Lounge assemblies for supporting portable electronic devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices used in public spaces face issues with privacy, audio interference, optimal viewing angles, glare, and suboptimal lighting, making it difficult for users to access digital content and engage in video conferencing without disturbing others.
Innovation Solution
A lounge chair with a high backrest and a portable device support structure that includes a hood providing privacy, adjustable mounting for optimal device positioning, integrated lighting and audio components, and the option to rotate for enhanced privacy and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a portable device is manually hand-held in an optimal position in front of the user's face, then the display can be viewed optimally and video conferencing can be conducted with natural video, but the user experiences fatigue after just a few minutes and cannot maintain the device in the optimal position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the support function from the user's hand and transfers it to a dedicated device stand or mount positioned in front of the user. This allows the device to be held in the optimal viewing position without requiring continuous manual support, thereby eliminating fatigue while maintaining the ergonomic benefits of the optimal position.
Solution Approach 2:
The device stand or mounting mechanism provides self-support for the portable device, allowing it to maintain the optimal position autonomously without user intervention. The structure is designed to hold the device steadily at the correct angle and location, enabling long-duration use without fatigue.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a portable device is used in a public space, then accessibility and connectivity are improved, but privacy is compromised as other people can see the display screen and overhear spoken words
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces localized privacy measures such as positionable shields, adjustable angles, and directional positioning that create private viewing zones around the device. These local modifications allow the user to maintain privacy in specific directions while still using the device in public spaces, enabling selective information protection without isolating the user entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs intermediary elements such as privacy screens, positioning structures, and spatial arrangements that mediate between the user and surrounding environment. These intermediaries block or redirect visual and auditory information flow, protecting sensitive content while allowing public space utilization.
3Ease of operation
If the device is positioned away from the user's mouth in a loud environment like an airport terminal, then the device can be viewed comfortably, but the user must increase voice volume which disturbs others and creates audio interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the device in a spatial arrangement that creates an acoustic boundary between the user's mouth and the device microphone, utilizing the three-dimensional space around the user. By positioning the device at specific angles and distances, the structure exploits spatial dimensions to reduce direct sound transmission while maintaining viewing comfort.
Data Source
AI summary
A lounge assembly for supporting a portable electronic device having a display screen in a viewable position, the assembly including a base, a hood including a wall structure that includes an internal surface that forms a substantially downwardly opening cavity, the cavity including a front portion and a rear portion, the cavity opening circumscribed by a lower edge that has a front edge portion adjacent the front portion of the cavity and a support device supported by the base adjacent the front edge portion, the support device configured to receive and support the portable electronic device with the device display screen facing at least one of the cavity and a space below the cavity.