Blanket based structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional play structures, especially collapsible ones, lack structural integrity, leading to instability and potential injury during play, and they often require significant storage space, limiting their portability and versatility.
Innovation Solution
The system includes enclosure elements with attachment mechanisms, detachable corner straps, and weights that can be anchored to environmental structures, providing stability and rigidity to create and maintain desired configurations for blanket-based play structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If play structures are made collapsible to reduce storage space, then storage efficiency is improved, but structural integrity deteriorates leading to instability and potential injury
Solution Approach 1:
The play structure employs dynamic tensioning systems with adjustable straps and anchors that allow the structure to be configured and secured in different states. The tensioning mechanisms enable the structure to transition between stored and deployed configurations while maintaining structural integrity when properly tensioned.
Solution Approach 2:
Anchor weights serve as intermediary elements that mediate between the collapsible structure and the ground surface. These weights provide stable anchoring points that prevent structure collapse while allowing the structure to be easily deployed and stored by simply moving the weights.
2Strength
If play structures are made rigid to improve structural integrity, then stability is improved, but storage efficiency deteriorates requiring significant storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The play structure is divided into modular segments that can be independently configured and connected. This segmentation allows the structure to be collapsed into compact units for storage while maintaining rigidity and stability when assembled and properly tensioned during play.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure incorporates dynamic tensioning systems that allow it to transition between compact storage configuration and expanded play configuration. When deployed, the tensioning systems create rigid structures; when stored, the same systems allow compact folding without requiring permanent rigid frameworks.
3Ease of operation
If play structures are configured to assemble into pre-determined shapes to simplify assembly, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability deteriorates limiting configuration diversity
Solution Approach 1:
The play structure employs universal connection points, anchors, and tensioning mechanisms that can be configured in multiple ways to create different structures and shapes. The same basic components can be arranged to form forts, tents, castles, or other configurations, providing both ease of assembly and high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable elements that allow children to dynamically change the configuration during play. Connection points can be moved, anchors repositioned, and tensioning adjusted to transform the structure into different shapes and configurations as play progresses.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and kits for assembling and/or modifying a blanket-based structure are disclosed. An exemplary system includes an enclosure element having one or more attachment mechanisms fixedly attached to the enclosure element and configured to detachably associate with one or more environmental structures. The exemplary system additionally includes a plurality of connection features, a plurality of complementary connection, and a plurality of eyelets disposed along the perimeter of the enclosure element. The exemplary system additionally includes one or more weights selectively attachable to the enclosure element at one or more of: the attachment mechanisms, the plurality of connection features, the plurality of complementary connection features, the plurality of eyelets, or combinations thereof.