Rounded Integral Furniture Shells for Secure Institutional Mounting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional furniture in institutional settings poses safety hazards as it can be used as a weapon or for hiding contraband, with features like removable parts and tight spaces that facilitate harmful uses or concealment of items.

Innovation Solution

Designing furniture with integrally formed shells that have rounded features, narrowing in circumference from a mounting plane, and inaccessible mounting portions to prevent misuse, including shelving units, desks, and beds that are securely attached to walls and floors, making them difficult to remove or use for harm.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional furniture with removable parts and tight spaces is used, then manufacturing complexity and adaptability are improved, but safety and inspection ease deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing complexityVSAvoidsafety hazards

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The furniture is divided into two distinct parts: an integrally formed shell that cannot be disassembled, and a separate mounting portion that is permanently secured to the mounting surface. This segmentation allows the shell to be manufactured as a single safe unit while the mounting portion handles the complexity of secure attachment, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mounting portion is extracted as a separate component from the main shell. This extraction allows the shell to be a simple, safe, integrally formed unit without mounting hardware, while the separate mounting portion can be designed with complex attachment mechanisms that are hidden and inaccessible once installed, eliminating safety hazards while maintaining manufacturing flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If conventional furniture with accessible mounting parts is used, then ease of installation is improved, but safety deteriorates due to accessible mounting portions that can be used for harm

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of installationVSAvoidweapon usage risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting portion is designed to be inaccessible once the furniture is installed, preventing any potential harmful use of mounting hardware. The shell is configured to completely cover and conceal the mounting portion, creating a preliminary protective barrier that eliminates the possibility of using mounting parts as weapons, while still allowing for straightforward installation during the setup phase.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The mounting portion is positioned in a different spatial dimension relative to the shell - it is recessed behind the shell's mounting surface, creating a hidden chamber. This dimensional arrangement allows the mounting hardware to be fully functional for installation while being completely inaccessible for any harmful purposes once installed, as it lies in a space that is not accessible from the exterior.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If conventional furniture with flat edges and corners is used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but safety deteriorates due to sharp edges that can cause injury

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidinjury risk from sharp edges

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

All external edges and corners of the shell are rounded to create a bullnose configuration. This curvature eliminates sharp edges that could cause injury while maintaining a simple integrally formed structure. The rounding is applied uniformly to all exposed surfaces of the shell, ensuring safety without adding significant manufacturing complexity, as it can be achieved through standard molding techniques.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

4Adaptability or versatility

If conventional furniture with hidden compartments is used, then adaptability is improved, but inspection ease deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage functionalityVSAvoidcontraband concealment

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The shell itself serves as the storage container, with its hollow interior providing storage space. This universal design eliminates the need for separate hidden compartments or removable parts that could conceal contraband. The entire shell is a single, transparent-to-inspection unit that can be easily examined from all exterior surfaces, while still providing adequate storage capacity for its intended purpose.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10667631B2Furniture

Publication Date: 2020.06.02 ASTRA CAPITAL

AI summary

Furniture articles have an integrally formed shell that generally has rounded features, the shell diminishing in circumference outwardly from a mounting surface, and a mounting portion configured to secure the shell to the mounting surface. A perimeter edge of the shell defines a mounting plane against which the mounting surface is to be secured. When the shell is secured to the mounting surface, the mounting portion is inaccessible and hidden from view. Furniture includes a shelving unit, a desk unit, a seating unit, and a bed.