Outdoor Bench with Removable Auxiliary Leg for Stacking and Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor benches for multiple persons are often heavy, difficult to transport, and lack armrests, which affects comfort and stability, especially on uneven surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A plastic Adirondack-style bench designed for two persons with a reclined seat, armrests, and an auxiliary leg that can be decoupled for easy stacking and transportation, enhancing shipping and storage efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bench is designed to accommodate multiple persons with armrests and additional support legs, then comfort and stability are improved, but weight and difficulty of transport increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bench is divided into separate modular components including the seat assembly with armrests, backrest, and removable auxiliary legs. This segmentation allows the main bench structure to be lighter while stability is achieved through optional addition of auxiliary legs when needed, rather than permanently including all stabilizing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary legs are designed to be removably coupled to the seat, allowing the bench configuration to dynamically adapt between a lighter, more portable state (legs removed) and a heavier, more stable state (legs attached). This dynamic reconfiguration resolves the contradiction between weight and stability.
2Reliability
If the bench includes additional support legs for stability on uneven surfaces, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is segmented into essential permanent legs and optional auxiliary legs that can be independently attached or removed. This modular approach adds stability functionality without permanently increasing structural complexity, as the auxiliary legs are simple removable components rather than integrated complex mechanisms.
3Strength
If the bench is designed as a single unit for durability, then strength is improved, but ease of manufacture and transport worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The bench is manufactured as separate components (seat, backrest, legs, armrests) that are then assembled together. This modular manufacturing approach improves ease of manufacture and transport compared to single-unit construction, while the assembled structure maintains sufficient strength for its intended use.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple separate components are combined through coupling mechanisms to form the complete bench assembly. The armrests are integrated with both the seat and backrest structures, creating a unified assembly that achieves structural strength while retaining the manufacturing advantages of modular construction.
4Ease of operation
If the bench includes armrests extending from backrest to front corners, then comfort is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The armrests are merged with both the seat and backrest structures, forming integrated components rather than separate additions. This merging approach provides the comfort benefits of armrests while reducing overall complexity compared to having fully independent armrest assemblies, as the armrests share structural elements with adjacent components.
Data Source
AI summary
An outdoor bench for two persons is provided that includes a seat having rear corners and front corners, a backrest that extends upward from the seat at an angle having sides. The outdoor bench may include rear legs positioned near the rear corners of the seat and front legs positioned near the front corners. The outdoor bench includes armrests that extend from the sides of the backrest to the front corners of the seat and front legs. The outdoor bench includes an auxiliary leg coupled to the seat between the rear legs. The auxiliary leg may be permanently coupled to the seat by a snap-fit to a coupling aperture of the seat. This outdoor bench offers comfortable seating for two individuals and enhances transportation and shipment of the outdoor bench by saving space due the stacking capabilities of the benches with the auxiliary leg removed.