Mobile Chair Drawer Layout to Prevent Jamming and Item Spillage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mobile chairs with storage capabilities face issues such as uneven item positioning causing difficulty in closing the drawer and items being knocked or jammed, leading to accessibility problems.

Innovation Solution

A chair design featuring a frame with track assemblies that allow the drawer to move with a clearance between its upper surface and the seat, enabling easy opening and closing even when overflowing, and incorporating a tray for additional storage of larger items.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the drawer is positioned directly under the seat, then storage capability is provided, but items can be knocked to the floor or jam the drawer when stacked unevenly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capabilityVSAvoiddrawer operation reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The drawer is repositioned from a horizontal arrangement directly under the seat to a vertical arrangement hanging from the frame branches. This dimensional change allows items to extend above the drawer without interfering with seat closure, while the clearance space prevents items from being knocked to the floor or jamming the drawer mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If items are stacked unevenly above the drawer profile, then storage flexibility is improved, but drawer closing becomes difficult or items are knocked to the floor

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage flexibilityVSAvoiddrawer closing ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A clearance space is introduced as an intermediary buffer zone between the drawer upper surface and the seat bottom surface. This clearance acts as a mediator that absorbs the irregularities of unevenly stacked items, allowing the drawer to close smoothly without knocking items to the floor or getting jammed, while still permitting storage flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Volume of moving object

If the drawer is positioned close to the seat, then space utilization is improved, but accessibility and ease of opening/closing are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace utilizationVSAvoiddrawer accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of positioning the drawer horizontally under the seat (conventional approach), the invention inverts the arrangement by hanging the drawer vertically from the frame branches below the seat. This inversion provides easier accessibility and opening/closing operation, while the vertical positioning maintains efficient space utilization within the available volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS7658442B1Mobile chair with storage capabilities

Publication Date: 2010.02.09 WHITESIDE MANUFACTURING CO

AI summary

A chair (10) includes a frame (11) which carries a seat (29). Opposed track assemblies (30) depend downwardly from branches (12, 13) of the frame (11) and slidably carry a drawer (40). The drawer (40) is thereby positioned below the branches (12, 13) and below the seat (29) by a substantial distance so that items in the drawer which extend above the upper surface of the drawer do not engage the seat (25). Branches (14, 15) of the frame (11) may carry a tray (20).