Stackable Chair Armrests With Integrated Cup and Plate Holders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard stackable outdoor chairs lack provisions for securely holding food and drink, leading to spills and discomfort during events where food and beverages are consumed.
Innovation Solution
Integration of molded cup-holders into the armrests and a plate-holder into the right-hand armrest of a stackable chair, allowing for secure placement of cups and plates, enhancing usability and convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard molded plastic chairs are used for outdoor events, then the chairs are lightweight and inexpensive with easy storage, but they lack provisions for securely holding food and drink leading to spills and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single chair structure by integrating cup-holders into the armrests and a plate-holder into the seat. This merging of functions allows the chair to simultaneously provide seating and secure food/drink holding capabilities, resolving the contradiction between versatility and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The chair is designed with multi-functional elements: the armrests serve both as structural support and as holders for cups/bottles, while the seat serves both as seating surface and as a holder for plates. This universality allows one object to perform multiple functions, addressing the need for food and drink holding without adding separate devices
2Reliability
If cup-holders and plate-holders are integrated into the chair structure, then secure holding of beverages and plates is achieved, but the chair design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The holding functions are merged into the existing chair structure rather than being added as separate components. The cup-holders are formed as integral parts of the armrests, and the plate-holder is integrated into the seat, maintaining structural unity while providing enhanced functionality and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of existing chair components to create holding functions. The armrests are given contoured surfaces with specific dimensions to cradle cups and bottles, while the seat is given a recessed area with appropriate depth and shape to hold plates securely, achieving reliability through parameter optimization rather than structural complexity
Data Source
AI summary
In a stackable chair system, a plurality of chairs are provided, each chair having a back, a seat, and first and second armrests all integral with one another in an injection-molded thermal plastic construction. Each first armrest has an integral molded round cup-holder positioned in a region of an outer end of the first armrest. Each second armrest has an integral molded second round cup-holder positioned in a region of an outer end of the second armrest. Each seat portion is contoured downwardly forming a seat depression. Each chair is dimensioned so that the chairs can be stacked on top of one another in nested fashion.