Collapsible Work Bench for Tool Chest with Telescopic Leg Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tool chests with work surfaces are either cumbersome to assemble or lack the necessary stability and ease of use on construction sites, requiring separate setup and taking time away from the task at hand.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible work bench integrated within a tool chest, featuring a platform with adjustable legs and base supports that can expand and collapse, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, with hooks for locking the platform in place, ensuring stability and convenience during transport and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a work surface is integrated into a tool chest, then workers have a convenient work surface onsite, but the assembly process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The work bench is divided into modular components including a platform with sidewalls, multiple legs with telescopic sections, cross members, and locking hooks. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured and stored within the tool chest, enabling rapid assembly by simply connecting pre-fabricated sections rather than assembling a monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs incorporate telescopic sections that can extend and retract, transforming the work bench from a static structure to a dynamic one. This allows the legs to be compact during storage within the tool chest and easily extended to full height during use, reducing both storage space requirements and assembly time while maintaining structural integrity.
2Volume of moving object
If the work bench is designed to be collapsible for transport, then it becomes easier to store in the tool chest, but the stability and sturdiness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic legs provide dynamic adjustability, allowing the structure to transition between compact folded state for storage and fully extended stable state for use. The legs maintain rigidity when extended through internal locking mechanisms while remaining collapsible for storage, thus achieving both compact volume and structural stability at different operational phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking hooks are pre-positioned on the platform sidewalls to engage with the legs at specific heights. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the legs are extended and locked into place, the platform is automatically stabilized at the correct position, preventing structural failure during the assembly process and ensuring stability during use.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple legs are used to support the platform, then the work surface becomes more stable, but the complexity of assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple legs are designed as identical or near-identical modular units, each with standardized connection points and locking mechanisms. This segmentation into standardized components simplifies assembly, as workers need to perform the same connection operations repeatedly rather than dealing with unique, complex joining requirements for each leg.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking hooks on the platform sidewalls automatically engage with the extended legs to lock them in place. This self-locking mechanism eliminates the need for additional fastening operations or complex adjustment procedures, allowing the platform to stabilize itself once the legs are positioned, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A stowable work bench is configured to be stowed in a tool chest. The stowable work bench has a platform with a first sidewall and a second sidewall. A work surface is disposed between the first sidewall and the second sidewall. The platform is coupled to a first set of legs, which are connected to the first sidewall of the platform, and a second set of legs, which are connected to the second sidewall of the platform. The first set of legs are also attached to a first elongate base support that is spaced apart from the platform. The second set of legs are also attached to a second elongate base support that is spaced apart from the platform. In operation, the first set of legs and the second set of legs are configured to collapse and expand to adjust a distance between the platform and the elongate base supports.