Hideaway Pet Stair Assembly with Retractable Steps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pet comfort and mobility products, such as step stools and rigid stairs, are clutter-prone and pose tripping hazards while assisting pets in accessing furniture, and they do not adequately address the mobility needs of smaller or aging pets.
Innovation Solution
A hideaway stair assembly with a collapsible construction that integrates into furniture, featuring a motor-driven flexible shaft coupling to extend and retract steps, including a user interface and adhesive or wheeled bases for secure positioning, allowing pets to conveniently access furniture items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If step stools or rigid stairs are used to assist pets onto furniture, then pet mobility access is improved, but clutter and tripping hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The steps are nested within a housing structure that can be collapsed or retracted. When not in use, the steps fold inside the housing, creating a compact storage unit that eliminates clutter and tripping hazards while maintaining accessibility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The step assembly transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one that can extend and retract. The steps can be deployed when a pet needs access to furniture and retracted when not needed, adapting to different usage conditions and eliminating permanent clutter.
2Ease of operation
If traditional step stools are used, then pet access to furniture is facilitated, but device complexity and clutter remain
Solution Approach 1:
The housing combines multiple functions: it serves as the structural support for the steps, the storage compartment when collapsed, and the decorative exterior. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing serves multiple purposes: supporting the steps during use, containing them when collapsed, providing a stable base, and serving as the external aesthetic element. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for separate structural and aesthetic components.
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
Provides a discreet, safe, and easy-to-use pet stair system that minimizes clutter and tripping hazards, offering comfortable access to furniture for pets with impaired mobility while maintaining a sleek, integrated design.
Implementation Method 1
A motor drives the shaft and moves the plurality of steps between the retracted configuration and the extended configuration
Implementation Method 2
Each of the plurality of bases may include an adhesive surface to grip the ground surface
Implementation Method 3
the bottom includes a plurality of wheels to facilitate movement of the apparatus
Data Source
AI summary
A hideaway stair assembly is disclosed, including a housing and a plurality of steps at least partially retained within the housing in a retracted configuration and the plurality of steps at least partially extended from the housing in an extended configuration. The plurality of steps are coupled to a shaft coupled to a flexible shaft coupling. A motor drives the shaft and moves the plurality of steps between the retracted configuration and the extended configuration to allow convenient access to a furniture item by a pet.