Acme-threaded nut is encased within the frame, which not only helps provide rigidity but also prevents the user from being pinched by the threads and the traveling nut during adjustment.

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There are no moving parts while the template is in use, which makes the device very safe. The total cost of our prototype was $273.81, which includes extra materials and testing supplies.

Step 1: Locate pre-labeled mail in raised corner

Step 2: Adjust horizontally with knob

Function The number of steps to set up the new design is fewer than the previous design. Our template can be used to accurately set up for a mailing in three steps (see Figure 2 at left), where the previous template required at least five steps that may need to be repeated several times to achieve the correct positioning. In testing, the new template was three times faster to set up than the old template. The steps are much simpler than before, and may be performed by someone other than the original customer for whom this was built. Our original customer was very high- functioning and was able to use scissors to cut pieces of cardboard to the correct size for positioning on the old template. He could also sort through about 20 pre-cut cardboard pieces to find the correct size. With the new template, a blind user who is unfamiliar with our original customer’s setup would be able to quickly learn the three steps to position it correctly. The new design is also much more sturdy and stable than the previous design. It can be set once and reliably maintain its position throughout an entire lot of labels, which could reduce error by the user. By tilting the workspace toward the user, our customer has a more ergonomic jig that may help improve efficiency.

DEVELOPMENT The design was developed and improved with the advice and counsel of the customer. The design went through several stages. First we identified the initial customer specifications including the desired shape, size, adjustability, and function of the jig. From this Step 3: Adjust vertically with thumbscrews information we created an initial conceptual Step 4: Add labels to mail design and delivered a wooden mockup to the customer. The mockup was positively Figure 2: Usage of the Design evaluated by the customer with a few improvement suggestions, such as a change in the adjustability. With this and other suggestions, we updated the design and constructed a prototype. After construction and testing by the design team, 3  

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we delivered the prototype to the customer for a week. He suggested additional improvements and time trials were obtained in meetings with the customer. These changes were added to the final design that has now been delivered to the customer. See Figure 3 below for the progression of our design.

 

1. Initial Design

2. Mock-Up

 

3. Updated Design

4. Final Prototype Figure 3: Stages of the design

The initial design and mockup were made with a vertical adjustability of 0 to 4 inches from the bottom locating strip in ¼-inch increments. After feedback from the customer, it was determined that the vertical direction needed a sliding rather than an incremental adjustability. To address this design change, we used a clamp to secure the square T-slider as shown in pictures 3 and 4 in Figure 3. We also changed the material of the T-slider from aluminum to plastic to improve its wear properties, and made a second T-slider to account for longer range. Another issue that was resolved was the design of the plastic tab dimensions and materials. The original plastic tab had a smaller width than the labels being placed on the mail which caused difficulty in the labeling process, and it did not bend the amount desired by the customer. We fabricated a new tab with the correct dimensions and a more flexible material that could be more easily bent to the work surface. EVALUATION The effectiveness of the prototype was evaluated based upon a timed setup test by the customer. This was a basic time trial test that compared the setup time of the new device to the 4  

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customer’s old method. The original device took approximately 100 seconds from the start of setup to apply labels to a piece of test mail. The newly designed device showed a large improvement by reducing the time of setup to 30 seconds. This proved that the new design can be validated as an improvement in the time needed to setup the device. Another improvement that the design addressed was the ease of use. This improvement is defined by the number and complexity of the steps required to operate the device compared to the steps required before the jig was implemented and is shown in Figure 4 below. Not only are there now fewer steps, but also the steps are easier to perform than in the previous process. For example, cutting the cardboard in the old process is much more difficult for a blind person than simply turning the handle to adjust the jig with the new process. Although our focus was to create a labeling device for the blind, people with other disabilities may now also use the jig. Persons with minor mental disabilities will find the new labeling steps from Figure 4 much easier to accomplish than those of the previous method. The previous labeling method requires the ability to sort through slightly differently shaped pieces of cardboard and even possibly the use of scissors and tape, but now people with other limitations or trouble using scissors will be able to do the job more safely and effectively. New Labeling Steps Previous Labeling Steps 1.) Remove and discard old cardboard and tape 1.) Put example envelope onto jig 2.) Put example envelope onto jig 2.) Adjust template in horizontal 3.) Cut cardboard to proper size with scissors direction 4.) Align cardboard with label and jig 3.) Adjust template in vertical 5.) Clamp cardboard down to jig direction 6.) Begin Labeling 4.) Begin labeling Figure 4: Previous and New Labeling Steps DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION Overall, our design was received very well by the customer and was successful in greatly improving his setup time for his labeling process. He told us that there is “no comparison” between the old setup and our design, and he is very pleased with what we have delivered to him. The new jig has proven to greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to set up for labeling, and this is based on a test of a person who has done this job for many years. Because of the simplicity of the new device, this job may now be opened up to other disabled employees. Our customer even expressed interest in purchasing an additional jig for another vision impaired mailroom employee who was previously unable to use the customer’s jig. We managed to produce a simple, sturdy, and effective device that exceeds the customer’s requested specifications. We improved the ergonomics of the workspace, and therefore improved the overall satisfaction of the customer with his job. The design is safe and effective, and will continue to be used for years by our customer and others at SW Resources. REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1. SW Resources. Mail Plus Department. 2008. http://www.swresources.com/html/mailplus.html  Our team would like to thank Dr. Greg Kremer for helping us through the design process, Randy Mulford for helping us in the machine shop, and we would also like to thank our customer Bob and all of the staff at SW Resources. 5  

