Extendable Rotating Game Support Plate for Spaced Player Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing game support apparatuses do not effectively enable game play in spaced player settings, where players at oblong tables face difficulty accessing the play-enabling portion of gaming devices due to their centralized location, leading to reduced amusement and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A game support apparatus comprising a game support plate with bidirectional plate-extending and rotating means, anchored by a weighted plate, allowing the play-enabling surface to be extended and rotated to separate player stations, ensuring accessibility and comfort for players at spaced positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the play-enabling portion of the gaming device is centrally located on the table, then the gaming device can be supported in a centralized position, but players at spaced positions experience difficulty accessing the play-enabling portion
Solution Approach 1:
The game support apparatus employs a dynamic extending mechanism that allows the support plate to move between retracted and extended positions. The plate can be extended toward spaced player stations during gameplay and retracted when not in use, transforming a static centralized structure into a dynamic adaptable one that resolves the accessibility issue without permanent structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The support apparatus is divided into separate functional components: a base unit, an extending mechanism, and a movable support plate. This segmentation allows the plate to be independently positioned and extended to different locations, enabling spaced player access while keeping the main structure simple and centralized when retracted
2Ease of operation
If the game support plate is extended to spaced player stations, then player accessibility is improved, but the apparatus requires complex extending and rotating mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus uses dynamic extending arms with rotating joints that can be actuated to move the support plate to desired positions. These mechanical dynamics allow the plate to reach spaced players while the mechanisms remain relatively simple - using basic extending and rotating motions rather than complex multi-component systems
Solution Approach 2:
The extending mechanism acts as an intermediary between the centralized base and the spaced player stations. This intermediate structure provides the necessary connection and movement capability, allowing the plate to bridge the gap to spaced players without requiring direct integration of complex mechanisms at each player station
3Stability of the object's composition
If the game support apparatus is anchored with a weighted plate, then stability is improved, but the overall weight of the apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The weighted anchor plate serves as a counterweight that provides stability through gravitational force. By positioning heavy weight at the anchored base rather than distributing it throughout the moving components, the apparatus achieves stability while minimizing the weight of the extending and moving parts, allowing easier manipulation of the support plate
Data Source
AI summary
An article support apparatus facilitates article interaction such as game play upon an oblong game table. The article or game support apparatus comprises a support plate, an anchor plate, and an article-positioning assembly extending therebetween. The article-positioning assembly may comprise a plate-extending assembly and a plate-rotating assembly. The plate-extending assembly functions to extend the game support plate away from the anchor plate. The anchor plate is of sufficient mass to interface the game support apparatus with a support surface and prevent the extended game support apparatus from tipping. The support plate functions to support an interactive article such as a gaming device or a common board game. The selected gaming device is supportable atop the game support plate and is thus extendable to separated player stations about the game support surface. The article or game support apparatus functions to enable game play in a spaced player setting.