Table construction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing table constructions lack efficient wire management systems that allow for easy installation and maintenance of electrical power and communication lines, as they often require cumbersome and time-consuming processes to route and secure these lines.
Innovation Solution
A leg assembly with a wireway that includes movable wire retaining assemblies and a cover member, allowing for easy insertion and removal of electrical power and communication lines, while maintaining secure retention within the wireway, and adjustable leg members to ensure stability and level surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional wire management methods are used in table constructions, then wires can be routed through the structure, but the installation and maintenance processes become cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The wire management system is segmented into modular components: discrete wire retaining assemblies positioned at intervals along the leg, each independently movable between retained and released positions. This segmentation allows wires to be accessed and manipulated in small sections rather than requiring complete disassembly of the entire wireway system.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire retaining assemblies are designed with dynamic movement capability, transitioning between a first position where they retain wires within the wireway and a second position where they release wires for removal. This dynamic mechanism eliminates the need for permanent fastening or complex disassembly procedures, enabling quick wire installation and maintenance.
2Reliability
If wires are securely retained within the wireway, then wire management is efficient, but wire removal and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The wire retaining assemblies provide dynamic retention: in the first position, they securely hold wires within the wireway through engagement with the wireway walls; in the second position, they move away to release wires for easy removal. This single mechanism satisfies both retention security and ease of removal requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire retaining assemblies act as intermediary elements between the wireway structure and the wires themselves. They provide the retention force when needed but can be easily moved out of the way when wire removal is required, serving as a reversible mediator that enables both secure retention and easy access.
3Stability of the object's composition
If leg members are made adjustable for stability, then table levelness is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The leg members are designed with multi-functionality: they provide primary structural support, enable height adjustment through longitudinal movement, and incorporate integrated wire retaining assemblies. This universal design achieves stability and adaptability without requiring separate complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire retaining assemblies are merged with the leg structure itself rather than being separate components. The retaining assemblies are positioned on and integrated with the leg members, combining wire management functionality with the leg's structural and adjustment functions, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A leg assembly for a table includes an elongated body portion having a wireway extending along a length of the body portion and configured to receive electrical power and communication lines therein, one or more wire retaining assemblies located within the wireway of the body portion, each of the one or more wire retaining assemblies movable between a first position, wherein electrical power and communication lines are retained within the wireway, and a second position, wherein electrical power and communication lines may be readily removed from within the wireway, and wherein the one or more wire retaining assemblies remain at least partially within the wireway in the first position and in the second position, and a cover member releasably connected to the one or more wire retaining assemblies.