Sliding Child Seat Frame for Under-Table Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
High chairs and other child seating solutions fail to elevate children to a height comparable to communal eating surfaces, such as kitchen tables or restaurant counters, and are often cumbersome to store and position.
Innovation Solution
A sliding child seat system with a frame member that connects to a stationary surface via sliding means, allowing the frame to switch between retracted and extended positions, enabling the child seat to be positioned at a height comparable to the eating surface, using ball bearings or bearing slides for smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a high chair is used to elevate a child, then the child is raised to some extent, but the child height is still not commensurate with the communal eating surface
Solution Approach 1:
The frame member is designed to be movable between extended and retracted positions through sliding means, allowing dynamic adjustment of the child seat height and position. This enables the seat to adapt to different storage and usage requirements, resolving the contradiction between achieving proper elevation and maintaining ease of storage.
2Length of moving object
If a high chair is designed to elevate the child to eating surface height, then the height match is improved, but the chair becomes large and awkward to store
Solution Approach 1:
The child seat system is divided into separable components: a frame member that slides under the eating surface and a child seat portion. This segmentation allows the frame to be stored in a compact retracted position under the table while still providing full elevation capability when extended, reducing storage volume while maintaining functional height.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame member utilizes the vertical space under the eating surface by sliding in and out from beneath the table top. This dimensional approach allows the mechanism to achieve full extension height for proper child elevation while retracting into the unused vertical space under the table for compact storage, effectively using three-dimensional space efficiently.
3Ease of operation
If a sliding mechanism is added to enable easy storage, then storage convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding mechanism incorporates a spring-loaded locking system that automatically engages when the frame member reaches its extended or retracted position. This feedback mechanism provides tactile confirmation of proper positioning and eliminates the need for manual locking operations, simplifying user interaction despite the mechanical complexity of the sliding assembly.
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 system allows for easy storage and positioning of the child seat at a height commensurate with the eating surface, providing a convenient and space-efficient solution for family or group meals.
Implementation Method 1
said sliding means comprise ball bearings
Implementation Method 2
said sliding means comprise a bearing slide
Data Source
AI summary
A sliding child seat for use with a stationary surface, generally a stationary group dinging surface such as a kitchen counter-top, bar, or fixed table in a restaurant. In various embodiments, a sliding child seat for use with a stationary surface generally includes a frame member to receive a child seat, said frame member being connected to the stationary surface by sliding means, said frame member being switchable between a retracted position and an extended position, said frame member defining an aperture and having an inner perimeter, and a child seat to sit in said frame member when said frame member is in said extended state, said child seat having a lower portion and an upper portion, said lower portion fitting through the aperture defined by said frame member, said lower portion having an outer perimeter smaller than the inner perimeter of said frame member.