Reclining Chair Frame With Threaded-Rod Backrest and Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable chairs are often cumbersome and prone to damage due to their design, and chairs configured for reclining often compromise portability and practicality with added mechanical features that increase weight and cost, leading to safety issues when used outside their intended configurations.
Innovation Solution
A chair design featuring a seat frame with a rear panel and back support assembly connected by a threaded rod, allowing for adjustable recline angles and compact storage configurations, with a reinforcement plate and oblique walls to resist deformation and a foot support frame that pivots for easy storage and use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a chair is designed to be portable and collapsible, then it can be easily stored and transported, but it becomes unwieldy and cumbersome to use and more exposed to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is divided into separable components including a seat frame, back support assembly, and foot support frame that can be independently folded and stored. This segmentation allows the chair to collapse into a compact form for storage while maintaining full functionality when assembled for use.
Solution Approach 2:
The chair incorporates dynamic folding mechanisms with hinges and connectors that allow smooth transitions between expanded (use) and collapsed (storage) states. The foot support frame pivots between extended and retracted positions, and the back support assembly folds along defined axes, enabling easy transformation without compromising structural integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If mechanical components like gears and springs are added to enable reclining, then the chair can be reclined, but the weight and cost increase and portability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Traditional mechanical reclining systems using gears, springs, and complex linkages are replaced with a simplified threaded rod mechanism. The threaded rod extends through the rear panel and back support assembly, allowing the backrest to be adjusted to various angles by rotating the rod, thereby achieving reclining functionality with minimal added weight and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The reclining mechanism changes the angular parameter of the back support assembly relative to the seat frame through rotation of the threaded rod. This allows continuous adjustment of the backrest angle without requiring heavy mechanical components, maintaining portability while providing versatile reclining capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the entire chair is leaned backwards for reclining, then reclining is achieved, but pressure is placed on elements not configured to receive pressure and the center of gravity shifts to unintended locations causing injury or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The reclining function is extracted from the overall chair structure and implemented through a dedicated back support assembly with its own independent adjustment mechanism. This separates the reclining action from the main chair frame, ensuring that pressure is applied only to the back support elements designed to receive it, while the seat frame and legs maintain their intended load-bearing roles.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded rod acts as an intermediary mechanism between the user's adjustment input and the back support assembly position. It provides controlled, progressive adjustment of the backrest angle, preventing sudden shifts in center of gravity and ensuring that pressure is distributed appropriately across the back support structure rather than transferring unintended loads to the chair frame.
4Volume of moving object
If the chair is designed for compact storage, then it occupies minimal space, but it may be more exposed to damage during storage and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is segmented into robust, self-supporting components that can be folded together to form a compact unit. The seat frame, back support assembly, and foot support frame are designed with reinforced connection points and protective features that shield vulnerable elements during storage and transport, reducing exposure to damage while maintaining compact dimensions.
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 chair is both portable and storable, maintaining structural integrity while allowing for comfortable recline positions, reducing the risk of injury or damage, and is efficient to manufacture and use in various settings such as boats or land.
Implementation Method 1
a threaded rod extending through both the rear panel of the seat frame and the back support assembly. The position of the back support assembly along the longitudinal rod axis of the threaded rod is fixed while the position of the rear panel along the longitudinal rod axis of the threaded rod is changed when the threaded rod is rotated about the longitudinal rod axis.
Implementation Method 2
The oblique walls, when viewed in cross section and planar parallel to a cushion support surface defined by the seat frame, may form an angle of between approximately 30-degrees and approximately 60-degrees relative to the lateral ends. The oblique walls provide resistance against deformation of the seat frame caused by a torque resulting from pressure on the back support assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A chair preferably configured for conversion between a preferred storage configuration and at least one preferred use configuration. When in one of the use configurations, the chair may have a recliner mechanism which allows the angle of the back support assembly relative to the seat frame to be progressively changed such that the back support assembly may be positioned at a reclined angular position. When in the preferred storage configuration, the back support assembly may be positioned at least partially within the seat frame to decrease the area of the footprint of the chair to facilitate storage of the chair.