Light-Transmissive Walker Tray for Visibility and Universal Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional walker trays are not universally removable, often obstructive, and reduce visibility, increasing the risk of tripping and falling due to their design and material limitations, and they fail to accommodate various walker designs effectively.
Innovation Solution
A walker tray with laterally opposable handle-receiving apertures and a tray support portion made of light-transmissive material, featuring adjustable attachment mechanisms to fit different walker designs, reducing the forward and downward viewing angle and enhancing visibility by allowing light to pass through.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional walker trays are used, then item support function is provided, but visibility is reduced and tripping risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is made from transparent or translucent material, allowing light to pass through and enabling the user to see through the tray. This eliminates the visibility obstruction caused by traditional opaque trays while maintaining the item support function, directly resolving the contradiction between safety and visibility.
2Reliability
If conventional walker trays are used, then item support is provided, but the trays are obstructive and reduce mobility
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is designed to be removable and repositionable, allowing users to attach it when needed for item support and remove it when mobility is prioritized. This dynamic configuration enables the tray to adapt between providing stable support and not obstructing movement, resolving the contradiction between item support stability and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The walker system is segmented into separate components: the walker frame and the removable tray. This segmentation allows the tray to be independently attached or detached, providing item support when attached and eliminating obstruction when removed, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and mobility.
3Reliability
If conventional walker trays are used, then item support is provided, but they do not accommodate various walker designs
Solution Approach 1:
The tray incorporates adjustable attachment mechanisms with multiple positioning options that can accommodate different walker designs and configurations. This universal design allows the same tray to be adapted to various walker types, resolving the contradiction between providing reliable item support and accommodating diverse walker designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism includes adjustable and reconfigurable components that can be dynamically positioned to fit different walker geometries. This dynamic adjustability enables the tray to maintain stable item support functionality across multiple walker design variations, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
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 tray provides stable, removable support for items while allowing users to maintain better visibility and safety by accommodating various walker designs, reducing the risk of accidents.
Implementation Method 1
a tray support portion made of light-transmissive material, featuring adjustable attachment mechanisms to fit different walker designs, reducing the forward and downward viewing angle and enhancing visibility by allowing light to pass through
Data Source
AI summary
A walker tray is removably attachable to a walker for enabling a user to support items. In some embodiments, the walker tray is light-transmissive for enabling a user to see through the tray. The walker tray includes a tray-to-walker attachment mechanism, and in this regard, some embodiments either include a pair of laterally opposed handle-receiving apertures or resilient clip elements. In those embodiments having handle-receiving apertures for mounting the tray upon the walker, each aperture has an aperture and an aperture width. The aperture lengths and aperture widths are configured to receive at least upper handle portions of a walker. Each of the handle-receiving apertures are defined inwardly by an inner leg-engaging edge configured to engage at least a forward leg portion and a rearward leg portion. Together the forward and rearward leg portions and the inner leg-engaging edge are cooperable to support the walker tray upon the walker.