Blow Molded Sofa Armrest With Fabric Groove
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional sofa armrests are heavy, costly, and difficult to manufacture, with fabric protrusion issues leading to hygiene problems due to gaps between the armrest and underframe, making cleaning challenging and prone to debris accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A sofa armrest made by blow molding with a recessed fabric mounting groove and clamping-connection grooves for connectors, preventing fabric protrusion and facilitating connection without gaps, along with a mounting base for control devices and storage cavity for electric wires, enhancing hygiene and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional solid wooden or iron frame armrests are used, then sufficient supporting force is provided, but the armrests are heavy and consume a lot of materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using a hollow armrest shell made from lightweight materials that can be molded into complex shapes. The hollow structure provides sufficient mechanical strength and supporting force while dramatically reducing weight compared to solid wooden or iron frame constructions. The shell design allows for optimized material distribution to maintain structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite materials by combining lightweight materials (such as molded plastics or polymers) with reinforcing elements or strategic structural design features. This composite approach enables the armrest to achieve the necessary supporting force and durability while maintaining low weight and reducing material consumption.
2Strength
If traditional solid wooden or iron frame armrests are used, then structural strength is ensured, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow shell structure can be manufactured using injection molding or similar rapid manufacturing processes, significantly reducing production time compared to traditional woodworking or metal fabrication. The molding process allows for complex geometries to be created in a single step, eliminating the need for assembly of multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple functions and structural elements into a single integrated hollow armrest component. The shell design incorporates mounting features, structural reinforcement, and aesthetic elements all in one piece, eliminating the need for separate manufacturing and assembly steps required by traditional multi-component armrest constructions.
3Ease of manufacture
If flat inner side surfaces are used for armrest mounting, then manufacturing is simple, but fabric protrudes and creates hygiene problems due to gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a recessed region specifically at the inner side surface where the armrest fabric meets the underframe. This localized geometric modification (the recess) addresses the hygiene problem by eliminating gaps where debris could accumulate, while the rest of the armrest maintains its simple hollow shell structure for ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed structure is designed in advance to prevent the fabric protrusion problem before it occurs. By creating the recess during the molding process, the design proactively eliminates the gap formation that would otherwise lead to debris accumulation and hygiene issues during the product's lifecycle.
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure relates to a sofa armrest. The sofa armrest includes a main body made by blow molding, the upper end of the inner side surface of the main body is recessed inward to form a fabric mounting groove for mounting armrest fabric, and the lower end of the inner side surface of the main body is provided with clamping-connection grooves for being connected with connectors of a sofa underframe. The sofa armrest is made by a blow molding process, and compared with traditional solid sofa armrests, the sofa armrest has the advantages of low weight, high production speed and less manufacturing materials; and the fabric mounting groove is used for mounting the armrest fabric, then the armrest fabric is prevented from protruding from the inner side surface of the sofa armrest, and the clamping-connection grooves are used for mounting the connectors of the sofa underframe, so that the sofa armrest and the sofa underframe are connected without gaps, when the armrest fabric is squeezed and deformed, debris accumulates on the lower wall of the fabric mounting groove or on a seat cover fabric, cleaning of dust and debris is facilitated, and the overall hygiene of a sofa is maintained.