Nesting Stool Assembly to Reduce Stack Height and Improve Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stacking stools increase in height with each layer, making them unsuitable for spatially and aesthetically inefficient, and unsafe for sitting due to lack of locking mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A set of stools designed to nest into an enclosed table, comprising a top, middle, and bottom stool, where middle stools are shorter by the height of the platform to fit within the top and bottom stools, forming a stable, concealed table or stool configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional stools are stacked one on top of another, then the number of seating options increases, but the stack increases in height making it spatially inefficient and aesthetically suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by designing stools of varying sizes that can be placed inside one another, with smaller stools fitting within the footprint of larger stools. This allows multiple seating options to be stored in a compact vertical arrangement rather than creating a tall unstable stack, resolving the contradiction between providing multiple seats and maintaining compact storage height.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional stools are stacked for extra seating, then seating capacity increases, but the stack becomes unsafe due to lack of locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by placing the largest stool at the bottom of the stack rather than at the top. This inverted size arrangement creates a stable base that supports smaller stools above, naturally providing structural stability and safety without requiring additional locking mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between increased seating capacity and stack safety.
3Reliability
If multiple stools are kept separate for safety, then stability is maintained, but spatial efficiency and aesthetic appeal are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by allowing stools to be nested within one another when not in use, minimizing the storage footprint. When needed, stools can be separated and used individually, maintaining stability. The nesting capability provides spatial efficiency while the individual stool design ensures stability when used separately.
Data Source
AI summary
A piece of furniture that includes a plurality of stools that stack/nest into an enclosed table may include a top stool, a first middle stool, a second middle stool, and a bottom stool. The top stool and the bottom stool may each include a platform and legs extending downward from a bottom surface of the platform proximate to an outer edge of the platform. The first middle stool and the second middle stool may each include a platform and legs extending from an outer circumference of the platform. The middle stools may each be shorter than the top stool and the bottom stool by a distance equal to a height of the platform, such that they are configured to nest within the space created by the mating of the top stool and an inverted bottom stool.