Adjustable chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable furniture, such as chairs and beds, often require complex and heavy metallic support structures for movable parts, making them costly, cumbersome, and limiting design flexibility, especially in terms of transportation and wall-clearance.
Innovation Solution
The use of rollers within arcuate guide grooves allows for simultaneous angular movement of seat, back, and footrest components, eliminating the need for complex metallic support structures by enabling pivot-like motion, thus reducing weight and cost while maintaining comfort and design flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If complex metallic support structures with linkages are used to support movable parts, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the weight and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex metallic linkage support structures from the furniture design. Instead of using traditional heavy metal linkages to support movable parts like seat backs and footrests, the invention removes these structures entirely and replaces them with a simpler roller-based mechanism that travels along guide grooves, significantly reducing weight while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the traditional mechanical linkage system with a different mechanical approach using rollers moving within guide grooves. This replacement eliminates the need for complex metal support arrangements while achieving the same functional outcome of supporting movable furniture components, thereby reducing weight and cost.
2Stability of the object's composition
If complex metallic support structures with linkages are used to support movable parts, then the structural stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex linkage systems from the furniture design, extracting only the essential function of supporting movable parts. By eliminating the intricate network of metal linkages, the design achieves structural stability through a simpler roller-and-groove mechanism, thereby reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the complex mechanical linkage system with a simpler roller-based mechanism that travels along predetermined guide grooves. This substitution maintains structural stability by constraining movement paths while dramatically reducing the complexity of the support structure.
3Strength
If heavy metallic support structures are used, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but the ease of transportation and handling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the heavy metallic support structures that impede transportation. By eliminating these bulky metal linkages and replacing them with lighter roller mechanisms, the furniture becomes significantly easier to transport and handle while retaining adequate load-bearing capacity through the guide groove constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes heavy metal support structures with a lighter roller-based system that travels along guide grooves. This replacement maintains load-bearing capacity through the geometric constraints of the groove system while dramatically improving ease of transportation and handling.
4Strength
If traditional support arrangements are used, then the structural integrity is improved, but the design flexibility and adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the rigid traditional support arrangements that limit design flexibility. By extracting these conventional metal linkage systems and replacing them with roller mechanisms in guide grooves, the invention enables greater design freedom while maintaining structural integrity through the constrained movement paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional rigid support arrangements with a roller-based system that travels along guide grooves. This substitution provides greater design flexibility and adaptability, allowing furniture components to move through desired ranges of motion while maintaining structural integrity through the geometric constraints of the groove system.
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
This solution reduces the weight and cost of furniture by eliminating the need for complex metallic support structures, allowing for comfortable and versatile adjustments without increasing the furniture's footprint, enabling 'zero-wall' designs and improved user experience.
Implementation Method 1
rollers being in a fixed relationship to one another... the rollers 22 acting as followers, being guided for movement within the respective arcuate grooves 24
Data Source
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AI summary
Described is adjustable furniture comprising a first furniture component (28), a second furniture component (10,12,14) movable, in use relative to the first furniture component (28) and supported by a guide arrangement comprising a guide (24) associated with one of the first and second components and at least one follower (22) associated with the other of the first and second components and movable along the guide (24).