Bench-Mountable Cup Holder with Rotating Arm for Aisle Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cup holders attached to benches or bleachers in stadiums often obstruct view and aisle space, making it difficult for spectators to comfortably watch events while eating or drinking.
Innovation Solution
A retractable cup holder system that mounts underneath benches or bleachers, featuring a bench rail mount, intermediary bracket, and rotating arm, allowing for easy deployment and stowage to maintain clear space and facilitate cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cup holders are attached to benches or bleachers, then spectators can conveniently store drinks and personal items, but the cup holders obstruct view and aisle space
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holder is designed with a rotating arm that allows it to dynamically change position between a deployed state (when spectators need to store items) and a retracted state (when aisle space and view clearance are priorities). This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction by making the cup holder space-efficient when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup holder utilizes the vertical dimension by mounting underneath the bench/bleacher, moving the storage function from the horizontal plane (which blocks aisle space) to the vertical plane. The rotating arm allows the cup holder to extend into the available vertical space when needed without permanently occupying horizontal aisle space.
2Ease of operation
If cup holders are mounted on benches, then spectators have easy access to storage, but cleaning and maintenance become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating arm mechanism allows the cup holder to be retracted into a compact position underneath the bench, providing easy access to the area beneath the bench for cleaning and maintenance. When cleaning is needed, the cup holder can be rotated out of the way, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and maintainability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup holder is extracted from the fixed bench structure and mounted on a separate rotating arm mechanism. This separation allows the cup holder to be independently moved out of the way during cleaning operations, while still providing easy access during normal use.
3Ease of operation
If cup holders are positioned for easy access, then spectators can conveniently store items, but aisle clearance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holder transitions between extended and retracted positions along the rotating arm. When spectators need to store items, the cup holder extends to provide convenient access. When not in use, it retracts to maintain maximum aisle clearance, resolving the contradiction between convenience and clearance distance.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable bench-mountable cupholder has a bench connection bracket, an arm positioning bracket, an arm adjustment mechanism, a linkage arm, and a cupholder. The bench connection bracket is a rigid member that clamps the bench against a mounting surface of the arm positioning bracket. The arm positioning bracket enables the linkage arm to be articulatably connected to the bench. Specifically, the arm adjustment mechanism is a coupling system that is connected in between one end of the linkage arm and the arm positioning bracket; thereby enabling the linkage arm to be transitioned between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration. The cupholder is detachably mounted onto the linkage arm and is positioned away from the arm positioning bracket. This enables the cupholder to be positioned at a desired location when deployed.