Convertible chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chairs in waiting areas, such as airports and waiting rooms, are often uncomfortable for extended periods, and users lack a feasible option to lay down comfortably.
Innovation Solution
A convertible chair design with three or more sections, where the middle sections are slidably connected to the chair section and the end section is hingedly connected, allowing the chair to transition between a compact sitting configuration and an extended configuration suitable for sitting or laying down, using a contiguous support surface made of flexible material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the chair is designed as a conventional fixed structure, then it is simple and stable, but it cannot provide comfortable support for extended periods or allow users to lay down
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is divided into multiple sections (seat section, middle section, end section) that can be independently positioned. Each section contains support surface panels that can be adjusted relative to one another, allowing the chair to transform between different configurations (sitting, reclining, laying down) while maintaining structural manageability through modular segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The chair incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms including slidable connections between sections and hinged connections for the support surfaces. These mechanisms allow the chair to transition from a static conventional chair configuration to an extended lying-down configuration, providing adaptability while using standardized mechanical components to control the complexity increase.
2Ease of operation
If the chair is designed with extended configuration capability, then it provides comfortable support for laying down, but it increases in size and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The middle section is designed to slide into the seat section, and the end section can be positioned within the overall structure when not in use. This nesting capability allows the chair to reduce to a compact size for storage or when conventional sitting is needed, while expanding to provide full lying-down support when required, effectively managing the length parameter through space-efficient configuration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the chair sections are made rigid for structural stability, then it is easy to manufacture, but it cannot provide flexible adjustment for different positions
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the support surface into multiple panels within each section, the design achieves flexibility through the arrangement of discrete rigid components rather than through flexible materials. Each panel can be manufactured as a simple rigid structure, but their relative positioning provides the necessary adjustability for different configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection mechanisms (slidable connections and hinges) act as intermediaries between the rigid sections and panels. These intermediary components enable position adjustment and flexibility while allowing the main structural elements to remain simple rigid forms that are easy to manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
A convertible chair is provided. The present convertible chair includes three or more sections connected together in series. The sections include a chair section, one or more middle sections, and an end section. The middle sections are slidably connected to the chair section, allowing the middle sections to slide in and out from the chair section. The end section is hingedly connected to the terminal middle section. When in the extended configuration, the sections provide a contiguous comfortable support surface on which a user can lay down. When in the compact configuration, the present invention resembles and functions as a conventional chair suitable for sitting on. The convertible chair further include connectors disposed along its sides that allow multiple chairs to be connected together in series.