Attic Stair Assembly with Acute Angled Support Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing attic stair assemblies lack features that provide safe and efficient access to attics, with prior methods and structures failing to combine essential components effectively for user safety and ease of installation.
Innovation Solution
The proposed attic stair assemblies include a frame with a stair, floorboard, and support frame, featuring a port for entry and exit, with a support frame having a rail portion extending at acute angles for stability and safety, and methods for installing these assemblies that ensure proper alignment and coupling of components for secure access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a support frame with acute angled rail portions is added to provide stability and safety, then user safety and structural stability are improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame is divided into multiple components including legs, rail portions, and coupling mechanisms. Each segment serves a specific function: legs provide vertical support, acute angled rail portions provide handhold and structural stability, and coupling mechanisms enable removable attachment to the floorboard. This segmentation allows the complex safety feature to be broken into manageable parts that can be independently manufactured and assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The support frame is designed with removable coupling to the floorboard, transitioning between a fixed stable state during use and a removable state for installation/maintenance. The acute angled rail portions are configured to be easily attached and detached while maintaining structural integrity during the attached state, allowing the system to dynamically change between stable operation and easy maintenance modes.
2Reliability
If a support frame with acute angled rail portions is added to provide stability and safety, then user safety and structural stability are improved, but ease of installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame components are pre-configured with coupling mechanisms that align with corresponding attachment points on the floorboard. The acute angled rail portions are designed with predetermined angles and attachment geometries that guide proper alignment during installation, reducing the need for complex field adjustments and ensuring correct structural alignment from the start.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable coupling mechanism allows the support frame to be easily installed and removed without permanent attachment. The coupling design enables quick connection and disconnection while maintaining structural stability when attached, facilitating easy installation and maintenance operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple components (frame, stair, floorboard, support frame) are combined to provide safe access, then functionality and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional components are merged into integrated assemblies: the frame structure combines support and boundary functions, the stair integrates climbing access, the floorboard provides the attic access surface, and the support frame combines structural support with handhold functionality. This merging reduces the number of separate parts while maintaining comprehensive safety and access functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Components are designed to serve multiple functions: the frame provides both structural support and defines the port opening, the floorboard serves as both the attic floor surface and the mounting base for the support frame, and the acute angled rail portions provide both structural bracing and handhold for user safety. This multi-functionality reduces the total component count while enhancing overall functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are attic stair assemblies, in which each attic stair assembly may include: a frame that may include: a first wall; and a second wall; a stair coupled to the frame closer to the first wall than the second wall; a floorboard disposed above the stair; a port extending through the frame and the floorboard; and a support frame removably coupled to the floorboard that may include: a first leg having a first leg upper end, wherein the first leg may be closer to the first wall than the second wall; and a second leg having a second leg upper end, wherein the second leg may be shorter than the first leg and may be closer to the first wall than the second wall; and a rail portion extending from the first leg upper end to the second leg upper end at a first acute angle to the floorboard.