High Chair Tray Shield with Movable Sections for Food Mess Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High chairs for infants and young children often result in food being displaced from the tray and onto the floor and surrounding objects, causing mess and difficulty in accessing the tray for adding or removing food and cleaning spills during feeding.
Innovation Solution
A shield for high chair trays that can be configured to prevent food from being thrown over the sides while allowing easy access to the tray during meals, featuring movable sections that can be closed or opened to accommodate food addition and cleaning, and can be made of flexible materials that expand or retract accordion-like for easy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a shield is attached to the high chair tray to prevent food from being thrown over the sides, then food mess on the floor and surrounding objects is minimized, but access to the tray for adding or removing food and cleaning spills becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The shield incorporates movable sections that can transition between closed and open positions. The first section is movable relative to the second section, allowing the shield to dynamically adjust its configuration. This enables the shield to provide protection when closed and allow access when opened, resolving the contradiction between preventing food mess and enabling tray access.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield is divided into multiple sections rather than being a single rigid structure. The first section and second section can move independently relative to each other, creating segmented functionality. This segmentation allows parts of the shield to remain closed while other parts open, maintaining protection for portions of the tray while enabling access to specific areas.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield is made rigid to effectively block food disposal, then protection against food mess is improved, but the shield becomes difficult to clean and store
Solution Approach 1:
The shield uses movable sections that can be opened and closed, transforming a static rigid structure into a dynamic one. This allows the shield to maintain rigidity when closed for effective blocking, while enabling easy opening for cleaning access and compact folding for storage, resolving the contradiction between protection effectiveness and ease of maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable sections of the shield can be folded or nested together when not in use, creating a compact storage configuration. This nesting capability allows the shield to be easily stored when not needed, while maintaining its full protective function when deployed and closed, addressing the contradiction between rigid protection and ease of storage.
Data Source
AI summary
A shield for a tray for a high chair that in a first configuration prevents or minimizes a child's opportunity to dispose of food over and around the shield and in a second configuration, with the shield still remaining attached to the high chair allows, for easy access to the tray, e.g., during the feeding process with the child in the chair.