Collapsible Playard Napper Frame With Secure Folding Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing playard accessories lack collapsible frames, which reduces their portability and compactness, posing challenges for users who need to easily move and store these items without risking unintentional detachment and potential infant injury.
Innovation Solution
A foldable napper accessory with a frame that attaches securely to the playard or bassinet, featuring a connector pin and receptacle system for stability and a foldable design with specific hinge joints to allow for easy deployment and stowage, ensuring the infant's safety and convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the napper frame is made collapsible for portability, then compactness and ease of transport are improved, but the risk of unintentional detachment and structural instability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The napper frame employs a collapsible design with movable joints that allow the frame to transition between deployed and collapsed states. The frame includes side rails connected by joints that enable folding, providing portability when collapsed and structural integrity when deployed for use
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is divided into multiple segments including side rails, support legs, and cross members that can be independently positioned and folded. This segmentation allows the frame to collapse into a compact configuration for storage while maintaining structural strength when assembled for use
2Ease of operation
If the connector system is simplified for ease of installation, then ease of operation is improved, but the risk of accidental disengagement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector system includes a pin with a head that prevents accidental disengagement by requiring deliberate action to remove. The pin is inserted through aligned openings in the playard frame and napper frame, and the head of the pin acts as a preliminary protective measure against unintentional detachment
Solution Approach 2:
The connector pin serves as an intermediary element that joins the napper frame to the playard frame. The pin includes a head that engages with the playard frame while the shaft portion passes through the napper frame, creating a secure mechanical connection that is simple to install yet resistant to accidental disengagement
3Ease of operation
If the napper is positioned higher for better accessibility, then ease of access is improved, but the risk of infant fall and injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The napper is positioned within the playard frame rather than above it, and the playard frame itself serves as a protective enclosure. In the event of a fall, the infant would land on the bassinet floor or playard bottom rather than the ground, providing a cushioning effect that reduces injury risk
Solution Approach 2:
The napper frame is nested within the playard frame perimeter, with the napper positioned inside the protective enclosure of the playard. This nesting arrangement ensures that the infant remains within the confines of the playard, providing multiple layers of protection against falls
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable napper accessory for a child's playard positions an infant to minimize the risk of falls. The napper frame is foldable from a generally planar deplyed orientation about one or more generally longitudinally extending frame folding axes. The ends of an elongate support leg are pivotally connected to opposing side rail members of the napper frame and configured to be foldable about a leg folding axis generally transverse to the frame. Pivoting about the leg folding axis angles the support leg from the plane of the deployed napper frame or aligns the leg with the plane of the napper frame for stowage. An intermediate folding joint is provided in the support leg which includes intermediate axis generally perpendicular to the leg folding axis that allows folding of the leg only when the leg is folded into a specific orientation.