Foldable Bedding Foundation Hinge Structure for Compact Shipping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bedding foundations are cumbersome and costly to handle, transport, and store due to their large size, and existing collapsible designs either require expensive hinges or are not affordable for mass production.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible bedding foundation with two hingedly secured sections, featuring upper and lower hinges that allow the support members to move between retracted and extended positions, facilitating easy storage and shipment while maintaining affordability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional bedding foundations are used, then structural stability and support function are maintained, but storage and shipment costs increase due to large size and cumbersome handling
Solution Approach 1:
The bedding foundation is divided into two separate sections (first section with first support members and second section with second support members) that can be independently collapsed and stored. This segmentation allows each section to be compacted separately, significantly reducing storage volume while maintaining ease of handling during assembly and operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The support members are designed to be movable between extended (erected) positions for providing structural support and retracted (collapsed) positions for compact storage. This dynamic capability allows the foundation to transition between functional and storage states, reducing storage volume by approximately 80% while maintaining full support functionality when needed.
2Volume of moving object
If collapsible bedding foundations with hinges are used, then storage and shipment costs are reduced, but manufacturing cost increases due to expensive hinge components
Solution Approach 1:
The expensive hinge mechanism is extracted and replaced with a simpler connection system. The support members are directly attached to the bases and to each other through rigid connections that allow collapsing without requiring separate hinge components. This extraction of the hinge element eliminates the associated manufacturing cost while preserving the collapsible functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using hinges to enable collapsing (as in conventional designs), the invention inverts the approach by using rigid, directly-connected support members that are designed to collapse through their own structural geometry. The collapsing action is achieved through the arrangement and connection of the support members themselves rather than through separate hinge mechanisms, thereby reducing manufacturing cost.
3Volume of moving object
If coil spring units are compressed for shipment, then storage space is reduced, but the strapping becomes difficult to sever due to high tension
Solution Approach 1:
The support members are designed with inherent dynamic collapsing capability through their geometric arrangement and rigid connections, eliminating the need for external compression and strapping. The structure can be collapsed and compacted without applying extreme compressive forces that would create difficult-to-remove strapping, thereby maintaining ease of unstrapping while achieving space reduction.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable bedding foundation comprising a first section is hingedly secured to a second section so that the bedding foundation may be folded for storage or transportation purposes. Each section has base, a plurality of wire struts pivotally secured to the base, an upper wire grid pivotally secured to the wire struts and braces extending between the base and an outermost wire strut. A lower hinge comprising a piece of wire having a square wave shape is secured to and extends between the bases. An upper hinge is secured to and extends between border wires of the sections.