Foldable Rigid-Panel Tree Skirt for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Christmas tree skirts made of rigid materials are difficult to store and retail due to their large size, as they do not easily collapse or fold for space-saving purposes.
Innovation Solution
A foldable tree skirt with enclosed pockets containing rigid panels and attachment devices that allow for easy assembly and disassembly, forming a three-dimensional enclosure around the tree stand, and featuring poles with connectors to maintain shape, enabling compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid materials are used to make tree skirts, then the decorative appearance and structural stability are improved, but the storage space requirement and retail display difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tree skirt is divided into multiple rigid panels that are connected by flexible connectors, allowing the structure to be segmented for compact folding and storage while maintaining structural integrity when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
The tree skirt incorporates flexible connectors and foldable mechanisms that enable the rigid structure to dynamically transition between an expanded decorative state and a compact storage state, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and storage efficiency
2Shape
If rigid materials are used to make tree skirts, then the decorative appearance is improved, but the ease of storage and retail display deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The skirt is segmented into multiple rigid panels with flexible connectors, allowing it to be folded into a compact form for easy storage and retail display while maintaining its decorative shape when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
Flexible connectors and fabric elements are used to join rigid panels, enabling the structure to be folded and stored compactly while maintaining the decorative appearance when in use
3Area of stationary object
If traditional rigid skirts are used, then the tree stand coverage is improved, but the retail space requirement and storage difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coverage area is achieved through multiple rigid panels that can be folded together, providing full tree stand coverage when assembled but allowing compact storage when disassembled, reducing retail and storage complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable tree skirt to cover a tree stand for a tree or Christmas tree. The cover includes a plurality of enclosed pockets containing rigid panels therein, and an attachment device for attaching a first end of the cover with a second end of the cover. The cover with the enclosed panels within the pockets of the cover is foldable in a disassemble state. In an assembled state, the cover is releasably secured together to form a three-dimensional enclosure having a substantially continuous sidewall adapted to surround the tree stand of the Christmas tree. The plurality of poles with pole connectors are assembled to removably fit onto the top of the inside sidewall and onto the bottom inside sidewalls of the cover, so as to maintain the three-dimensional shape, i.e. cone shape. The cover can be a single piece that wrappers around the tree stand and/or fits around the tree trunk.