Multi-Position Foot Rest for Adjustable Patron Comfort in Spa Bowls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foot spas often fail to provide optimal comfort for patrons and estheticians due to variations in stature, leading to suboptimal positioning and discomfort during foot treatments.
Innovation Solution
A foot spa subassembly with adjustable pads that can move between four positions to accommodate different leg lengths, allowing for customizable foot placement and support, featuring hinges, shaft and bushing arrangements, and locking pins for secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed-position foot rests are used in foot spas, then the structure is simple and stable, but comfort is reduced for patrons and estheticians of varying statures
Solution Approach 1:
The foot rest pads are made movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be positioned at multiple locations along the bowl rim. Each pad can be adjusted to different angular positions and distances from the center, enabling adaptation to various patron and esthetician statures while maintaining structural simplicity through a straightforward rotation and positioning mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The foot rest system is divided into separate, independently adjustable pads rather than a single fixed structure. Each pad can be individually positioned and locked at different locations, allowing customized configuration for different users while keeping the overall device structure simple and modular
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable pad positions are implemented, then adaptability to different leg lengths is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pads incorporate rotation mechanisms with locking capability, allowing them to be dynamically repositioned to different angular locations around the bowl. This enables accommodation of various leg lengths and body statures while using a relatively simple mechanical system consisting of rotation axes and locking elements rather than complex actuation mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism is designed to be manually operated by the user without requiring external power or complex control systems. The locking mechanism holds the pads in selected positions, and the system can be reconfigured by users themselves, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for use by a seated person includes a pad for each leg, having a base and an end and, in use: a first position exists that has the base is proximal and the end is distal to the seat and the pad extends horizontally from base to end; a second position with the end is proximal to and the base is distal to the seat and the pad extends horizontally from base to end; a third position with the base is proximal and the end is distal to the seat and the end is elevated above the base; a fourth position with the end is proximal to and the base is distal to the seat and the end is elevated above the base, the pads being positioned such that when similarly positioned, the pads are spaced apart in the direction between the ischial bones of the person.