A wheelable collapsible table and storage assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

Transporting picnic equipment, including tables and chairs, over long distances is strenuous and inefficient due to bulky trolleys that do not fit easily in car boots, requiring manual handling and separate transportation of items like beverages, food, and utensils.

Innovation Solution

A wheelable collapsible table and storage assembly with a receptacle and lid connected via foldable legs, allowing the assembly to convert into a table surface for use and a closed storage compartment for collapsed chairs and equipment, featuring extendable feet and clips for stability and secure storage, enabling compact transport and easy setup at outdoor locations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a trolley or wheeled case is used to transport table and chairs, then transporting picnic equipment becomes easier, but the trolley becomes bulky and does not fit easily into a car boot

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of transportVSAvoidvolume of transport device
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The transport system is divided into a base unit (receptacle with wheels) and a separate table top (lid), allowing the table to be collapsed into a compact configuration that fits in car boots while maintaining ease of transport through the wheeled base

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The lid contains a recess that receives and stores the foldable legs when not in use, creating a nested configuration that reduces the overall volume of the transport assembly to fit easily into car boots

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Volume of moving object

If the table is designed to be collapsible for compact storage, then it fits better in car boots, but the structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevolume of storage configurationVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The table employs dynamic foldable legs that can transition between extended and retracted positions, allowing the structure to adapt between use and storage configurations without requiring complex disassembly procedures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The storage compartment is integrated into the lid structure itself, merging the table top with the storage function, thereby eliminating the need for separate storage containers and reducing overall structural complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Volume of moving object

If chairs are stored in a confined arrangement within the storage compartment, then transport space is optimized, but the structure required to hold them becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage space efficiencyVSAvoidchair confinement structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Chairs are collapsed and nested within the storage compartment, with each chair folded into a compact form that fits within the confined space, optimizing storage volume without requiring additional confinement structures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The storage compartment serves multiple functions: it stores collapsed chairs, holds picnic equipment, and provides structural support for the table when legs are extended, eliminating the need for separate chair confinement structures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3500131B1A wheelable collapsible table and storage assembly
Publication Date: 2024.04.17 PURDY CHRISSIE
  • EP3500131B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3500131B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3500131B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A wheelable collapsible table and storage assembly for storing and transporting chairs and picnic equipment, the assembly having a receptacle and a lid, the receptacle having wheels and a handle at opposite ends, the lid being connected to the receptacle via foldable legs such that when the legs are in an extended condition, the lid is spaced apart from the receptacle so as to form a surface of a table, and when the legs are in a retracted condition, the lid fits over the opening of the receptacle so as to form a closed storage compartment, wherein the storage compartment has structure to hold a pair of collapsed chairs in a confined arrangement, each chair being collapsible in both width and depth directions.