Telescopic Collapsible Leg Assembly for Stable Compact Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional collapsible leg assemblies are unstable on uneven surfaces, cumbersome to set up and take down, lack sufficient height adjustment, and occupy too much space when folded, making them impractical for portable use.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible leg assembly featuring telescopic inner and outer tubular members with pivotable and slidable connections, latching devices for easy height adjustment, and a cable actuation system for simultaneous collapse, allowing for stable, quick setup, and compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional folding support structures use simple hinge legs, then the structure is easy to manufacture, but the structure is unstable on uneven surfaces and susceptible to tipping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs telescoping tubular members where inner tubes are nested within outer tubes to form the leg members. This nesting arrangement allows the legs to extend to various lengths for stability on uneven surfaces while retracting to compact sizes for portability, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg members incorporate telescoping mechanisms with latching devices that allow dynamic adjustment of leg length. This dynamic capability enables the support structure to adapt to uneven surfaces by extending individual legs to different lengths, thereby improving stability without compromising ease of manufacture.
2Device complexity
If conventional folding support structures use fixed-length legs, then the structure is simple in design, but the structure lacks height adjustment capability
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping tubular members with inner tubes nested within outer tubes provide multiple extendable positions through latching mechanisms. This nested design enables height adjustment capability while maintaining relatively simple device complexity, as the same structural arrangement serves both compact storage and height variability functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping leg members incorporate latching devices that enable dynamic height adjustment. Users can extend and lock the legs at various positions to achieve desired heights, providing adaptability without significantly increasing device complexity through the use of straightforward mechanical latching mechanisms.
3Device complexity
If conventional folding support structures use non-telescoping legs, then the structure is simpler, but the structure occupies too much space during transportation and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping tubular members allow the leg members to be retracted into compact configurations where inner tubes are fully inserted within outer tubes. This nesting arrangement dramatically reduces the volume occupied during transportation and storage while maintaining relatively simple device complexity through the use of straightforward telescoping mechanisms.
4Stability of the object's composition
If conventional folding support structures use four legs in corners, then the structure provides adequate support, but the structure encroaches upon user leg space
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping leg members enable dynamic adjustment of leg position and length. When retracted, the legs occupy minimal space beneath the tabletop, maximizing user leg space. When extended, they provide adequate support stability, thus resolving the contradiction between support stability and leg space availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible leg assembly configured to elevate an object above a floor surface includes at least one pair of leg members, each of the leg members including an inner tubular member telescopically received within an outer tubular member; an attachment member operatively connecting a first of the outer tubular members to a second of the outer tubular members, thereby establishing a pivotal axis about which the leg members are capable of rotating relative to one another; and at least one pair of latching devices, each of the latching devices being configured to selectively prevent the relative sliding movement of one of the inner tubular members relative to its respective outer tubular member. In one or more embodiments, the attachment member and the pivotal axis defined thereby are disposed at a fixed location along the length of each of the outer tubular members between the first and second ends thereof.