Swivel Collapsible Stool With Anti-Splay Support on Soft Ground
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable, collapsible stools and seats have limited load carrying capacity and stability, especially on soft or sandy ground, and often provide an uncomfortable seating experience due to flexible seating panels that sag under user weight, making it difficult to pivot or reposition.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible stool with at least three axially elongated legs connected for mutual pivotal movement between a folded and set-up condition, featuring a swivel seat with 360-degree pivotal freedom and a flexible panel assembly for increased load carrying capacity and ground support, including elastomeric cords and splayed feet for improved stability on uneven surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a flexible web of fabric is used as a seating panel, then the stool is lightweight and portable, but the seat sags under user weight making it difficult to pivot or reposition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and material properties of the seat from a flexible fabric web to a rigid, flat panel. This parameter change eliminates sagging under weight while maintaining the overall portability of the stool through its collapsible leg structure.
2Weight of moving object
If the legs are made lightweight for portability, then the stool is easy to carry, but the load carrying capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction in the legs, combining lightweight materials with strategic reinforcement elements. The legs use aluminum or similar lightweight alloys with reinforced joints and connection points, creating a composite structure that maintains low weight while achieving sufficient load-bearing capacity for portable applications.
3Length of moving object
If the legs are made short for compact storage, then the stool is highly portable, but the stability on soft ground is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the stability issue by adding a horizontal dimension to the support structure through cross-bracing elements and a base plate. These features extend the support footprint laterally without increasing vertical leg length, providing enhanced stability on soft ground while maintaining compact storage dimensions.
4Strength
If the seat is fixed to the legs, then the structural integrity is improved, but the ability to pivot and reposition is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic seating system where the seat panel is mounted on a swivel mechanism with bearing support. This allows the seat to rotate 360 degrees relative to the leg assembly while maintaining secure attachment, providing both structural integrity and operational flexibility for easy repositioning.
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 provides enhanced stability and comfort by allowing easy adjustment and pivoting without disrupting the stool's position, while the flexible panel assembly and splayed feet ensure the stool can be used on soft or sandy ground, maintaining stability and load carrying capacity.
Implementation Method 1
the panel assembly includes a plurality of elastomeric cords or other resilient elements distributed throughout the panel assembly and in tension in the set-up condition
Implementation Method 2
The panel assembly or linking members may be further arranged for ground engagement to increase the area of stool ground support so that the stool may be used on soft or sandy ground
Data Source
AI summary
A portable collapsible stool has at least three legs including separable upper and lower parts releasably formed together by telescopic joint connections and biased into connected engagement by elastomeric cords. Each of the legs is connected to another of the legs intermediate for mutual pivotal movement between a collapsed condition wherein the legs are disposed in generally parallel relation to each other and a set-up condition wherein the legs are spread apart at the upper and lower ends thereof and cross each other intermediate the ends. A seat member with a pivotal upper portion mounted on the upper ends of the legs is disposed in a seating position when the stool is in its set-up condition, and a panel assembly connected to the legs proximate the lower ends thereof provides lateral, anti-splay reinforcement for the legs to increase the carrying capacity of the stool.