Pool Table Dinner Tray Storage Frame with Vertical Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pool tables do not have a convenient and efficient method for storing a dinner tray, which is bulky and requires significant effort to move and store.
Innovation Solution
A storage device for pool tables that includes a support frame with stops for fixing it to the pool table chassis, allowing vertical movement between a returned position for storage and a deployed position for use, with retaining means to secure the frame in both positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the dinner tray is stored away from the pool table, then the tray can be kept when not in use, but the effort required to move and store the tray increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The storage device merges the dinner tray storage function with the pool table structure itself. The support frame is integrated into the pool table chassis, and the tray is stored within the same structural system, eliminating the need for separate storage locations and reducing transport effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The support frame is designed to be movable between a retracted position (when tray is not in use) and an extended position (when tray is in use). This dynamic structure allows the storage system to adapt to different usage states, making the tray easy to access and store without significant effort.
2Ease of operation
If the support frame is always extended to hold the tray, then the tray is easily accessible, but the space under the pool table is wasted when the tray is not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame transitions between retracted and extended positions based on whether the tray is in use. When the tray is not needed, the frame retracts into the pool table chassis, allowing the space under the table to be utilized or simply maintaining a clean appearance. When the tray is needed, the frame extends to provide easy accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The support frame is designed to nest within the pool table chassis when not in use. The frame structure can be folded or collapsed into the available space under the table, similar to a nested doll configuration, maximizing space utilization while maintaining accessibility when needed.
3Reliability
If the support frame is made robust to carry the tray, then the tray can be securely held, but the frame becomes more visible and bulky when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame is designed to be robust and visible only when needed - i.e., when extended to hold the tray. When retracted into the pool table chassis, the frame becomes hidden or minimally visible, eliminating the aesthetic drawback of a permanently visible bulky structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage device for storing plates forming a dinner tray for a pool table includes a support frame arranged to carry the dinner tray plates, and stops for fixing the support frame to a chassis of the pool table, the stops being arranged to enable a vertical movement of the support frame between a returned position, in which the support frame is intended to extend horizontally to the proximity of the chassis, and a deployed position, in which the support frame is intended to extend horizontally at a distance from the chassis, the stops being provided with means for supporting the support frame in the deployed position and, above the support means, means for retaining the support frame in the returned position.