Portable Safety Rail System With Rotating Locking Bases
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable safety rail systems are cumbersome for storage and transportation due to heavy bases that do not stack securely, and require complex assembly and alignment for locking, limiting customizability and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A portable safety rail system with rail bases featuring a central hub and spokes that allow railings to be rotated 360 degrees while locked, enabling easier assembly and custom configuration, and allowing bases to be stacked stably for transport, with a simplified locking mechanism using a pin and rotatable toe boards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional portable rail systems use heavy bases for stability, then the safety and sturdiness are improved, but the storage and transportation become problematic due to weight and inability to stack securely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by designing the rail bases with a central hub and spokes structure that allows one base to be placed inside another base. The outer periphery of each base is shaped to receive and secure the central hub of another base, creating a stable nested configuration for storage and transport that reduces the space required while maintaining the heavy, stable construction of individual bases
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional portable rail systems use modular assembly with alignment requirements, then the customizability is improved, but the assembly complexity and difficulty increase due to hole alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by providing the central hub with multiple apertures arranged in different patterns and orientations. These apertures can accommodate various railing configurations and angles, allowing the same base structure to be used with different railing arrangements without requiring precise alignment of specific holes, thereby simplifying assembly while maintaining customizability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the connection mechanism into the central hub with multiple apertures and the railing components with corresponding mounting features. This segmentation allows independent positioning and adjustment of railings relative to the base, enabling flexible configuration while simplifying the assembly process through straightforward insertion rather than precise alignment
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional portable rail systems use fixed locking mechanisms, then the stability is improved, but the ease of operation worsens due to difficulty in locking and inability to rotate once locked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by designing the locking mechanism to allow the railing to rotate freely within the central hub while maintaining a secure locked position. The aperture-based locking system enables the railing to be inserted, locked securely to prevent accidental movement, and yet still rotated through 360 degrees when needed, providing both stability and operational flexibility
Data Source
AI summary
A portable safety rail system includes one or more railings inserted into one or more stackable rail bases. Each rail base can include a plurality of apertures for receiving end rail posts of railings through a raised hub defining an open region between the bottom of the hub and the surface on which the rail base rests. Each end rail post can have a stop flange that engages an upper surface of the hub when inserted therein and an aperture through the end portion that extends into the open region beneath the hub for receiving a pin to lock the post while allowing rotation of the post. The system can also include toe boards that are attached to railings with a mount having an aperture through which railings are extended, allowing the toe boards to also be rotated to be aligned with railings.