Foldable Bathtub Basin Wall Structure to Prevent Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foldable bathtubs have too many elements, making them inconvenient to operate and prone to water leakage due to worn fold lines.
Innovation Solution
A foldable bathtub design featuring a bottom board, panel, and a foldable circular basin wall connected by annular creases, with thermoplastic elastomer-filled grooves and holes for secure folding and unfolding, and detachable supporting bars for stability, formed through one-shot and two-shot injection molding processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional foldable bath tubs use multiple elements with fold lines, then the bath tub can be folded for space saving, but the fold lines are easily worn causing water leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bath tub body and supporting frame into a single integrated structure made from a single flexible material sheet. The supporting ribs are formed as integral extensions of the tub body, eliminating separate fold lines and connection points where water leakage could occur. This unified structure maintains reliability while achieving foldability through the material's inherent flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible material sheet (such as flexible plastic or fabric with coating) as the primary structure, allowing the bath tub to be folded without rigid fold lines. The flexibility of the material enables the tub to conform to folded shapes while maintaining water tightness, as the material itself becomes the folding mechanism rather than requiring separate hinge structures.
2Volume of moving object
If conventional foldable bath tubs use multiple elements, then the bath tub can be folded, but the number of elements increases making operation inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functional elements (tub body, supporting frame, ribs) into a single integrated structure. This eliminates the need to manually assemble or align multiple separate components during folding and unfolding operations. The user simply needs to fold the single flexible structure, significantly improving operational convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
While the structure is integrated, the patent incorporates internal supporting ribs that are formed as integral parts of the flexible material. These ribs create natural segmentation zones that guide the folding process and provide structural support during folded states, making the operation intuitively easier without requiring additional external elements.
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 design results in a portable, simple, and space-efficient bathtub that is easy to fold and unfold, reducing the risk of water leakage and improving operational convenience.
Implementation Method 1
the circular basin wall is formed by two-shot injection molding through thermoplastic elastomer
Implementation Method 2
the bottom groove extends in the lower connection wall circumferentially for a whole periphery and is filled with thermoplastic elastomer when preparing the circular basin wall during the two-shot injection molding process
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable bath tub includes a bottom board (100), a panel (200) and a foldable circular basin wall (300) connected between the bottom board (100) and the panel (200). The bottom board (100) and the panel (200) are both formed by one-shot injection molding and the circular basin wall (300) is formed by two-shot injection molding.