Card Table Peripheral Support Member for Device Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Players in card games, particularly poker, face inconvenience as they cannot recharge electronic devices like cell phones at the table, often requiring them to leave and access a separate, inconveniently located charging station.
Innovation Solution
A card table design incorporating a peripheral support member in the form of a hollow channel member with spaced holes for power connectors, allowing for direct recharging of electronic devices at the table, which can be integrated during manufacture or retrofitted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a separate charging station is provided, then electronic devices can be recharged, but the charging station is not conveniently located relative to the card table
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the charging function with the card table structure by integrating power connectors and wiring directly into the table's peripheral rail system. This allows players to recharge electronic devices at the table without leaving, combining two previously separate functions (gaming and charging) into a single integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The card table is designed with multi-functionality by incorporating both gaming surfaces and electronic device charging capabilities into a single piece of furniture. The peripheral support member serves dual purposes: structural support for the table and housing for power connectors, allowing the table to fulfill multiple functions simultaneously.
2Ease of operation
If power connectors are integrated into the table structure, then recharging is convenient, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The charging system is segmented into modular components: a peripheral support member that houses power connectors, separate wiring channels within the hollow channel member, and individual connector positions. This segmentation allows for easier installation, maintenance, and flexibility in configuring the number and location of charging ports without complicating the entire table structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a peripheral support member as an intermediary component between the table's structural rail and the power connectors. This intermediate element simplifies the integration process by providing a dedicated housing that can be attached to the rail, thereby reducing the complexity of directly embedding connectors into the structural framework.
3Ease of manufacture
If the peripheral support member is added during manufacture, then integration is seamless, but retrofitting becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral support member is designed with adaptable installation methods that can dynamically adjust to different table configurations. The support member can be secured using fasteners that attach to the peripheral rail, allowing for easy installation during manufacture or flexible retrofitting of existing tables without permanent modifications to the table's core structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral rail structure is designed in advance with attachment points and routing channels that anticipate future integration of the support member. This preliminary preparation in the table's base structure enables seamless integration during manufacture while also facilitating straightforward retrofitting of existing tables by simply attaching the support member to the pre-configured rail system.
Data Source
AI summary
A card table structure, preferably a poker table, includes a frame with legs for supporting the frame over a floor surface and a peripheral rail that extends about the table. A playing surface is disposed under the rail and extending across the rail to provide a surface upon which a card table game is to be played. A peripheral support member is secured under the rail. The peripheral support member includes a strip that extends about a major periphery of the table and for the support of plural power connectors for re-charging electronic devices directly at the card table structure.