Seat

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional child seats with Velcro attachments often delaminate and damage the seat fabric when removed, leading to weakened and damaged surfaces.

Innovation Solution

A child seat design featuring a base surface with protrusions that extend from the peripheral surface, providing friction without damaging the supporting surface, and allowing the seat to be securely attached to various materials like fabric, leather, or plastic without delamination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If Velcro type material is used to attach the child seat to the supporting surface, then the seat can be easily attached and detached, but the Velcro delaminates from the base and damages the fabric of the supporting surface

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of attachment and detachmentVSAvoidattachment reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The base surface is segmented into multiple protrusions distributed across the base area. Each protrusion acts as an independent attachment point that engages with the supporting surface fabric, distributing the attachment forces across multiple locations rather than relying on a single continuous Velcro strip. This segmentation prevents delamination by eliminating large adhesive areas while maintaining secure attachment through numerous discrete contact points.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using a flat adhesive surface (Velcro) that pulls on the fabric during removal, the invention inverts the approach by using protrusions that push into the fabric during attachment and withdraw cleanly during removal. The protrusions engage the fabric loops by force interference rather than adhesion, allowing easy detachment without the pulling action that causes Velcro delamination and fabric damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Strength

If Velcro type material is used to attach the child seat, then the seat can be securely held, but the Velcro scrapes fibers and creates fuzz on the seat fabric leading to holes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrip strengthVSAvoidfabric damage

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The protrusions are designed with rounded, hemispherical tops rather than sharp edges or flat surfaces. This curvature allows the protrusions to engage fabric loops by pressing into them without catching or scraping the fibers. The rounded shape distributes contact pressure over a small area of the fabric loop without creating stress concentration points that would lead to fiber breakage, fuzz formation, or holes during attachment and removal cycles.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces the adhesive-mechanical interlocking system (Velcro) with a pure force interference system using protrusions. Instead of relying on adhesive bonds that require pulling to break (causing fabric damage), the protrusions use elastic deformation of fabric loops during attachment and elastic recovery during removal. This mechanical substitution eliminates the scraping and fiber extraction problems inherent in Velcro systems while maintaining secure attachment through elastic energy storage in the deformed fabric loops.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Stability of the object's composition

If a large base surface area is used to provide stability, then the seat is more stable, but the protrusions may still delaminate or damage the fabric over time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseat stabilityVSAvoidattachment durability

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The large base surface area is segmented into numerous small protrusions distributed across the entire base. Each protrusion is small enough to engage individual fabric loops without causing damage, yet the collective array of protrusions across the large base area provides substantial attachment strength and stability. This segmentation allows the system to maintain both large contact area for stability and small individual contact points for durability, resolving the contradiction between base size and attachment longevity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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 protrusions create a secure grip on the supporting surface, preventing the child seat from sliding and avoiding damage to the seat fabric, ensuring stability and durability.

Implementation Method 1

The protrusions create a secure grip on the supporting surface, preventing the child seat from sliding

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentUS9877594B2Seat

Publication Date: 2018.01.30 BOBRICK WASHROOM EQUIPMENT INC

AI summary

A seat is includes a seating surface, a peripheral surface extending transversely from the seating surface, a base surface extending from the peripheral surface, and a plurality of protrusions extending from the base surface. A seat and supporting surface combination includes a supporting surface, a seat resting on the supporting surface and including, a seating surface, a peripheral surface extending transversely from the seating surface, a base surface extending from the peripheral surface, and a plurality of protrusions extending from the base surface and engaging the supporting surface.