Self-Righting Cup Holder Assembly for Adjustable Bed Hydration Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with neurologic or physiological conditions face challenges in positioning a cup or straw, leading to inadequate hydration and associated health issues such as urinary infections, dehydration, and hypotension.
Innovation Solution
A cup holder assembly that can be coupled to an attachment structure, featuring a pivotable bracket and coupling mechanism, allowing the cup holder to maintain an upright orientation regardless of the bed angle, and includes features for retaining a straw and monitoring fluid intake.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a cup holder is fixed to a bed rail or attachment structure, then the cup holder remains stationary and stable, but it cannot adapt to different bed angles and the cup may not remain upright when the bed is adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holder is mounted on a bracket that can pivot relative to the attachment structure, allowing the cup holder to dynamically adjust its orientation. This pivotable connection enables the cup holder to adapt to different bed angles while maintaining a relatively simple structural design, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the cup holder is designed to remain upright regardless of bed angle, then fluid intake monitoring is facilitated, but the structural complexity increases due to the pivotable mounting mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable bracket allows the cup holder to automatically orient itself upright relative to gravity rather than requiring complex active control mechanisms. This passive adaptive design maintains ease of fluid intake monitoring while minimizing structural complexity through simple mechanical pivoting capability.
3Reliability
If frequent caregiver assistance is required for cup positioning, then proper hydration can be maintained, but the time and resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable cup holder enables patients to independently position and access their cups without requiring frequent caregiver intervention. The self-adjusting mechanism allows patients with limited mobility to maintain proper hydration autonomously, reducing both time loss and caregiver burden while ensuring reliable hydration.
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
Facilitates easy access and monitoring of fluid intake, reducing the need for frequent caregiver assistance and minimizing health risks associated with inadequate hydration.
Implementation Method 1
A cup holder assembly can be coupled to an attachment structure. The cup holder assembly can include a cup holder and a bracket that is pivotably coupled to the cup holder about a horizontal axis so that the top opening faces upwardly.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly can be configured to couple to an attachment structure. The assembly can comprise a cup holder having a top opening and defining an interior that is configured to receive and hold at least a portion of a cup. A bracket can be pivotably coupled to the cup holder about a horizontal axis so that the top opening faces upwardly. The bracket can comprise a coupling structure that is configured to couple to an attachment structure.