Floor Protector with Elastic Base for Load-Adaptive Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor protectors for seating furniture face a compromise between sufficient adhesion to prevent slipping when loaded and avoiding surface damage during movement, as a sticky or rough surface can lead to scratching.
Innovation Solution
A floor protector with a base body and sliding elements that adapt contact surfaces based on load state, featuring a convex underside in the unloaded state and full surface contact in the loaded state due to elastic deformation, allowing for sliding without damage and adhesion when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the floor protector has a rough or adhesive surface to prevent slipping when loaded, then adhesion is improved, but surface damage occurs during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The floor protector employs a dynamic surface configuration that automatically adapts to load conditions. In the unloaded state, the convex underside allows the sliding elements to contact the base surface, enabling smooth movement. When loaded, the base body deforms to become flat, increasing contact area and adhesion. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction by providing the appropriate surface characteristics automatically based on the operational state.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the base body underside from convex (unloaded) to flat (loaded) through elastic deformation. This parameter change allows the floor protector to transition between two functional states: a sliding state with reduced contact area for movement, and an adhering state with increased contact area for stability under load, thereby preventing both surface damage and slipping.
2Reliability
If the floor protector has a flat surface to maximize adhesion when loaded, then adhesion is improved, but surface abrasion increases during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The floor protector dynamically adjusts its contact surface geometry based on load. The convex underside in the unloaded state minimizes contact area to a single point or line, reducing friction and abrasion during movement. When loaded, the elastic deformation flattens the underside to maximize contact area for adhesion. This dynamic adaptation prevents abrasion during movement while ensuring adhesion when needed.
3Reliability
If the floor protector uses a spring element to enable deformation, then adhesion in loaded state is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base body is designed with elastic properties, allowing it to deform under load without requiring separate spring elements or complex mechanical mechanisms. The elastic base body itself acts as the deformable element, transitioning from a convex to a flat configuration. This approach achieves the desired adhesion while maintaining structural simplicity, as the elasticity is an inherent property of the base body material rather than an added component.
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
Enables seamless movement of seating furniture without surface damage and improved adhesion during loading, reducing shear forces and noise, while maintaining surface integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the base body is designed to be elastic or with a spring element at least in a partial area, so that a deformation of the spring element and/or the partial area can be formed in the vertical direction
Implementation Method 2
the base body is designed to be elastic or with a spring element at least in a partial area, so that a deformation of the spring element and/or the partial area can be formed in the vertical direction
Implementation Method 3
These can be designed as casters, for example... The sliding element has a convexly curved base surface that allows the pieces of furniture to be pushed across carpeted surfaces without excessive effort
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a floor protector for a piece of seating furniture comprising a base assembly, a base body comprising a top and a bottom, and at least one sliding element arranged in a recess in the base body, the sliding element having an outer surface facing a substrate, wherein the sliding element is slidably mounted vertically within the recess, allowing the outer surface to contact the substrate, or wherein the base body is elastically designed or equipped with a spring element in at least a partial area, such that deformation of the spring element and/or the partial area in the vertical direction is possible. The present invention further relates to a chair with at least two floor protectors.