Ground Sheet with Perimeter Sand Guard and Tent Anchor Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beach towels accumulate sand, which can create a mess and spread to vehicles or homes, and existing sand-reducing mats have limitations in preventing sand ingress and supporting structures like tents.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a sand guard around the perimeter of the towel or mat, using ground-penetrating stakes or inflatable chambers to prevent sand ingress, and integrating structures to anchor tents or create defined play areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a towel or mat is placed on sand to provide ground cover, then it offers comfort and protection, but sand penetrates and accumulates on the towel surface creating mess
Solution Approach 1:
A sand guard barrier is introduced as an intermediary element between the sand and the towel surface. The sand guard comprises a barrier material that blocks sand penetration while allowing the towel to maintain its ground cover function. This intermediary structure prevents direct contact between sand and the towel, solving the sand accumulation problem without compromising the towel's protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The sand guard utilizes a flexible barrier material that can conform to the ground surface while maintaining its sand-blocking properties. The thin film structure of the sand guard effectively prevents sand penetration while remaining lightweight and easy to deploy around the towel perimeter.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a sand-reducing mat with mesh structure is used, then sand can drop through to the ground, but it lacks ability to support structures like tents
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional components: the sand guard barrier for sand prevention and the towel or mat for ground cover and comfort. The sand guard can be configured with stakes or anchors that provide structural support points, while the main towel area remains lightweight and comfortable. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The sand guard incorporates a composite structure combining a barrier material with integrated stake or anchor elements. This composite design provides both sand blocking capability and structural support strength, enabling the sand guard to serve dual functions of sand prevention and structure anchoring simultaneously.
3Reliability
If ground-penetrating stakes are used to anchor the sand guard, then sand ingress is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sand guard barrier and anchoring stakes are merged into a single integrated product. The stakes are permanently attached to the sand guard barrier, eliminating the need for separate anchoring components. This integration simplifies the overall system while maintaining reliable sand prevention and stability, as users only need to deploy the single combined unit rather than assembling multiple separate elements.
Data Source
AI summary
New forms of ground-covering sheets, and other devices, systems and methods providing protection from sand, dust, debris, and fluids are provided. In some aspects of the invention, ground-covering sheets with an integral vertical guard, provided around a periphery of such ground-covering sheets, are provided. In several embodiments, specialized ground-covering sheets are provided with reinforced, specialized sections configured to receive and hold tent legs and other rigid members parts of structures mounted in, on or about such ground-covering sheets. In some such embodiments, such reinforced, specialized sections include specialized reversible fasteners for interfacing with and holding feet of the tent legs. In other embodiments, the ground-covering sheets are configured to reversibly conjoin with auxiliary components, such as a fluid-holding basin provided below such a ground-covering sheet.