Support structure boot
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable lighting fixtures suffer from inadequate support surface contact, leading to sliding, instability, and potential damage to surfaces and personnel, with common solutions like tennis balls being insufficient.
Innovation Solution
A boot assembly for lighting fixture support stands, featuring a body portion with a recess and a base portion, providing increased contact surface area and stability, optionally with adjustable angles and materials tailored for different surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If cylindrical legs with minimal contact surfaces are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the stability and anti-sliding performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The boot assembly is divided into two main segments: a base portion that contacts the support surface and a body portion that receives the leg. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently - the base portion for maximum surface contact and stability, and the body portion for simple leg reception and ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from point-contact (cylindrical leg tip) to surface-contact (planar base portion). By extending the contact interface from a zero-dimensional point to a two-dimensional plane, the boot assembly dramatically increases contact surface area, thereby improving stability and anti-sliding performance without complicating the overall structure.
2Device complexity
If cylindrical legs with minimal contact surfaces are used, then the structure is simple, but the harmful effects such as sliding and damage to support surfaces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The boot assembly serves as an intermediary element between the leg and the support surface. It mediates the interaction by providing a larger contact interface that distributes loads, reduces sliding, and protects the support surface from damage, all while maintaining simplicity in the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot assembly is pre-installed on the leg before use, creating a prepared interface that prevents sliding and surface damage from the outset. This preliminary protective action eliminates the need for reactive measures and ensures stable operation throughout the fixture's use.
3Ease of operation
If standard leg feet are used, then the fixture is simple to operate, but the reliability and protection of the support surface deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The leg is nested within the body portion of the boot assembly, with the distal end of the leg received inside the recess. This nested configuration allows the simple cylindrical leg to benefit from the enhanced protective and stabilizing features of the boot assembly without complicating the operation or assembly process.
Data Source
AI summary
A boot assembly for use with a leg on a support stand of a lighting fixture, including a body portion formed by a side wall defining a recess having a top opening, and a base portion including a substantially planar bottom surfacer, a top wall, and a perimeter side wall extending therebetween, wherein the body portion extends upwardly from the top wall of the base portion and a distal end of the leg is slidably received in the recess of the body portion.