Foldable Pet Platform Redirecting Stairway Falls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household pets face a high risk of injury when traveling down stairways from pet door openings due to poor ergonomic configurations, leading to falls and injuries as they enter the stairway, and existing solutions do not address the need to redirect their path of travel.
Innovation Solution
A stairway pet apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed rigid platform member, a vertically disposed rigid barrier member, and a securement member that attaches to the stairway door, providing a perch and redirecting the pet's path to prevent straight downward movement, with optional collapsible and foldable designs to avoid obstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pet door opening is provided in a stairway door leading to a lower level, then pets have free access to the basement area, but the risk of pet injury from falls down the stairs is substantially increased due to poor ergonomic configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (platform with barrier) between the pet door opening and the stairway. This intermediary platform serves as a transition zone that redirects pets away from the dangerous straight-path fall hazard while providing a safe intermediate stopping point before descending the stairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful momentum that carries pets directly down the stairs into a beneficial redirecting force. The barrier member utilizes the pet's forward momentum to naturally guide them onto the platform and then directs them along a safer path down the stairs, transforming the dangerous momentum into a controlled redirection mechanism.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a barrier structure is added to redirect pet path and provide a platform, then pet safety is improved, but the device may become an obstacle limiting human access or preventing full opening of the stairway door
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a hinge mechanism that allows the barrier/platform structure to dynamically adjust its position. The barrier can be raised or lowered, and the platform can rotate or fold, enabling the structure to adapt between providing maximum pet protection and clearing the path for human access, thus resolving the static conflict between safety and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the barrier structure into separable components (platform member, barrier member, hinge mechanism) that can be independently positioned or folded. This segmentation allows the structure to be configured in multiple states - extended for pet safety and folded/collapsed for human access - enabling flexible resolution of the accessibility conflict.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable pet apparatus has a rigid platform member, a rigid barrier member, and a support member. The rigid barrier member is attached to one end of the rigid platform member by a hinge. The support member is attached to the rigid platform member at its other end with a hinge. The support member may be attached to a vertical wall below a pet door opening. When the foldable pet apparatus is in a deployed position, the rigid platform member provides a place for a pet to stand after it passes through the pet door. The rigid barrier member prevents the pet from going straight off of the end of the rigid platform member. The pet must turn to the right or left to leave the platform. When the foldable pet apparatus is in the collapsed position, it blocks the pet door opening.