Table-Attachable Tray Assembly for Children Without Booster Seats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tray assemblies for children often require booster seats, limiting their accessibility and usability for children seated in standard chairs, as they are not designed to be used independently without additional support structures.
Innovation Solution
A tray assembly comprising a rectangular plate with C-clamp type brackets that attach to a tabletop, positioning the plate parallel and lower than the table, allowing children to access tableware, food, and beverages from a standard chair without the need for a booster seat, featuring adjustable screws, pads for secure attachment, and a backsplash for spill containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If existing tray assemblies are designed for use with booster seats, then they provide stable support and proper positioning, but they limit accessibility and usability for children seated in standard chairs
Solution Approach 1:
The tray assembly transitions from a horizontal configuration (requiring booster seats) to a vertical configuration suspended below the tabletop. This dimensional change allows children in standard chairs to access the tray at an appropriate height without requiring elevated seating positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray assembly incorporates adjustable height positioning through the bracket system, allowing dynamic adaptation to different child sizes and chair types. The height-adjustable feature enables the same tray to serve children of varying heights seated in different chair configurations.
2Ease of operation
If the tray is positioned at standard table height, then it is easily accessible to children, but it cannot be securely attached to the tabletop
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket system serves as an intermediary between the tray and tabletop, providing a secure attachment mechanism that can accommodate lower positioning. The C-clamp design with adjustment screws creates a reliable connection that maintains tray stability at child-accessible heights below the tabletop surface.
3Ease of operation
If the tray is positioned lower than the tabletop, then it is accessible to children in standard chairs, but it requires a secure attachment mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The C-clamp bracket design performs multiple functions: it attaches to various tabletop configurations (wooden, plastic, with or without skirts), adjusts to different heights, and secures the tray firmly. This universal design simplifies the overall system by using a single versatile attachment mechanism rather than multiple specialized components.
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 tray assembly provides accessible and secure placement of tableware and beverages for children in standard chairs, ensuring easy use and minimizing damage to furniture, while being adaptable to various tabletop configurations.
Implementation Method 1
An adjustment screw that is rotationally coupled to the movable jaw and threadedly coupled to the frame of the bracket is configured to be rotated to bring the movable jaw into frictional abutment with the lower surface of the tabletop to couple the bracket to the tabletop
Data Source
AI summary
A table attachable tray assembly for use by a child without a booster seat includes a plate and a pair of brackets. The brackets are coupled to and extend from a rear edge of the plate and are positioned singly proximate to opposing sides of the plate. The brackets are configured to couple to a tabletop so that the plate is positioned parallel to and lower than the tabletop. The plate is configured to position tableware, food, and a beverage so that the tableware, the food, and the beverage are accessible to a child who is seated in a nonaugmented chair that is positioned proximate to the plate.