Retractable Bed Table Mounting Box for Stable Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bed table solutions for patients are either unstable, require significant space, or are expensive and complicated to manufacture and maintain, failing to provide a sturdy and convenient support for meals in a compact form.
Innovation Solution
A retrofit bed table device featuring a narrow mounting box between the mattress and bed rail, with a pivoting stand and table top that can be easily installed and stored, providing sturdy support and compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the table top is stored beneath the mattress during non-use, then space utilization is improved, but the mechanism becomes complicated and requires significant space for orbiting the table top to its stored position
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional components: a mounting bracket attached to the bed rail, a telescopic support arm with pivot joints, and a table top assembly. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall mechanism while achieving compact storage beneath the mattress.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic support arm employs a nested structure where one tube slides within another, allowing the support arm to compact to a minimal size when retracted. This nesting principle enables the table top to be stored in a compact configuration beneath the mattress without requiring excessive space or complex mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If a powered drive mechanism is used to move the table from serving position to folded position, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support arm incorporates pivot joints and telescopic sections that allow dynamic movement between extended (serving) and retracted (stored) positions. These mechanical dynamics enable the table to be easily operated through simple manual manipulation without requiring powered drive mechanisms, thereby reducing manufacturing and maintenance costs while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism is designed to be self-servicing through its passive mechanical design. The pivot joints and telescopic sections naturally guide the movement of the table top between positions without requiring external power sources or complex control systems. The structure serves itself through gravity and user input, eliminating the need for expensive powered drive mechanisms.
3Ease of manufacture
If the table top is supported from the bed by foldable legs, then ease of manufacture is improved, but stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is pre-attached to the bed rail in a fixed, stable position before the table top is deployed. This preliminary anchoring action ensures that the table top has a stable foundation from which to operate, preventing the instability that would result from using simple foldable legs attached to the bed surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the unstable mechanical system of foldable legs with a more stable mounting system that attaches directly to the bed rail. This substitution eliminates the wobble and instability inherent in leg-based support while maintaining ease of manufacture through simple bracket attachment and telescopic support mechanisms.
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 solution offers a cost-effective, easy-to-install, and space-efficient bed table that provides stable support for meals, addressing the shortcomings of previous designs by ensuring the table top remains secure and easy to deploy and stow.
Implementation Method 1
an elongated stand configured with upper and lower extremities. A narrow box is received in the space between the side of a mattress and a bed rail and pivotally mounting the stand for rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A narrow, elongated box to mount in the space between the side of a mattress and bed rail and formed with open top and front sides and a stand pivotally mounted on its lower end in the box.