Angled Back Support for Stable Extended-Height Event Drapery
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Solution Overview
Problem
In event spaces with ceilings exceeding sixteen feet, existing drapery support systems become unstable, and additional weight or new attachment points are often insufficient to prevent drape line collapse, necessitating a stable and easily assembled solution for extended height drapery mounting.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a base support plate with a hinge-mounted angled back support and adjustable uprights, where the angled back support is secured to the upright and base plate, allowing for crossbar attachment and height adjustment of drapery lines, using a combination of central support braces, upright support plates, and securement clamps to stabilize the drapery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional square base plates with sandbags are used, then the system is simple to assemble, but the drape line becomes unstable at ceiling heights exceeding sixteen feet
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into modular components: base plates with hinge connectors, angled back supports, uprights, and crossbars. Each component serves a specific function and can be independently assembled, providing stability while maintaining ease of construction through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a diagonal dimension to the traditionally vertical-horizontal support structure by introducing angled back supports that connect the base plate to the upright at an angle. This creates a triangular bracing system that provides lateral stability and prevents drape line collapse at extended heights
2Reliability
If sandbags are added to weight down the base plates, then some stability is improved, but additional weight does not prevent collapse at extended heights and requires more attachment effort
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge connector allows the angled back support to be dynamically positioned and secured at the optimal angle during assembly. This dynamic adjustment capability enables installers to achieve proper geometric alignment for maximum stability without requiring precise pre-positioning or additional weighting materials
3Length of moving object
If drape line height is increased to accommodate higher ceilings, then the system must reach greater heights, but stability decreases and collapse risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The angled back support introduces a diagonal dimension to the support structure, creating triangular bracing that provides lateral stability. This diagonal element counteracts the increased moment arm created by higher drape lines, maintaining stability at extended heights through geometric reinforcement rather than increased weight
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge connector is pre-positioned on the base plate at the optimal location and angle for receiving the angled back support. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the angled support is installed, the triangular bracing geometry is immediately established, providing stable support for high drape lines from the moment of assembly
Data Source
AI summary
Uprights and base plates provide adjustable, temporary support for drapery used to define event and theater space. An upright tube and a connected angled back support offer stabilized support to drapery lines. The upright tube extends from a support plate within a framed base plate. A hinge connector in the base plate attaches to the angled back support, which extends to a clamped connection with the upright tube. Alternative arrangements of the support plates and hinge connectors within the base plate offer multiple drapery support configurations.