Building Structure with Dual-Access Hallway Closets
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional laundry process in homes is labor-intensive and time-consuming due to the need for frequent movement between the laundry facility and other rooms, leading to increased effort and potential damage to laundry items.
Innovation Solution
A building structure design that incorporates dual access closets and a specifically configured laundry facility and hallway, allowing for minimal or no steps to collect dirty laundry and store clean laundry, with the laundry facility centrally located and adjacent to rooms where laundry is used, reducing movement and improving access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the laundry facility is located away from the rooms where laundry is used, then the layout may be simpler or have more functional space, but the time and effort required to move laundry increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the laundry facility with the hallway space, creating an integrated system where the laundry machine is positioned within or adjacent to the hallway that serves multiple rooms. This integration eliminates the need for separate laundry rooms and allows direct access from multiple bedrooms and bathrooms to the laundry facility through the hallway, significantly reducing the time and effort required to move laundry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the hallway dimension to create dual-access closets that open into the hallway from both the laundry facility side and the room side. This dimensional arrangement allows laundry to be moved directly from rooms through the hallway into the laundry facility without requiring separate doorways or corridors, optimizing the spatial relationship between rooms and laundry area.
2Productivity
If traditional laundry facilities are used with separate access points, then the structure may be simpler, but the number of steps and handling required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the laundry facility access points with the existing hallway structure, integrating laundry functionality into the circulation space. The dual-access closets are built into the hallway walls, allowing laundry to be moved directly from rooms through the hallway into the laundry machine area without requiring separate dedicated access points or additional structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The hallway serves multiple functions: it acts as a circulation path for occupants, provides access to dual-access closets in various rooms, and serves as the access corridor to the laundry facility. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated laundry access structures and optimizes the use of existing building space.
3Ease of operation
If laundry must be moved through multiple rooms and hallways, then the layout may be more flexible, but the quality and condition of laundry deteriorates due to handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the laundry facility with the hallway to create direct access points where laundry can be moved from rooms directly into the laundry machine area through the hallway. This integration minimizes the number of transfers and handling steps required, as laundry can be placed directly into the machine without needing to be moved through multiple separate spaces, thereby reducing wrinkles and soiling.
4Loss of time
If dual access closets are implemented with minimal steps, then the laundry process becomes more efficient, but the structural configuration becomes more specific and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the dual-access closet structure with the hallway and laundry facility, integrating these elements into a unified spatial arrangement. The closets are built into the hallway walls with openings that face both the laundry facility and the rooms, allowing direct access without requiring separate structural elements or complex configurations in individual rooms.
Data Source
AI summary
Structural elements and features are provided to significantly reduce the time and effort required in the household laundry process of collecting dirty laundry, washing, drying, hanging, and storing laundry. These same structural elements improve the quality of the laundry output. A reduction in time and effort is accomplished by locating a laundry facility central to a plurality of rooms within the building structure and placing closets within the walls separating the laundry facility from the adjacent rooms. These closets are accessible from the laundry facility on one side and the respective room on the other. In another aspect of the invention, rooms that are not directly adjacent to the laundry facility may be located on a hallway common to the laundry facility and the non-adjacent rooms. The walls dividing the non-adjacent rooms from the common hallway may likewise include closets that are accessible from the common hallway on one side and the respective room on the other. In a variation of the present invention the laundry facility is combined with the hallway. Most of the rooms where the laundry will be used are adjacent to the laundry facility/hallway combinations. The walls dividing the rooms from the hallway may likewise include closets that are accessible from the hallway on one side and the respective room on the other.