Nested Swimming Pool Step Assembly Reduces Shipping Volume
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing swimming pool step assemblies face challenges in shipping and assembly, as they are often bulky and require complex handling, making them expensive to transport and difficult for consumers to assemble.
Innovation Solution
A segmented swimming pool step assembly with vertically stackable components, fabricated from non-buoyant high-strength polymeric materials like injection molded ABS, which can be nested for compact shipping and easily assembled by consumers, featuring recesses for secure stacking and a removable handrail assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional swimming pool step assemblies are designed with multiple components for functionality, then they provide necessary features for pool entry and exit, but they become bulky and difficult to ship and assemble
Solution Approach 1:
The step assembly is divided into multiple detachable components including steps, handrails, and mounting brackets that can be separately packaged and easily assembled. The handrails are segmented into sections that can be attached to different steps, allowing for flexible configuration and simplified assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates nested structures where smaller components fit within larger ones. Handrails can be stored within the recesses of the steps, and mounting brackets can be positioned within the step structures, creating a compact packaged volume that reduces shipping space requirements.
2Reliability
If swimming pool step assemblies are made with sufficient structural components, then they ensure safety and functionality, but they increase shipping costs and package size
Solution Approach 1:
Components are designed to nest within each other when not in use. The handrails can be positioned within the recesses of the steps, and the mounting brackets integrate within the step structures, significantly reducing the overall package volume while maintaining full structural functionality when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional elements are merged into integrated components. The handrails incorporate mounting brackets as part of their structure, and the steps include integrated recesses for both handrail attachment and component nesting, reducing the total number of separate parts while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If swimming pool step assemblies use traditional shipping methods, then they can be transported, but they incur higher shipping costs due to bulkiness
Solution Approach 1:
The nested design allows components to be packed within each other, dramatically reducing the shipping volume. The handrails fit within step recesses, and all components can be contained in a single compact box, enabling economical shipping through standard carriers.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly is segmented into separately packable components that can be shipped in a single compact package. This segmentation allows for optimized packaging that reduces shipping volume while maintaining the ability to assemble the full structure upon delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
A swimming pool step assembly includes a plurality of steps which can be stacked in a vertical array including a top step, bottom step and, optionally one or more intermediate steps between the top step and the bottom step, each step having a top surface, a periphery, and a bottom, wherein the bottoms of at least the bottom step and the intermediate step(s) each include a recess configured to receive an adjacent higher step in the vertical array.