Foldable Infant Positioner With Softgoods Seat for Tip Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing infant seating solutions are often made from hard materials, making them unsuitable for use in bathtubs and prone to tipping or flipping, posing safety risks, and their small bases encourage placement on elevated surfaces, which can lead to accidents.
Innovation Solution
A foldable infant positioner with a softgoods seat and a support structure that can be reconfigured between a deployed and storage configuration, featuring leg openings, a pivotally coupled ground engaging portion, and a movable support arm to prevent movement and tipping, while discouraging placement on elevated surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a small base is used in the infant seat, then the seat is easier to move and store, but the seat becomes prone to tipping and flipping when placed on elevated surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The support arms are designed to be movable between a first position (supporting the seat) and a second position (folded against the base). This dynamic structure allows the seat to be compact for storage yet stable during use, resolving the contradiction between ease of movement and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms are positioned to prevent tipping and flipping before they can occur. By having the support arms extend to support the seat in advance, the design proactively counteracts the harmful effect of tipping, allowing a small base without compromising stability.
2Strength
If hard materials are used for the infant seat, then the seat provides structural support, but the seat cannot be used in bathtubs and may pose safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The seat combines a hardgoods support structure (for strength and stability) with a softgoods seating surface (for comfort and safety). This composite construction allows the seat to maintain structural integrity while being safe for various environments including bathtubs, as the softgoods portion can be removed or adjusted.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat is divided into separate components: a hardgoods support structure and a softgoods seating portion. This segmentation allows the softgoods portion to be removed when using the seat in a bathtub, providing versatility while maintaining structural support from the hardgoods frame.
3Reliability
If the ground engaging portion extends beyond the periphery of the seat support, then the seat resists tipping and flipping, but the seat requires more space for storage
Solution Approach 1:
The support arms provide the extended footprint for stability during use, but can be folded against the base for compact storage. This dynamic configuration allows the ground engaging portion to extend beyond the seat support periphery when needed, then retract to minimize storage space.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is segmented into the base, seat support, and movable support arms. This segmentation allows the support arms to be positioned outward for stability during use, then folded inward for compact storage, resolving the contradiction between stability and storage space.
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 foldable infant positioner provides a safe and stable seating solution that prevents tipping and flipping, is easy to maneuver and store, and discourages placement in bathtubs or on elevated surfaces, ensuring the infant's safety and ease of use for parents.
Implementation Method 1
The ground engaging portion is pivotally coupled to the seat support such that the support structure is reconfigurable between a deployed configuration and a storage configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable infant positioner with a softgoods seat is a seating apparatus that includes a softgoods seat and a hardgoods foldable support structure. The support structure includes a seat support that is movably coupled to a ground engaging section so that the support structure can move between a deployed configuration and a stored configuration. The seat may be removably secured to the seat support by folding a top portion of the seat over and around the seat support and then coupling the seat thereto. The seat may also have a front flap which extends beneath the seat and prevents an infant's feet from directly contacting the support surface when an infant is disposed in the seat, in an upright seated position, thus preventing the infant from pushing down on the front flap and tipping the infant positioner over.