Portable Screening Assembly with Elastic Slats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screening assemblies for public spaces lack effective solutions for providing privacy while being portable and user-friendly.
Innovation Solution
A portable screening assembly comprising a pair of rings, an open-ended sleeve, and elastic slats that can be compressed and supported by couplers, allowing for adjustable screening configurations to accommodate users, including shoulder support and easy carrying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the screening assembly is made extended to provide effective privacy screening, then the screening effect is improved, but the portability and ease of carrying deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The screening assembly is designed to be dynamically transformable between extended and compressed configurations. The elastic slats and flexible sleeve enable the assembly to transition from a compact portable state to an extended screening state, resolving the contradiction between portability and screening effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressed configuration allows the slats and sleeve to nest together in a compact form factor, similar to nested dolls. This nesting enables easy carrying and storage while maintaining the capability to expand into an effective screening barrier when deployed.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the slats are made rigid to provide stable screening structure, then the structural stability is improved, but the compressibility and portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is designed as a flexible component that can bend and compress, while the slats maintain their structural integrity. This flexible shell approach allows the assembly to be compressed for portability while maintaining stable screening structure when extended.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly combines different material properties - the slats provide rigid structural stability for screening, while the sleeve and couplers provide flexible compressibility. This composite structure resolves the contradiction between structural stability and compressibility.
3Ease of operation
If the assembly is designed to be fully compressed for portability, then the ease of carrying is improved, but the user support and comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The assembly dynamically adapts between compressed and extended states. When extended, the couplers position the sleeve to rest on the user's shoulders, providing comfort and support. The system thus achieves both ease of carrying in compressed state and user support in extended state.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The assembly effectively screens users in an extended configuration while being easily compressible and portable, providing privacy and convenience through adjustable and ergonomic design.
Implementation Method 1
The slats are elastic rendering them compressible
Data Source
AI summary
A portable screening assembly for provision of privacy in public spaces includes a pair of rings. A sleeve and a plurality of slats are coupled to and extend between the rings. The sleeve is open ended. The slats are coupled to and coiledly positioned on the sleeve. The slats are elastic rendering them compressible. A plurality of couplers is coupled to the sleeve proximate to a top of the sleeve. The slats, in a resting position, place the sleeve is in an extended configuration to screen a user who is positioned in the sleeve. The slats are configured to be compressed to position the slats and the sleeve in a compressed configuration. The couplers are configured to support the sleeve on shoulders of the user. The couplers also are positionable to mutually couple to retain the slats and the sleeve in the compressed configuration.