Modular Transfer Bench with Adjustable Legs for Tub Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional transfer benches and mobility aids are unstable due to tub curvature, lack customization, and interfere with shower curtains, making it difficult for users to comfortably move in and out of tubs while maintaining stability and preventing water splashing.
Innovation Solution
A modular seating apparatus with adjustable leg members, a cube-like design, and integrated drainage features, allowing for customization and stability adjustments to accommodate uneven surfaces and tubs, while enabling the passage of shower curtains between connected benches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional transfer benches are designed with fixed structure, then manufacturing is simple, but stability is poor due to tub curvature
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer bench is divided into modular components: a seat portion, a first leg member, and a second leg member that can be selectively attached and detached. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the leg members can be shaped to conform to tub curvature while the seat provides a stable platform, resolving the contradiction between stability and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg members are designed with adjustable and reconfigurable characteristics, allowing them to adapt to different tub curvatures and positions. The selective attachability enables the structure to be dynamically configured for optimal stability on various tub surfaces, rather than being fixed for a single configuration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If prior art benches have complex curvature design, then they can accommodate tub shapes, but they are unstable due to tub curvature
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the transfer bench into distinct modular components (seat and leg members), the design achieves both adaptability and stability. The leg members can be configured to match tub curvature for adaptability, while the modular connection provides a stable, level seating surface independent of the curved tub surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the transfer bench have specialized functions: the leg members are designed to contact and adapt to the curved tub surface, while the seat portion maintains a flat, stable surface for the user. This local specialization allows each component to optimize its properties for its specific function, achieving both tub accommodation and user stability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If transfer benches are designed as single unit, then structure is simple, but customization ability is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer bench is divided into separate modular components that can be selectively assembled. Users can customize the configuration by attaching or detaching leg members and adjusting their positions, enabling adaptation to different tub types and user needs without requiring a completely different device for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular components are designed with universal attachment mechanisms that allow the same basic components to be configured in multiple ways for different applications. The leg members can be attached in various positions and orientations to accommodate different tub curvatures and heights, providing universal adaptability across diverse bathing scenarios.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If prior art benches interfere with shower curtain, then curtain passage is blocked, but water splashing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts the functional elements needed for stability (leg members contacting the tub) while removing the interference with shower curtains. The modular leg members are positioned and configured to provide stability without extending into the shower curtain's path, allowing the curtain to pass freely between or around the bench components.
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer bench utilizes the vertical dimension by having leg members that contact the tub surface at elevated points, rather than extending horizontally into the shower space. This vertical positioning provides stability through tub contact while clearing the horizontal path needed for shower curtain movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A bench (100) includes an upper member (101), a first leg member (103), and a second leg member (102). The first leg member and the second leg member can be selectively attachable to the upper member. The upper member includes a substantially planar portion (104), a first side end portion (105), and a second side end portion (106). The substantially planar portion can define a seat (113) for a user, where the seat defines a seat width (116) and a seat length (117). The first leg member and the second leg member can define a leg member length (120) that is coextensive with seat length and the lengths of the side end portions. The leg members can include an adjustment mechanism (203) to selectively alter a height (207) of the one or both of the first leg member or the second leg member.