Extendable shower seat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional extendable shower seats fail to prevent water from spilling outside the shower area, posing slip and fall hazards and promoting mold and mildew growth, which are particularly problematic for elderly and physically impaired individuals.
Innovation Solution
An extendable shower seat with pivotally affixed sidewalls that act as splash guards, a frame with adjustable legs, and apertures to allow water drainage, designed to convert into a bench for user convenience and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional shower seats are used, then the seat provides basic seating functionality, but water spills outside the shower area causing slip hazards and mold growth
Solution Approach 1:
The shower seat is divided into multiple functional segments: the base seat structure, extendable bench portion, and detachable sidewalls. This segmentation allows the sidewalls to be independently positioned to block water spillage while maintaining the seating function, directly addressing the water containment problem without compromising safety
Solution Approach 2:
Sidewalls serve as intermediary elements between the shower seat and the surrounding environment. These sidewalls act as a barrier that intercepts and redirects water flow, preventing water from spilling outside the shower area and eliminating the slip hazard while allowing the seat to maintain its primary seating function
2Ease of operation
If the shower seat extends into a bench, then user convenience is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shower seat incorporates dynamic elements including the extendable bench mechanism and movable sidewalls that can be adjusted according to user needs. The bench can extend outward to provide additional seating area or support, while sidewalls can be positioned to block water or folded away for easy cleaning, allowing the device to adapt to different operational requirements without permanent complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The extended bench design serves multiple functions: it provides additional seating area for users, acts as a support structure for entering/exiting the shower, and can work in conjunction with sidewalls to create a enclosed seating area. This multi-functionality justifies the increased structural complexity by delivering enhanced user convenience and safety
Data Source
AI summary
An extendable shower seat. The extendable shower seat includes a chair having a back portion and a seat portion, wherein the back portion is perpendicularly affixed to a rear side of the seat portion. A frame is affixed to the lower side of the seat portion and a plurality of legs are affixed to the frame. A pair of sidewalls are each pivotally affixed to opposing lateral sides of the seat portion about a hinge, wherein the pair of sidewalls can pivot about the hinge when a button disposed on the hinge is actuated, and remain locked in the selected position when the button is released.