Sofa Bed Glide System to Reduce Manufacturing Cost and Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sofa beds have complex internal assemblies that result in high manufacturing costs, weight, susceptibility to damage, and difficulty in repair, making them cumbersome and costly to transition between sitting and sleeping configurations.
Innovation Solution
A sofa bed design featuring a simplified internal assembly with a glide apparatus, including rotating shafts, hinge joints, and a locking mechanism, which allows for easy transition between sofa and bed configurations while being lightweight and resistant to damage, using a pair of armrests, seat cushions, and seat bases connected by slide rails and glide wheels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional internal assemblies with metal tubes and attachments are used, then the sofa bed can transition between configurations, but the manufacturing cost increases and the weight increases making it difficult to move
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional metal tube assemblies and complex internal mechanisms from the sofa bed design. Instead, it uses a simplified structure where the mattress itself serves as the primary structural element, extracting unnecessary heavy components while retaining the core functionality of converting between sofa and bed configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The sofa bed is divided into modular components including separate seat cushions, backrest sections, and a simplified frame structure. This segmentation allows for easier manufacturing of individual parts and reduces the overall complexity and weight of the assembly while maintaining structural integrity during configuration transitions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex internal assemblies with multiple metal components are used, then the sofa bed can convert between configurations, but the reliability decreases due to susceptibility to damage and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the structural support function and the configuration transition mechanism into a unified simplified system. The frame structure integrates the functions of support and movement, eliminating separate metal tubes and attachments that could fail independently, thereby improving overall reliability while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design applies structural reinforcement only at critical stress points where configuration transitions occur, rather than using uniform heavy metal construction throughout. This localized approach maintains reliability at key joints and connection points while reducing overall material usage and susceptibility to damage.
3Strength
If traditional metal tube assemblies are used, then the sofa bed can support weight, but the ease of repair decreases due to complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The sofa bed structure is divided into replaceable modular components such as seat cushions, backrest sections, and frame elements. This segmentation enables easy repair by allowing individual damaged parts to be replaced without disassembling the entire structure, maintaining load-bearing capacity while significantly improving repairability.
Solution Approach 2:
The simplified frame structure and standardized connection points are designed to be universal across different sofa bed configurations and models. This universality allows for easier repair using common replacement parts and simplifies the repair process, reducing both cost and complexity while maintaining structural strength.
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 design enables a lightweight, easy-to-move sofa bed that can be efficiently converted between configurations with a robust locking mechanism, reducing manufacturing costs and enhancing repairability, thus addressing the shortcomings of existing models.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of first slide rails, each attached to one of the pair of support legs; a pair of first glide wheels, each connected to at least one of the first connectors, wherein each of the first slide rails is configured to receive the first glide wheel and allow it to roll along at least part of the length of the first slide
Data Source
AI summary
A sofa bed with three moving seat bases that transforms between a bed configuration and a sofa configuration. The sofa bed includes supporting legs and armrest. The armrest does not extend to the floor and allows the set of rails to form a notch such that the back end of the sofa bed may be installed on a raised area. Each of the seat bases, and corresponding cushions, are located between the armrests. The seat bases are interconnected with a set of slide rails that allow the seat bases to move relative to one another. The sofa bed also includes a locking mechanism to hold the sofa bed in the sofa configuration.