Shoe Container Stool with Pivoting Footrest for Ergonomic Shoe Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Donning and doffing shoes can be difficult due to the need to bend over or find a seat, and existing devices do not provide a comprehensive solution for both tasks and shoe storage.
Innovation Solution
A shoe container stool with a deployable footrest, featuring a hollow box design with a pivoting elongated board that serves as a footrest and a horizontal shelf for storing shoes, allowing easy access and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a person bends over to don and doff shoes, then they can access their shoes, but it becomes a difficult task requiring physical strain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (the stool with footrest) that mediates between the user and the shoe-donning/doffing task. The footrest serves as a mediator that supports the user's foot at an ergonomic height, eliminating the need to bend over while providing stable access to shoes stored in the container below.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables self-service by providing all necessary functional elements (seating surface, footrest, shoe storage) in a single integrated unit. The user can independently complete the shoe-donning/doffing task without requiring external assistance or additional furniture, as the stool structure itself provides the required support and storage functions.
2Reliability
If a separate shoe storage location is provided, then shoes can be stored, but finding misplaced shoes becomes half the battle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shoe storage function with the stool structure by incorporating a container compartment within the stool body. This integration ensures that shoes are always stored in a fixed, predictable location directly associated with the stool, eliminating the problem of misplaced shoes and the time required to search for them.
3Ease of operation
If a footrest is added to help don and doff shoes, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elongated board serves multiple functions: it acts as the structural frame of the stool, provides the footrest surface when deployed, and forms part of the container structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving the footrest function.
Solution Approach 2:
The footrest is designed as a deployable component that can be positioned as needed. The elongated board can be rotated between a stored position (flush with the container) and a deployed position (extending outward as a footrest). This dynamic configuration allows the footrest function to be added without permanently increasing the occupied space or structural complexity.
4Ease of operation
If an elongated board is pivotally assembled to provide a deployable footrest, then ease of operation improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stool is segmented into distinct functional components: the container body, the elongated board (footrest), and the pivotal connection mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled separately, reducing the overall manufacturing precision requirements compared to a monolithic structure. The pivotal connection points can be standardized and pre-fabricated.
Data Source
AI summary
A shoe container stool with a deployable footrest is described herein. The shoe container is in the form of a box having a front wall, a back wall, two side walls, and a top lid. The front wall includes a vertical elongated opening bounded by two side edges and a bottom edge. An elongated board is pivotally connected to the opening by way of an axle to permit the board to be pivoted into and out of the opening. A top portion of the board above the axle may therefore be deployed from the opening to be used as a footrest to help don and doff one's shoes, while the top lid may be used as a seat. The shoe container further includes a shelf inside the box to counter the forces applied to the footrest and also permits a user to store one's shoe inside the shoe container.