Foldable Bedding Foundation With L-Shaped Spacers and Locking Pins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional collapsible box springs are expensive due to the use of costly hinges and are not affordable for manufacturers, and they lose collapsibility after being upholstered, leading to high storage and shipment costs.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible bedding foundation with two hingedly secured sections, using upper and lower hinges, and L-shaped spacers with removable locking members to facilitate easy folding and unfolding, allowing for reduced storage and shipment costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional hinges are used to connect sections for collapsibility, then the foundation can be collapsed for storage and shipment, but the manufacturing cost increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive conventional hinges with inexpensive locking pins that achieve the same collapsible function. The locking pins are simple, disposable-style components that can be easily inserted and removed, providing the necessary adaptability without the high cost of traditional hinge mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of hinges (enabling collapse) and separates it from the expensive hinge mechanism itself. By using locking pins on pivotable corners, the invention isolates the collapsibility function from costly components, achieving the same effect with simpler, cheaper parts.
2Volume of moving object
If the foundation is made collapsible with hinges, then storage and shipment space is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the foundation into separate sections connected by pivotable corners, allowing each section to be independently positioned. This segmentation enables the foundation to collapse into a compact configuration for storage and shipment while using simple locking pins rather than complex hinge assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using hinges to enable collapse (adding complexity), the patent inverts the approach by using rigid sections with removable locking pins. The simplicity of the pin-and-pivot system reduces structural complexity while achieving the same volume reduction when collapsed.
3Ease of operation
If locking members are made removable for easy collapse, then ease of operation improves, but reliability of the erected position may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic locking pins that can be easily inserted and removed for collapsing, yet provide stable locking when in place. The pivotable corners with locking pins allow the foundation to transition between erected and collapsed states, maintaining reliability in the erected position while enabling easy operation for collapse.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking pins are designed to be self-locating and self-locking when inserted, providing automatic stability without requiring complex mechanisms. The simple pin-and-hole design allows easy removal for collapse while ensuring reliable positioning when erected, with the structure itself providing the locking function.
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 a base, an upper deck and a plurality of generally L-shaped spacers pivotally secured to the base and upper deck. Upper and lower hinges extend between the base and upper deck of each section. Locking members extending through the spacers maintain the foundation in its erected position.