Metamorphosis of the Buttery Tray
Team Member
Hannah Fink
Danielle Begnaud
Jessica Smith
Fabrication / Project Lead haroďŹ nk@gmail.com
Project Manager / Video dbegnaud@pratt.edu
Presentation / Documentation jsmith22@pratt.edu
Haiqi Yu (Tina)
Weichen-Shih (Jane)
Jinrui Yang (Ray)
Fabrication hyux7@pratt.edu
Fabrication wshih7@pratt.edu
Graphic Design jyang27@pratt.edu
Credit This project wouldn t have been
possible without the feedback and help from the kind people of Blythedale Children s Hospital, Tikkum Olam
Makers, and WearWorks. We would speciďŹ cally like to thank: Oded Shorer,
Dana Schwimmer, Kevin Yoo,
Keith Kirkl, And Henry Yoo, Matthew Hoey, and of course the incredible sta,
administration, caregivers of Blythedale children s hospital!
Client: Our client for this project was the patients and caretakers at Blythedale children s hospital.
Context: This project took place over a ďŹ ve-week period as part of the ID Tech class through Pratt Institute. All members of the Creative Crux team are ďŹ rst-year grad students from a variety of backgrounds.
*while we will use the term lap tray for brevity s sake, this device is more than that: it is an upper extremity support system (UESS) that provides structural support for the patient s shoulders and arms
Intro
Our group visited Blythedale to get a better sense of their needs and understand how the trays are used in context. After viewing their current models in use and talking with the care takers there, we identiďŹ ed a few main needs that our design would have to fulďŹ ll...
Research Easy access to patient • Easy to take on and off for daily tasks. • Caregiver needs to be able to access patient quickly in an emergency. Durable • Able to withstand wear-and-tear from children. Hygienic • Sanitation is always a concern, especially for the material choice. Adjustable • Variability between patients. • Variability between a single patient over time: (a) Weight loss/gain from medication. (b) Tray needs to grow with child over time since they will have the same chair for 5 years. Portable • Light weight, easy to transport. • Collapsible if possible. Ability to lock in place • Maintain safety of child, prevent potential injury. • Protect chair from getting damaged by tray. • Ensure the tray will stay in place when the chair is tilted in space. Fit both tubular and desk arm types • The two most standard types of chair arms.
Research
Design Considerations: From the list of client needs, we determined some constraints that would drive the direction of our designs:
Material: plastic / metal • No wood (sanitation concerns). • Acrylic / plastic is good material. • Connections need to be sturdy.
Customizable • Needs to be adjustable for a variety of wheelchairs. • The border wall around the tray is custom for each patient. • The transparency of the tray varies based on patients visual feedback needs.
Safety • Don t attach equipment to the child (except safety belt) -- always attach equipment to the chair. • Ideally a nurse would be able to detach tray from the front (where most of the other equipment is removed).
Technical • The sides of the chair are typically available for temporary storage. • Most upright tubes used in the chair frames are consistent in diameter. • The tray should not protrude farther than the patient s feet.
Research Current Models: rifton
Pros: • Easy to take on and off. • Easy to do quickly and with one hand. • Locks into place -safe for patient.
current models: sunrise and invacare medical
Cons: • Only works with Rifton wheelchairs. • Tray itself is heavy. • Difficult to store quickly and hygienically.
Pros: • Slides easily onto both types of chair arms. • Easy in the back.
Cons: • Trays don t lock. • Can injure patient if tray slides in too far. • Can cause damage to chairs when slid too far. • Buckles in the back.
Challenge To design a mounting system to attach a lap tray to the two most common types of armrests on children s wheelchairs:
Desk
Tubular
*While we will use the term lap tray for brevity s sake, this device is more than that: it is an upper extremity support system (UESS) that provides structural support for the patient s shoulders and arms.
