Foldable chair and foldable table
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable chairs and tables lack a reliable mechanism for adjusting height and securing the telescopic side wall, which affects stability and ease of use, especially when transitioning between deployed and retracted positions.
Innovation Solution
A foldable chair and table design featuring a telescopic side wall with rings of varying diameters and a locking arrangement, along with a security lock, allowing for adjustable height and secure deployment/retraction, using a pin and groove mechanism for locking and unlocking the rings, and a flexible cable for securing the chair in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a telescopic side wall with multiple rings is used to enable height adjustment, then the adaptability of the chair is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for locking arrangements and security locks
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic side wall employs a nested structure where multiple rings of varying diameters are concentrically arranged within each other. The smallest diameter ring is mounted to the seat portion bottom surface, with progressively larger rings extending downward, allowing compact retraction while enabling height adjustment when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The locking arrangement includes a pin that can move between locked and unlocked positions, and a security lock that can be engaged or disengaged, allowing the telescopic side wall to transition dynamically between fixed height settings and retracted positions, providing both stability and adaptability
2Reliability
If a locking arrangement with pin and groove mechanism is implemented, then the reliability of height setting is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the complexity of locking and unlocking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is spring-loaded and automatically engages with the groove on adjacent rings when the telescopic side wall is in the desired position, providing self-locking functionality that maintains height stability without requiring manual intervention to maintain the locked state
3Reliability
If a security lock is added to secure the locking arrangement, then the reliability of the deployed position is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The security lock serves multiple functions: it secures the locking arrangement in the deployed position, prevents accidental unlocking during use, and can also lock the telescopic side wall in the retracted position for compact storage, eliminating the need for separate securing mechanisms for different states
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable chair, comprising a seat portion and a telescopic side wall includes rings of varying diameters consecutively arranged. A topmost ring is mounted to a bottom surface of the seat portion and has a smallest diameter. A bottommost ring has a largest diameter. In deployed position, the telescopic side wall is opened or partially folded to set and lock a desired height of the chair. In fully retracted position all of the rings are disposed adjacent the bottom surface of the seat portion. Each ring is an integral unit configured with a locking arrangement that selectively locks it to an adjacent ring. In some embodiments, a security lock centrally disposed along a height of the chair substantially perpendicular to the varying diameters of the rings secures the locking arrangement. A table uses the foldable chair as a leg and can store several, for example four, foldable chairs.