Portable Water Dispensing Station With Deployable Stability Flaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable water dispensing stations require time-consuming assembly and lack stability against tipping, necessitating additional anchoring systems for deployment.
Innovation Solution
A portable water dispensing station with a housing, internal water supply and drainage pipework, and deployable base flaps that act as stability flaps, allowing the unit to be wheeled and deployed without assembly, and featuring an on-board transport arrangement and self-engaging arresting mechanisms for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If portable water dispensing stations use demountable stands for transport, then ease of transport is improved, but deployment time increases due to assembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The stand is divided into two parts: a permanent base attached to the housing and removable flaps that extend outward during use. This segmentation allows the unit to be transported compactly while providing full stand functionality when deployed, eliminating assembly time while maintaining transportability.
Solution Approach 2:
The base is pre-attached to the housing during manufacturing, eliminating the need for on-site assembly of the fundamental support structure. Only the flaps need to be deployed during use, significantly reducing deployment time while keeping the unit transportable.
2Ease of operation
If portable water dispensing stations use simple bases, then ease of transport is improved, but stability against tipping deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The stand transitions from a static compact base during transport to a dynamic extended configuration with flaps during use. The flaps can be deployed to increase the footprint and provide stability when needed, while retracting to maintain compactness for transport, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and transportability.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds vertical dimension to the base structure by incorporating extendable flaps that deploy outward. This dimensional change allows the stand to provide enhanced stability during use without increasing the horizontal footprint during transport, maintaining compactness while improving stability when deployed.
3Ease of operation
If portable water dispensing stations are designed without anchoring systems, then ease of deployment is improved, but stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The unit provides its own stability through the integrated base and flap system, eliminating the need for external anchoring systems. The flaps themselves serve the dual function of providing structural support and creating a stable footprint, making the unit self-sufficient and easy to deploy without additional anchoring equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable water dispensing station includes: a housing; internal water supply pipework plumbed to supply water from an externally accessible water inlet coupling at the housing to one or more water dispensing outlets arranged at different points about the housing; two coaxially spaced apart transport wheels mounted near a bottom face of the housing to protrude from the bottom face such that the unit can be wheeled towards/away from a stand surface on which the unit is to be deployed in use; and a base for supporting the housing on the stand surface, with at least two base flaps permanently hinged on opposite sides of the housing for deployment between a stored position in which the base flaps extend about parallel to the respective housing sides and a self-arrestable fully deployed position extending substantially perpendicular to the respective housing sides and abutting on the stand surface.