Collapsible outdoor seating with hinge assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Outdoor furniture, especially collapsible seating with cushions, faces issues with weather exposure and maintenance, as existing solutions like covers are difficult to install and remove, and storing wet cushions is cumbersome, deterring frequent use.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible outdoor seat design featuring a hinge assembly with rotating flaps and magnets that allows the seat and backrest to fold closed, sealing cushions from the elements without additional covers, enabling easy transition between open and closed positions with minimal effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If covers are installed over the furniture to protect from weather, then the cushions are protected from weather and elements, but the covers are difficult and troublesome to install and remove for each use, as well as requiring storage of dirty and wet covers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the flaps movable and rotatable rather than fixed. The flaps can rotate between covering the cushions when folded and being stored away when extended, allowing the furniture to dynamically adapt between protected and accessible states without requiring separate covers to be installed and removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps serve multiple functions: they protect the cushions from weather when folded, store themselves when extended, and eliminate the need for separate removable covers. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by combining protection and storage capabilities into a single integrated system.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cushions are removed and put in storage when not in use to protect from weather, then the cushions are protected from weather and elements, but the removal and retrieval of the cushions is exasperating for frequent use
Solution Approach 1:
The flaps are designed to be dynamically movable, rotating to cover the cushions when folded and storing themselves when extended. This eliminates the need to physically remove and store cushions, as the protection mechanism is integrated into the furniture structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps are self-storing when extended, requiring no manual intervention to return to their protective position. The hinge assembly and magnetic elements enable the flaps to automatically return to the covering position, eliminating the time-consuming process of manually retrieving and repositioning cushions.
3Volume of moving object
If the seat is designed to collapse to a compact form for storage, then the furniture occupies less space when not in use, but the mechanism for collapsing and opening may become complex
Solution Approach 1:
The furniture is segmented into modular components: the seat, backrest, armrests, and flaps can all be independently folded and collapsed. This segmentation allows each component to contribute to the compact storage form without requiring a complex integrated mechanism, as each part operates semi-independently through its own hinge assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assemblies enable dynamic movement of all components, allowing the furniture to transition smoothly between expanded and collapsed states. The magnetic elements provide automatic positioning and holding at key positions during the folding sequence, simplifying the control mechanism while achieving compact storage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design protects cushions from weather and elements, simplifies maintenance, and allows for easy one-handed operation, reducing the effort required for use and storage, while maintaining a compact shipping and assembly form.
Implementation Method 1
a magnet assembly including a first magnet on the flap and a second magnet on the support structure, the first magnet and the second magnet being magnetically coupled when the flap is in the open position
Implementation Method 2
the hinge defining a hole proximate to a first end and a slot proximate to a second end, the hole receives the first pin to permit rotation of the first flap relative to the hinge, the slot receives the second pin to permit rotation and lateral movement of the hinge relative to the back rest
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an outdoor seat collapsible from an open position to a closed position. The seat including: a back rest that rotates until the back rest abuts a top of a seat rest to move to the closed position; a plurality of legs connected to the seat rest, the back rest, or both; and a front flap rotatably connected to the back rest or the seat rest, the front flap rotates to cover front facing portions of the back rest and the seat rest while in the closed position. Also provided is a hinge assembly, including an elongated hinge that defines a hole proximate to a first end and a slot proximate to a second end; the hole receives a first pin to permit rotation of a first portion, the slot receives a second pin to permit rotation and lateral movement of the hinge relative to a second portion.