Stacking Ring for Chair Base Shipping Without Cardboard Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method of shipping chair bases in cardboard boxes is inefficient due to excessive space usage, added weight, and waste generation, while providing inadequate protection against damage.
Innovation Solution
A chair base configuration that allows for stacking without cardboard boxes, using a hub-and-arms design with optional stacking rings to secure multiple bases together, and wrapping with flexible material for stability during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chair bases are shipped in cardboard boxes, then they are protected from damage, but excessive space is used and weight is added
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing one chair base directly inside another chair base, with the arms of the outer base surrounding the inner base. This eliminates the need for cardboard boxes while providing structural protection, directly resolving the contradiction between damage protection and waste reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the protective function previously provided by cardboard boxes with the chair base structure itself. By designing the arms and hubs to interlock and support each other during shipping, the chair base serves both as the product and its own packaging, eliminating waste while maintaining protection
2Reliability
If chair bases are shipped in cardboard boxes, then they are protected from damage, but extra weight is added to the shipment
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting chair bases within each other rather than placing them in cardboard boxes, the shipping configuration eliminates the additional weight of packaging materials. The nested arrangement uses the chair bases themselves as the protective structure, directly addressing the weight reduction goal while maintaining damage protection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the protective function from the cardboard box packaging and integrates it directly into the chair base structure through the nesting arrangement. This removes the unnecessary weight of packaging materials while preserving the essential protection function
3Reliability
If chair bases are shipped in cardboard boxes, then they are protected from damage, but boxes add unnecessary cost and waste
Solution Approach 1:
The nested chair base configuration eliminates cardboard boxes entirely, removing the source of waste and associated disposal costs. The structural integrity of the nested arrangement provides the necessary protection without generating packaging waste, directly resolving the contradiction between protection and waste generation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts what would normally be wasted packaging materials into a beneficial nested structure where the chair bases themselves provide mutual protection. This transforms the potential harm of unnecessary packaging into a benefit of waste-free, cost-effective shipping
4Loss of substance
If chair bases are stacked without boxes, then waste and weight are reduced, but protection during transport may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The nested configuration provides inherent protection through the interlocking arms and hubs, where outer bases protect inner bases during transport. This structural protection replaces the need for cardboard boxes while eliminating waste, directly resolving the contradiction between waste reduction and transport protection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the protective function with the chair base structure itself, creating a self-protecting shipping configuration. The combined structure provides both the necessary protection and waste reduction simultaneously
Data Source
AI summary
A stacking ring for a chair base may be disposable between a first and second chair base such that the stacking ring generally prevents lateral movement of the first chair base relative to the second chair base. The stacking ring may be integrally formed to the chair base, or separate and disposable between at least two chair bases. The stacking ring may substantially prevent rotation of a first chair base relative to a second chair base.