Sketch
Prototype #1
In prototype one, the tray was secured on the back of the chair and the hardware allowed for it to rotate to the front of the chair. It would then lock into position on a set of telescoping arms. The tray folds in half for easy storage on the back of the chair but can be folded out for maximum tray use in the front. • • • • • •
Easy, on-chair storage Adjustable/Expandable Stable Locks in place Easily removed/Easy access to patient Portable (always on chair)
Prototype #2
In prototype two, the two halves of the tray are secured on the back of the chair while the hardware allows for them to rotate to the front of the chair on either side and lock into position on telescoping arms. Patient has the potential to use only half of the lap tray for any reason, including using a chair controlller that might mean customizing the lap tray to fit around it. • • • • • • •
Easy, on-chair storage Adjustable/Expandable Stable Locks in place Easily removed/put into place Portable (always on chair) Possible to use only half of the tray for further customization
Prototype #3
In prototype three, the two halves of the tray are secured on the back of the chair while the hardware allows for them to rotate to the front of the chair on either side and lock into position on telescoping arms. The tray halves fan out to create the full tray surface, saving space when not in use. Patient has the potential to use only half of the lap tray for any reason. • • • • • • •
Compact, out-of-the-way storage Possible to only use half of the tray Easy, on-chair storage Adjustable/Expandable Locks in place Easily removed/put into place Portable (always on chair)
Feedback
Comments: Successful lap trays are being created in the hospital. They are custom fit to each patient and can be produced in house. Focus more on the issues not solved by these in-house trays: • How to store the trays • How to make the trays fit all types of wheelchairs No need to recreate the laptray, focus on the universal mounting system
Improvement
2 Piece Solution = Mechanism for Storage and Attachment + Custom Trays
• • • •
Flip the fold on the tray to the other side for more stability Telescoping arms bypass the issue of armrest variability, but can still use the arm rest structure as support Since the telescoping arms are also armrests, could explore using a smaller tray Consider a quick release option when designing the locking system
Development
After testing our prototype, we realized we had to refine our design by focusing on three main points of interest.
Important connections to focus on: • Joint connecting chair to entire tray mechanism • Hinge connecting tray to telescoping arm • Storage mechanism on the back to secure the tray when not in use
Development
• The circular tube fused with metal tube acts as the chair connection. A slit is cut in each square tube to allow the hinges to move up and down the arm. • Two 5-inch metal hinges connect the tray to the metal telescoping arm. The tray folds onto the hinges to become ush with the telescoping arm, ensuring the tray does not run into the wheelchair bars.
Development
Development
• • • •
Simplify the double-folding tray into one piece Develop a quick release system Develop an in-use stopper Develop a mechanism for back storage
Development
Final Prototype
• Adjustable • Easy access to patient • Portable • Hygienic • Safe • Versatile • Customizable
Final Prototype
Locking Mechanism
Final Prototype
Folding Tray
Final Prototype
Storage System
Final Prototype
Telescoping Mount
Final Prototype
Everyday Use
Bill of materials / Cost Material
Price
Amount Used
Supplier
Part No.
zinc-galvanized steel perforated square tube
$15.12/pc
1
McMaster-Carr
6535K213
zinc-galvanized steel perforated square tube
$18.62/pc
1
McMaster-Carr
6535K233
zinc-plated steel quick-release connector
$7.02/pack
1
McMaster-Carr
94282A270
surface-mount hinge without holes
$7.53/pc
3
McMaster-Carr
16175A44
piano hinge with holes
$6.04/pc
1
McMaster-Carr
1608A24
acrylic sheet*
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McMaster-Carr
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*the acrylic was used to mock up the lap tray for presentation but is not part of the mounting system
Branding
B Butterfly When thinking about branding, we wanted to incorporate imagery that would appeal to children but still reect our product. We thought that a buttery did a good job of doing this and
representing the folding nature of our product. The B also resembled two tray halves, which we tried to represent in the logo.
Branding
R: 124
R: 0
R: 94
B: 191
B: 255
B: 94
G: 60
#7C3CBF
G: 162 #00A2FF
G: 94 #5E5E5E
Branding
Branding
Follow Up
Want to follow up with us about this project or just let us know what you
think? You can reach out to us individually or ďŹ nd us in Pratt Studios working towards our Master s of Industrial Design.
Thanks!