Modular Worktop with Combined Pivot-Slide Extension Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular tables with articulated extensions lack a mechanism that allows for both rectilinear translation and pivoting, limiting their ability to efficiently change configuration between retracted and deployed states while maintaining compactness and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A modular work surface with a combined pivot and slide connection that allows the movable extension to translate and pivot, featuring an axis of movement perpendicular to the plane of the worktop, enabling the extension to be aligned with the edge of the tray and then retracted below it, with an optional additional slide connection for further configuration adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If existing modular tables use only pivot axes or sliding pivots with axes parallel to the table top, then the extensions can be deployed and retracted, but the mechanism cannot achieve both rectilinear translation and pivoting simultaneously, limiting configuration efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a pivot connection and a sliding connection into a single integrated articulation mechanism. The sliding connection allows rectilinear translation of the extension along the axis perpendicular to the table top, while the pivot connection enables rotational movement. These two functions are merged into one coordinated system that achieves both translation and pivoting simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between operational efficiency and mechanism complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces movement along the vertical axis (perpendicular to the table top) through the sliding connection, adding a new dimension to the traditional pivot-only mechanism. This vertical translation capability complements the horizontal pivoting motion, enabling the extension to move from a retracted position below the table top to a deployed position aligned with the edge, thereby improving configuration efficiency without excessive complexity.
2Area of stationary object
If the extensions are arranged in rings around a central table top with complex deployment mechanisms, then the usable surface area can be enlarged, but the retracted configuration becomes bulky and less compact
Solution Approach 1:
The extension is designed to be nested below the table top when retracted, utilizing the vertical space underneath the table surface. The sliding connection enables the extension to translate vertically into this unused space, achieving a compact retracted configuration. When deployed, the extension pivots into alignment with the table top edge, enlarging the usable surface area without increasing the footprint when not in use.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sliding pivots with axes perpendicular to the work surface are used to move extensions between high and low positions, then the extensions can be deployed, but the mechanism requires additional articulations and becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sliding connection and pivot connection into a single integrated articulation system. The sliding connection handles the vertical translation between high and low positions, while the pivot connection manages the rotational deployment. By combining these functions into one coordinated mechanism rather than using separate articulations, the patent achieves versatile extension deployment capability while minimizing the number of components and simplifying the overall structure.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3E
AI summary
Modular work surface (1) comprising a platform (3) and at least one movable extension (7) linked to the platform (3) by means of at least one joint (9) to allow a change of configuration of the work surface (1) between a retracted configuration in which the at least one movable extension (7) is arranged below the platform (3) of the work surface (1) and a deployed configuration in which the movable extension (7) is aligned with the edge of the platform (3) and at the same height as the platform (3), characterized in that the joint (9) linking the at least one movable extension (7) to the platform (3) is a combined pivot and sliding joint (9) on the pivot axis,this combined linkage (9) having an axis of movement (X) perpendicular to the plane of the platform (3) of the work surface (1) such that the angle of inclination between this axis of movement (X) and the platform (3) of the work surface (1) is between 85° and 95° and is more particularly equal to 90°.