Convertible Patio Table With Nested Storage and Multi-Level Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional outdoor patio furniture often leaves available space underutilized due to its limited functionality and separate elements for features like ice buckets, fire pits, and storage, which occupy additional space when not in use.
Innovation Solution
A convertible outdoor patio table with a metallic frame on wheels, featuring a removable tabletop lid and a functional/storage device that can be accessed by disengaging the lid, allowing the table to transform between a planar surface and a storage or functional area, maximizing space usage with weather-resistant materials and various configurations such as ice chests, compartmented containers, or garbage containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional patio furniture is designed with separate elements for ice buckets, fire pits, and storage, then each feature can be provided, but the space occupied increases and available patio space is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate functional elements (ice bucket, fire pit, storage compartments) into a single integrated table structure. The hollow interior of the table body serves as a common space that can accommodate various functional devices, eliminating the need for separate standalone elements and maximizing patio space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The table is designed with universal functionality through removable and interchangeable functional devices. The same table structure can support different configurations (ice bucket, fire pit, storage) depending on user needs, allowing one piece of furniture to perform multiple functions that would traditionally require separate items.
2Ease of operation
If ice buckets and fire pits are incorporated into patio furniture, then convenient access is provided, but available space under the table becomes underutilized when these features are not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The table incorporates dynamically configurable functional devices that can be removed, added, or repositioned as needed. The ice bucket, fire pit, and storage compartments are not fixed permanently but can be adjusted based on immediate needs, allowing the table to transition between different functional states and maximize space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The functional devices are nested within the hollow interior of the table structure. When not in use, these devices can be stored within the table's internal cavity, keeping the patio space clean and uncluttered while maintaining easy access when needed.
3Area of stationary object
If a table is designed for multi-functional use, then space can be maximized, but the structural complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The table is segmented into modular components: a basic table structure with hollow interior, and separate functional devices (ice bucket, fire pit, storage compartments) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing process for each component while allowing flexible configuration to achieve multi-functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A convertible outdoor patio table is provided. The table includes a metallic frame mounted on wheels, the frame surrounding a generally hollow interior, an outer body member which is coupled to and substantially surrounds side portions of the frame, the outer body member being made of a weather resistant material, a railing coupled to the frame and defining a shoulder positioned adjacent the outer body member at the generally hollow interior, a tabletop lid member which removably engages with at least one of the shoulder or the outer body member to close the generally hollow interior, and a functional/storage device which is revealed for access and use when the tabletop lid member is disengaged from the outer body member. The functional/storage device substantially covers a surface area bounded at the top end of the frame to maximize usage of space within the generally hollow interior.