Folding beverage ice cooler table
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooler tables are heavy, cumbersome to transport, and lack adequate thermal insulation, leading to moisture condensation on their surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A cooler table with a blow-molded, double-walled tabletop and collapsible leg assemblies, featuring a sloped upper surface for liquid drainage and integrated leg support structures, providing lightweight construction and improved thermal insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a solid tabletop structure is used, then the table provides structural strength, but the table becomes heavy and cumbersome to transport
Solution Approach 1:
The tabletop is divided into multiple hollow compartments instead of being a solid structure. Each compartment is separated by internal walls, creating a segmented layout that reduces overall weight while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed compartment design.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabletop utilizes thin-walled hollow compartments with optimized wall thickness to achieve the required strength-to-weight ratio. The blow-molded construction creates durable thin-shell structures that provide structural support without the mass of solid material.
2Strength
If a solid tabletop structure is used, then the table is structurally sound, but thermal insulation performance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented compartment design creates multiple air-filled chambers within the tabletop structure. These air pockets act as thermal insulators, reducing heat transfer between the interior and exterior of the table while maintaining structural strength through the compartment walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow compartment structure effectively creates a porous configuration with air-filled spaces distributed throughout the tabletop. This porous architecture provides thermal insulation by trapping air, which has low thermal conductivity, within the compartment walls and spaces.
3Strength
If a solid tabletop structure is used, then the table maintains structural integrity, but moisture condensation occurs excessively on outer surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented hollow compartment structure reduces thermal mass and improves thermal insulation, minimizing temperature differentials between the tabletop interior and exterior surfaces. This reduces the driving force for condensation formation while maintaining structural integrity through the compartment design.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabletop functions as a composite structure combining the molded material walls with trapped air insulation layers. This composite architecture provides both structural integrity and thermal insulation properties that prevent excessive condensation on outer surfaces.
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 design enables easy transportation and setup, reduces moisture condensation, and maintains chilled beverages effectively, while ensuring structural integrity and insulation performance.
Implementation Method 1
The hollow tabletop structure provides thermal insulation, maintaining chilled temperatures and reducing moisture condensation on outer surfaces
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A cooler table (10) includes a blow-molded tabletop (12) that forms a tray for holding ice, and two collapsible leg assemblies (44a, 44b) for supporting the tabletop. The tabletop has an upper surface (14), a perimeter lip (20), and a lower surface (26). The upper surface slopes downward from its outer edges to accommodate flow of liquid toward an upper drain aperture (18) as the ice melts. The lower surface of the tabletop includes an outer perimeter portion, a central portion, a first end portion, a second end portion, a first side portion, and a second side portion. The outer perimeter portion includes a first side perimeter portion, a second side perimeter portion, a first end perimeter portion, and a second end perimeter portion. The central portion is disposed between the first and second side perimeter portions and between the first and second end perimeter portions. The central portion is spaced apart from the upper surface and has a lower drain aperture (32) that is aligned with the upper drain aperture.