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Ryan Risdon 435 Thomas Alva Dr. Vermilion, OH 44089 Alternative Text Figure 1: Figure one details the steps required to use the jig. Three text boxes appear in the top right corner of the graphic. The boxes use a color coordination system to correspond to arrows showing movement on the jig itself. The first text box reads “Position Mail” and corresponds to an arrow showing how the mail is lined up in the corner of the jig. The second box reads “Turn Knob and Adjust Right/Left” and the two corresponding arrows show both the rotation of the knob and the resulting right/left motion of the template. The third box reads “Loosen Screws to Adjust Up/Back.” The arrows associated with this graphic depict the two thumb screws being turned to loosen the slider, and a third arrow shows the directions in which the template is then free to move. Figure 2: Figure two details the function of the jig by showing three consecutive pictures that each depict a specific set up step. The first graphic shows an envelope being slid into the corner of the jig with directions in a text box that read “Slide mail under labeling template and make flush with 90 degree corner.” The second graphic shows the knob being turned and the template sliding in the right direction. A text box in the upper right corner reads both “Counter Clockwise Translates movement to the right,” and “Clockwise Translates movement to the left.” The third picture is a close up of the template and envelope. Through the use of directional arrows, this graphic shows the perpendicular movement and the loosening of the thumb screws. A text box in the bottom right corner reads “Loosen thumbscrews in order to adjust/switch slider then retighten.” Figure 3: Figure 3 uses four images to show the progression in the design process from the initial design to the final prototype. The first image is a 3-dimensional isometric CAD image of the initial design of jig. The image shows a series of evenly spaced holes at 1/4 inch increments on the Tslider, and it is held in place with a quick release pin through its side. The second image is a photograph of the wooden mock-up that was used to get initial feedback from the customer. The wooden mockup does not show the plate that covers the ACME threaded rod or the legs that were added per request of the customer. The third image is the updated design model. It is an isometric CAD image of the changes made per request of the customer. Notable changes to the design include: the change from a quick release pin to the thumbscrews to hold the T-slider in place, the addition of the legs per customer request, and the addition of the horizontal adjustment knob. The fourth image is a photograph of the final prototype. This image shows all the final adjustments that were made after receiving customer feedback. The final prototype image shows the newly designed plastic T-sliders that were fabricated in order to meet the new customer specifications. Figure 4: Figure consists of text comparing previous and new labeling steps. Refer to figure for full text. Video: The video shows our customer, Bob, setting up the jig in order to apply labels to a test piece of mail. The test piece of mail is an engineering magazine with a standard mail label placed in a random location. Bob begins the setup by adjusting the T-slider in the vertical direction by loosening the thumb screws and moving the T-slider to the appropriate height for the label. He then tightens the thumbscrews in place to keep the T-slider from moving. Next, he adjusts the horizontal position such that the upper right corner of the T-slider meets the lower left corner of the label. This 6  

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adjustment is made by turning the handle on the bottom right side of the jig in order to adjust the horizontal position. The customer then uses his sense of touch to make sure that the position of the labeling template is in the correct position to label additional pieces of mail.

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