Collapsible Shower Enclosure With Self-Extending Privacy Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable shower units are rigid and cumbersome, lacking ease of deployment and privacy features, making them difficult to move and use outdoors effectively.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible portable shower enclosure with a self-extending skeleton and flexible liner that forms a privacy enclosure, integrated with a water hose and reservoir system, allowing for easy setup and use, and incorporating biodegradable materials for environmental sustainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid structure is used for portable shower units, then structural strength is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in movement and deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by using a collapsible skeleton structure that can transition between extended and collapsed states. The skeleton includes struts connected by junctions that allow the structure to be easily deployed and collapsed, transforming from a rigid static form to a dynamic adaptable form that maintains strength when needed but allows easy operation when collapsed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the shower structure into modular components including a collapsible skeleton with multiple struts and junctions, a flexible liner, and a base. These segmented parts can be easily assembled and collapsed independently, improving ease of operation while maintaining overall structural strength through the coordinated design of each segment.
2Ease of operation
If a collapsible structure is used for portable shower units, then ease of operation is improved, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible skeleton uses dynamic junctions that can lock into rigid positions when extended, providing structural strength during use, and can be easily collapsed when needed. The struts are designed to maintain rigidity in the extended configuration while allowing controlled collapse for easy movement and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates preliminary action through pre-assembled modular components that maintain their structural integrity during transport. The skeleton struts and junctions are designed to automatically lock into place when deployed, eliminating the need for complex assembly procedures while ensuring structural strength is established before use.
3Ease of operation
If privacy curtains and support surfaces are added to solar shower bags, then bathing comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated structure. The collapsible skeleton simultaneously provides the shower enclosure framework, support for the flexible liner, and structural stability. The base integrates the support surface and water reservoir containment, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall device complexity while improving bathing comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible liner serves multiple functions: it provides the waterproof enclosure, forms the shower floor surface, and contains the water reservoir when the shower is collapsed. The skeleton structure universally provides both structural support and the framework for the privacy enclosure, reducing the number of separate components needed and simplifying the overall device.
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 solution provides a lightweight, easy-to-deploy, and private showering solution that supports its own weight, offering a comfortable and environmentally friendly option for outdoor use, suitable for various applications including HAZMAT cleanups.
Implementation Method 1
The collapsible skeleton expands upward from the base to form an upstanding hollow shape around an inner space large enough for a person to stand in
Implementation Method 2
The enclosure further includes a flexible liner attached to the skeleton so that when the skeleton expands the liner obscures a person within the inner space configuration
Implementation Method 3
a pump connected to the water hose in series between the reservoir and the sprayer
Implementation Method 4
The liner is desirably biodegradable so that it can degrade under the sun in a month or so
Implementation Method 5
The liner is desirably biodegradable so that it can degrade under the sun in a month or so
Data Source
AI summary
A portable shower includes an enclosure that converts between a two-dimensional collapsed configuration and a three-dimensional upright configuration defining a space therein for a person. The enclosure is self-extending and free-standing in the upright configuration, and desirably has a height of at least 4 feet. The enclosure includes a liner, preferably tubular in shape when extended, and an integrally attached collapsible skeleton such as an elastic coil, preferably helical. The elastic coil has a sufficient relaxed size and spring constant to self-expand the liner when constraints are released. A water reservoir connects to a shower sprayer through a hose, and may be integrated in the wall of the enclosure. For instance, a helical sleeve around the liner may constrain both the elastic coil and the hose. A foot pump may be provided along the hose and within the enclosure for easy propulsion of water from the reservoir to the sprayer.