Stackable Chair with Adjustable Legs and Seat for User Adaptability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Stackable chairs face challenges in minimizing vertical displacement during storage and accommodating diverse user needs in terms of comfort and body shape, particularly in settings like orchestras where users have varying requirements.

Innovation Solution

A stackable chair with independently extendable legs, adjustable actuators, sensors, and a user interface allows for customizable seat height, back angle, tilt, and roll, enabling it to adapt to different users and stack efficiently without changing its shape, using telescopic portions and a stable design with round feet and a pivotable seat.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If chairs are designed with fixed dimensions for mass production, then manufacturing cost and complexity are reduced, but adaptability to different user needs and body shapes deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemass production capabilityVSAvoidadaptability to different users
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The chair incorporates adjustable components including telescopic legs with multiple fixed length positions, an adjustable backrest with variable inclination angles, and a movable seat with adjustable height and tilt. These dynamic elements allow the chair to adapt to different user body shapes and comfort preferences while maintaining a standardized base structure suitable for mass production

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The chair enables parameter adjustments through mechanical mechanisms: leg length can be changed in discrete increments, backrest angle can be varied within a range, and seat position can be modified. These parameter changes allow customization for different users without requiring completely different chair models, balancing mass production efficiency with user adaptability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If chairs have sloping legs and backrest for stackability, then storage efficiency is improved, but comfort for various body shapes and positions deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoidcomfort accommodation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The chair features adjustable legs that can be extended or retracted, allowing the sloping configuration needed for stacking to be maintained only when stored. During use, the legs can be adjusted to provide optimal support and comfort for different body types, decoupling the stacking requirement from the comfort requirement

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The chair structure is divided into independently adjustable segments: the legs can be adjusted separately from the backrest and seat. This segmentation allows the leg angle to be optimized for stacking while other components are optimized for user comfort, resolving the contradiction between storage efficiency and comfort accommodation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If chair characteristics are made adjustable for individual comfort, then adaptability to different users is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveindividual comfort adjustmentVSAvoidadjustment mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The chair incorporates several adjustable components including telescopic legs, adjustable backrest, and movable seat with tilt capability. Each adjustment mechanism uses simple mechanical designs with discrete positions or ranges, providing individual comfort customization without requiring complex electronic or hydraulic systems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The adjustment mechanisms are divided into separate, independent systems for different chair components. Each segment (legs, backrest, seat) has its own adjustment mechanism, allowing for modular manufacturing and assembly. This segmentation reduces overall complexity by making each adjustment system simpler and more manageable

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3723551B1A stackable chair and a method of adjusting a stackable chair
Publication Date: 2024.04.10 RATSTANDS
  • EP3723551B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a~1(d))
  • EP3723551B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3723551B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Storage of chairs when not in use, for instance in halls used by various groups, is a common problem which has been addressed by providing chairs that are stackable upon one another. Usually, this requires the chair to be composed of sloping legs and a sloping backrest, such that the seat of a lower chair can fit between the legs of an upper chair, and the backrest of the upper chair can rest on the backrest of the lower chair. It is desirable to be able to stack chairs with as small a vertical displacement as possible, usually limited by the depth of the seat, which is typically substantially horizontal. For instance, the base of an upper seat may sit (when stacked) on the upper portion of a lower seat. However, these chairs are usually mass produced and so designed to fit the average shape, which is not accommodating for a lot of people. The present invention provides a chair where seat (13) height, back (3) angle, seat (13) tilt and seat (13) roll are adjustable.