Card Table Peripheral Rail with Integrated Power Connectors
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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 structure with a peripheral support member in the form of a hollow channel strip extending around the table, featuring spaced holes for power connectors, allowing for direct recharging of electronic devices, which can be integrated during manufacturing 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 charging station is merged with the card table structure by integrating power connectors into the peripheral rail system. The hollow channel members are incorporated into the table frame, allowing players to recharge devices directly at the table without needing to visit a separate charging location.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral rail with hollow channel members serves as an intermediary structure that bridges the playing surface and the power supply system. This intermediary component provides concealed wiring pathways and mounting positions for power connectors, enabling convenient charging at the table.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the peripheral support member is integrated during manufacturing, then the charging functionality is built-in, but the complexity of manufacturing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The charging system is segmented into modular components: hollow channel members, power connectors, and wooden strips. These segments can be manufactured separately and then assembled during table construction or retrofitted later, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining integration benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for dynamic adaptation in the manufacturing process. The peripheral support member can be installed either during initial table manufacturing or as a retrofit addition, providing flexibility to manufacturers based on production capabilities and customer needs.
3Ease of operation
If power connectors are accessible to users, then recharging is convenient, but the structural integrity of the table may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The power connectors are nested within hollow channel members that are themselves integrated into the peripheral rail structure. This nested arrangement protects the connectors while maintaining structural integrity, as the hollow channels provide both mechanical support and concealed pathways for electrical wiring.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral rail structure exhibits local quality variations: solid sections maintain structural strength while hollow channel sections provide connector accessibility. This localized differentiation allows the table to simultaneously achieve structural integrity and user-friendly charging access at specific locations along the periphery.
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.