Collapsible chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chairs lack portability and adaptability for outdoor use, particularly in hiking and skiing, as they are not designed to collapse into a compact form for easy carrying and often do not provide sufficient support for tall or large individuals.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible chair design featuring a collapsible lateral support rod, pair of front legs, and mechanical junctions that couple with poles, allowing the chair to fold into a compact volume for storage, with locking mechanisms and shock-cord coupling for easy assembly and disassembly, and incorporating features like gear loops and a trapezoidal footprint for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a chair is designed to be collapsible for portability, then ease of carrying is improved, but structural stability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is divided into multiple collapsible segments including the seat, backrest, and leg assemblies. Each segment can be independently folded or collapsed, allowing the entire chair to be disassembled into compact components for easy carrying while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The chair components are designed to nest within each other when collapsed. The seat folds into the backrest, and the legs collapse inward, creating a compact nested configuration that minimizes carrying volume while preserving the structural framework for stability when deployed.
2Ease of operation
If a chair is designed to collapse into compact form, then portability is improved, but assembly complexity may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The chair incorporates self-assembling mechanisms where components automatically align and lock into place during assembly. The collapsible joints and connection points are designed to guide proper positioning, allowing the user to assemble the chair by simply connecting pre-positioned elements without complex alignment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
Critical assembly features such as connection points, locking mechanisms, and alignment guides are pre-configured during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation of assembly interfaces enables rapid field assembly without requiring complex procedures or specialized tools, maintaining portability while reducing assembly complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the chair uses releasable mechanical junctions for easy assembly, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical junctions incorporate built-in locking mechanisms and safety features that are activated during assembly. These pre-designed safety elements, such as friction locks, detent mechanisms, or snap-fit features, automatically engage to secure the joints, providing reliable connections without requiring additional safety steps from the user.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and associated methods relate to a collapsible chair having a collapsible lateral support rod, a pair of front legs, a pair of front chair support rods, and a pair of mechanical junctions configured to couple with an associated pair of poles, such that the collapsible chair is adapted to collapse into an easy-to-carry volume. In an illustrative example, the mechanical junctions may be releasably and/or shock-cord-coupled to various support rods and/or legs. The mechanical junctions may include locking mechanisms to lock the associated poles into a fixed position relative to the mechanical junctions, for example. The collapsible chair may include gear loops for hanging of gear from the collapsible chair. In various embodiments, a collapsible chair may advantageously provide a full size, lightweight chair configured for compact storage in a stowage bag for high portability during outdoor hiking.