Powered Ottoman Assembly for Sleeper Sofa Aesthetics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional furniture with leg rest mechanisms often compromise on aesthetic design due to the need for functional deployment and stowage, limiting the incorporation of modern, desirable design features found in stationary furniture.
Innovation Solution
A powered ottoman assembly that includes a base frame, seat bottom, and ottoman platform, which can move between retracted, extended, and raised positions using motor-driven actuators, allowing for horizontal and vertical movement, and integrates with a seatback to form a horizontal sleep surface, while maintaining a sleek aesthetic through a shroud panel and elastic strip mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional leg rest mechanisms are used to enable deploying and stowing the leg rest, then functional mobility is achieved, but aesthetic design options are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the leg rest mechanism from the visible exterior by placing it within a compartment beneath the seat bottom. The ottoman platform can be deployed horizontally from this compartment without exposing the mechanical components, thereby maintaining aesthetic design while achieving functional mobility. The shroud panel further conceals the mechanism during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ottoman platform is nested within a compartment beneath the seat bottom when in the retracted position. This nesting arrangement allows the platform to be stored inside the furniture structure, eliminating visible mechanisms and maintaining a clean aesthetic appearance while preserving the ability to deploy the leg rest function.
2Ease of operation
If motor-driven actuators are used to move the ottoman platform, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motor-driven actuator system is designed to perform multiple functions: it controls both the horizontal extension and vertical elevation of the ottoman platform, and can also drive the seat bottom and seatback for sleeper mode operation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate mechanisms for each function, thereby managing complexity while enhancing ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a shroud panel as an intermediary element that moves with the ottoman platform and conceals the drive assembly during operation. This mediator hides the complex mechanical components from view, allowing the use of motor-driven actuators for ease of operation without the visual complexity compromising the aesthetic design.
3Shape
If the ottoman platform is concealed during operation, then aesthetic design is maintained, but visibility of the support surface is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud panel is designed to dynamically adjust its position based on the ottoman platform's movement. When the platform is retracted, the shroud conceals the mechanism; when the platform is extended or elevated, the shroud moves accordingly to reveal the support surface as needed. This dynamic behavior maintains aesthetic design during storage while ensuring visibility during use.
Data Source
AI summary
A furniture member may include a base frame, a seat bottom and an ottoman assembly. The seat bottom is attached to the base frame and defines a seating surface. The ottoman assembly may include a drive assembly that moves an ottoman platform relative to the seat bottom and the base frame among a retracted position, an extended position and a raised position. The ottoman platform includes a support surface that faces upward and away from a ground surface in the retracted, extended and raised positions. The ottoman platform is disposed beneath the seating surface in the retracted position and moves linearly in a horizontal direction from the retracted position to the extended position. The ottoman platform moves linearly in a vertically upward direction from the extended position to the raised position.