Furniture Glide Assembly With Resilient Self-Leveling Stabilizer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Legged furniture often becomes unstable due to manufacturing defects or uneven surfaces, leading to damage to the support surfaces and potential injuries, and existing glide devices fail to adequately address these issues due to manufacturing tolerances and wear and tear.

Innovation Solution

A glide device with a stabilizer and fastener system that includes a shank with lugs or fins for secure mounting and a resilient member for self-leveling, designed to be adaptable to various mounting cavities and surfaces, providing stabilization and wear resistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If traditional glide devices are used on furniture, then the furniture can move smoothly on surfaces, but the glide devices become unstable on uneven surfaces and fail to protect the support surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurface damageVSAvoidstability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The glide device incorporates a resilient member that allows dynamic adjustment and self-leveling on uneven surfaces. The resilient member enables the glide device to adapt to surface variations while maintaining stability and protective function, resolving the contradiction between stability and surface protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The glide device uses a composite structure combining a resilient member with a protective body. This composite design provides both the flexibility needed for uneven surfaces and the durability required for surface protection, addressing the contradiction between stability and harm prevention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If glide devices are securely fastened to furniture legs, then stability is improved, but manufacturing tolerances and wear still cause failure over time

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestabilityVSAvoidservice life

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient member acts as a cushioning element that compensates for manufacturing tolerances and wear over time. By incorporating this cushioning mechanism beforehand, the glide device maintains its fastening effectiveness and stability throughout its service life, addressing the contradiction between initial stability and long-term durability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If plastic cup glides are used to protect surfaces, then surface protection is provided temporarily, but the sidewalls fatigue and crack over time causing further damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurface damageVSAvoidservice life

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the material parameters by incorporating a resilient member that can withstand fatigue and compression without cracking. This parameter change in material properties extends the service life of the glide device while maintaining its surface protection function, resolving the contradiction between temporary protection and long-term durability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Strength

If furniture is designed with durable materials, then longevity is achieved, but manufacturing imperfections cause instability and surface damage

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidstability

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient member acts as an intermediary element between the furniture leg and the support surface. It compensates for manufacturing imperfections in the durable furniture materials, providing stability while maintaining the durability benefits of the original furniture construction, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 glide device effectively stabilizes furniture on uneven surfaces, prevents damage to support surfaces, and maintains stability over time by using a resilient member and secure fastening system, addressing the limitations of existing glide devices.

Implementation Method 1

a resilient member interposed between the foot portion and the unitary body and operates to conform to contours on a contact surface of the foot portion to stabilize the support leg

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

The fastener includes a lug which provides friction against an inner surface of a mounting cavity to resist removal of the stabilizer from the foot portion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentUS7762506B2Glide device and article of furniture incorporating the same

Publication Date: 2010.07.27 MAX TECH PRODS

AI summary

Provided is a glide device for use in stabilizing an object on a support surface. In one embodiment, the glide device is adapted to be mounted between the contact surface and the object and includes a stabilizer, which has opposed first and second surfaces and a body extending therebetween. The stabilizer is mounted to the object with a fastener that includes an elongate shank and at least one lug projecting away from the shank.