Flexible Privacy Screen Structure for Reconfigurable Workspaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing privacy screens lack flexibility and adaptability in configuration, failing to provide effective visual barriers in various workplace settings due to fixed orientations and limited adjustability.
Innovation Solution
A privacy screen apparatus composed of elastomeric material with non-woven appearance, featuring pillow and recess regions of varying thickness and stiffness, allowing for multiple configurations via bending or flexing, and attachable to furniture or standing freely, with adjustable connectors for different orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If privacy screens are made with fixed orientation and structure, then manufacturing is simple, but flexibility and adaptability in configuration are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The privacy screen is divided into multiple modular panels that can be independently positioned and oriented. Each panel can be separately adjusted while maintaining connection to the overall structure, enabling flexible configurations without requiring complete structural redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The privacy screen incorporates movable and adjustable components that allow dynamic reconfiguration. Panels can be rotated, tilted, and repositioned to different orientations, transforming the structure from static to adaptive while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized connection mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If privacy screens are made with uniform thickness, then manufacturing is easier, but functional performance varies in different regions
Solution Approach 1:
The privacy screen employs varying thickness across different regions to optimize local functional performance. Thicker sections provide enhanced privacy and structural support where needed, while thinner sections reduce material usage and cost in areas requiring less performance, achieving both manufacturing efficiency and functional reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If privacy screens use rigid materials, then structural integrity is maintained, but adjustability and reconfigurability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The privacy screen utilizes flexible yet structurally sound materials that can be bent and reconfigured without compromising integrity. The material properties allow for repeated adjustment and repositioning while maintaining sufficient strength to provide effective visual barriers and resist environmental factors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The privacy screen apparatus provides a flexible and adjustable visual barrier that can be configured into various shapes (linear, U, V, C, S, O, L) to suit different settings, enhancing privacy and usability while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
The first body and/or the second body can be comprised of an elastomeric material
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of elongated elastomeric fibers being bonded together to provide the non-woven appearance
Data Source
AI summary
A privacy screen apparatus can include a body having a plurality of elongated recesses and between elongated pillow regions. The pillow regions can have a larger width than the recesses. In some embodiments, the body can be configured to bend about the elongated recesses to different configurations. A plurality of stand elements can be connected to the bottom of the body to permit the body to be free standing. In other embodiments, a plurality of connectors can be connected to the body for connecting the body to an article of furniture, such as a tabletop or a desktop.