Beach Chair Securing Assembly with Threaded Ground Anchor and Clamp
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lightweight chairs, such as beach chairs, tend to topple over when unoccupied due to the weight of items on them and wind, posing a stability issue at various outdoor locations like beaches, sporting events, and picnics.
Innovation Solution
A beach chair securing assembly comprising a hollow leg with a helical thread assembly and a pair of diametrically opposed clamps, along with an inner insert featuring a distal shaft and upper plate with a saddle and ridges, which secures the chair to the ground using a rod or strap, preventing tipping and blowing over.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If lightweight chairs are used for portability, then ease of transport is improved, but stability when unoccupied deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The securing device uses a nested structure where an inner insert with clamps is placed inside an outer insert with a hollow leg. The inner insert's clamps engage with the outer insert's internal features, creating a compact nested assembly that secures the chair when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The securing device acts as an intermediary between the lightweight chair and the ground. The hollow leg inserts into the ground while the clamps engage the chair, transferring and distributing forces to prevent tipping without requiring the chair itself to be heavy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If items are stored on the chair back, then utility is improved, but resistance to tipping deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The securing device serves as an intermediary that compensates for the destabilizing effect of stored items. By anchoring the chair to the ground through the hollow leg and clamps, it counteracts the toppling moment created by items on the chair back.
3Ease of manufacture
If simple chair design is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but susceptibility to wind damage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the anti-tip function from the chair itself into a separate securing device. The chair remains simple and easy to manufacture, while the secured assembly (chair + securing device) resists wind forces through the ground-anchored hollow leg.
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
Effectively secures beach chairs and similar lightweight furniture to the ground, preventing them from tipping or being blown over, ensuring stability when unoccupied by utilizing a combination of threaded engagement with the soil and clamping mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
The hollow leg has a helical thread assembly surrounding an exterior thereof and extending partially up the length of the leg
Implementation Method 2
A generally annular lower plate surrounds the proximal opening and has a pair of diametrically opposed clamps
Data Source
AI summary
A beach chair securing assembly includes an outer insert having a hollow leg having a pointed distal tip and a proximal opening. The hollow leg has a helical thread assembly surrounding an exterior thereof and extending partially up the length of the leg. A generally annular lower plate surrounds the proximal opening and has a pair of diametrically opposed clamps. Each clamp includes a vertical portion extending upwardly from the lower plate and a connecting horizontal portion extending generally parallel to the lower plate. An inner insert has a distal shaft sized to fit into the hollow leg and an upper plate connected to the distal shaft. The upper plate has a top surface having a saddle defined by a generally arcuate concave valley extending along a longitudinal axis. A pair of diametrically opposed ridges extends upwardly from either side of the valley. Each ridge includes an upwardly extending eyelet having a through-hole extending therethrough such that the through-holes are axially aligned. A pair of diametrically opposed catches extending along the longitudinal axis and are sized and shaped to engage one of the clamps.