Universal back of chair hanger
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The storage of walkers in common areas, such as senior living facilities, leads to crowding and safety issues, as users must navigate through crowded walker storage areas or rely on additional staff for assistance, making it difficult to retrieve their walkers safely and efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A chair hanger system with a front plate, back plate, and spacer blocks that securely attach to a chair, allowing for easy access and storage of walkers while minimizing obstruction, featuring adjustable geometry to fit various walker sizes and chair models.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If walkers are stored in common areas such as dining rooms, then users can access their walkers, but it causes crowding and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves walker storage from horizontal ground storage in common areas to vertical suspension from chair backs. This dimensional transition from floor level to elevated chair back position eliminates the need for floor space dedicated to walker storage, thereby removing the crowding hazard while maintaining user accessibility through the chair's proximity to the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the storage function from the common area environment and relocates it to the chair structure. By attaching walkers to chair backs rather than storing them on the floor in common areas, the harmful crowding effect is eliminated while the useful accessibility function is preserved at the user's immediate location.
2Ease of operation
If walkers are stored in dining areas adjacent to tables, then users can keep walkers close to their chairs, but it obstructs walking and serving lanes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions walker storage from horizontal placement on the floor to vertical suspension from the chair back. This elevates the walker above the ground plane, removing it from the walking lane obstruction zone while keeping it vertically accessible to the user seated in the chair.
Solution Approach 2:
The chair back serves as an intermediary structure that holds the walker in proximity to the user without requiring the walker to occupy floor space in the walking lane. The chair back mediates between the user's need for walker proximity and the need to maintain clear walking paths.
3Ease of operation
If walkers are stored in common areas, then users can retrieve their walkers, but it requires additional staff assistance
Solution Approach 1:
By suspending walkers from chair backs at user-accessible heights, the system enables users to independently retrieve and attach their walkers without requiring staff assistance. The ergonomic positioning on the chair back allows users to easily manipulate the walker handles, making the retrieval process a self-service operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A chair hanger system includes a front plate, a back plate opposing the front plate, and a plate separator defining a gap between the front plate and the back plate. A first and second hook are attached to the back plate, the first hook defining a first opening geometry and the second hook defining a second opening geometry. A spacer block is configured to connect to the back plate.