REDESIGNING THE MURPHY BED

Robert Knowlton Michael Miller

Michael Baldwin

March 3, 2010

Team 2I

Executive Summary (w the world population at an all time high) With the world’s population continuing to grow, the need for additional living space is growing just as rapidly. This group looked into the market of college dorm rooms and realized that the minimal amount of space allotted can be utilized more efficiently. Therefore, our engineering team came up with the idea redesign of the Murphy bed that attaches a pivoting desktop to the back of the bed in order to combine two separate entities into one, space saving device. Our design team individually performed external searches of the current market and interviewed customers. Our team then brought all of our data together in which we chose our major design concepts. We then proceeded to score the concept ideas based on weighted criteria that came from customer’s input. As a result, the team formed its final design: a single Murphy bed that is folded up along the horizontal axis contained in a wooden shell with a pivoting desktop underneath. This desk acts as support when the bed is in use, and it will pivot down as the bed is folded up. In addition, wooden cabinetry will be added around the bed in order to provide storage space. As former dorm occupants, any additional space would have been a delight, so our teams push into this market should yield success.

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary………………………….…………....…………….1 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..3

1.1. Background………………………………………………………3 1.2. Task Description………………………………………………….3

2. Problem Definition…………………………………………………...3 3. Customer Need Assessment………...……………………………...3-4

3.1. Gathering Customer Input………………………………………..3-4 3.2. Weighting Customer Needs………………………………………...4

4. Engineering Specifications…………………………………….…..4-6 4.1. Establishing Target Specifications……………………..………...…...4-5 4.2. Relating Specifications to Customer Needs…………………………..…5 4.3. Revised Problem Statement………………………………………..…5-6 5. Concept Generation………………………………….…………....6-7 5.1. External Search……………………………………………….…..6 5.2. Design Concepts……………………………………...……...…6-7 6. Concept Selection……………………………………….……...…7-8 7. Final Design…………………………………………….………...…8 8. Conclusions and Recommendations……………………..……….….9 9. References……………………………………………….…….…9-10 10. Appendices………………………………………………..…....11-19

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1. Introduction 1.1 Background Group 2I is a furniture company which specializes in creative designs for Murphy beds. A Murphy bed is a bed that pivots up into a vertical position usually into a closet or other type of feature. From past experiences of living in Pennsylvania State University’s dorm rooms, we know that there is a need for space efficiency in college dorm rooms and apartments. “The average dorm room is 12 by 19 feet—before you split the space with a roommate and subtract space for essentials like your bed and desk. However, don’t fret—for the 2006 school year, the National Retail Federation still reported a $3.82 billion market for dorm furnishings” [ref. 1]. With such a small space available for students to occupy, space efficiency plays an important role in determining what to bring to college.

1.2 Task Description The overall task we face is to convert a Murphy bed into a space efficient Murphy bed and desk. The product must combine as many aspects of a desk and bed as possible. The design should also have storage space for any anything college students would need to use on a regular basis. The design must be able to transition from bed to desk easily with only a small amount of consumer work. The design must be as space efficient as possible because college dorm rooms are small and crammed. Since college students are already on a small budget, our design must be as affordable as possible for college students. Our design could also be purchased by universities or individual home owners.

2. Problem Definition Since we were not given a specific problem to tackle regarding our redesign project, it took quite a while to commit to solving a problem faced by our fellow college students. However, after considering a few minor inconveniences that would hardly be considered full-fledged problems, we finally narrowed down our search to lack of space in college housing. Whether you live in one of Penn State’s dorms with an egg carton ceiling or an overpriced apartment on the outskirts of town, it is likely that you have often found yourself lacking floor space as well as storage space. From here, we decided to focus on the space of college dorms in particular since every student on campus has some sort of opinion of the first room they were crammed into during their first year at Pennsylvania State University. For this, we broke down our efforts into maximizing the comfort, floor space, desk space, and general storage space before realizing the significant effect that a Murphy bed could have on the transformation of a college dorm room. However, while designing this, we had to work within the constraints of the size of a college dorm room as well as the size of a college budget.

3. Customer Needs Assessment 3.1 Gathering Customer Input In order for us to determine how we should construct this new bed, our group went out and interviewed potential customers to gather their input on the idea. From these interviews, we were able to focus on certain aspects that most of the potential customers asked for. Our design team went around to college students living in dorms and apartments; we then proceeded to ask

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them several baseline questions about the Murphy bed and what they would like to see changed. See Appendix A for list of questions and results. From these answers and additional comments, our team was able to formulate basic ideas that consumers wanted to be incorporated into this design. To supplement these interviews, we also had discussions with other engineering teams to get their input on the idea. Through a reciprocal process, our team was able to learn more about the basic consumer needs required for a successful design through additional comments, ideas, and potential pitfalls the other design team suggested. After these interviews and group discussions, our team was able to pinpoint the specific consumer needs required for a successful design. These included space efficiency, price, strength, transition time, accessibility, safety, and lifetime. These are the needs that the customers were concerned about and in which our team needed to design around. 3.2 Weighting of Customer Needs Customer input is a very valuable tool when it comes to designing a product. Determining which of these input needs is most important is even more crucial to the design process. One way to decide which need is more valuable to the customer than another is by weighing them. The team therefore created an Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) matrix to determine the importance of the consumer needs. A brief summary is shown on the right in Table 1. The full AHP can be found in Appendix B. By interpreting our teams weighted results, space efficiency is the most important criteria with price, safety, and lifetime as the least important customer needs. Space efficiency allows customers to utilize the space they are given to the maximum extent. A low price allows penny pinched college students to afford our product. Strength refers to the strength and durability of materials to accommodate the weight and strain from the bed and desk without the materials failing. Transition time was the second most important criteria. The customer wants to be able to convert from a bed to a desk with minimal amount of time wasted and with as little effort as possible. Accessibility was a big concern for the customers. They wanted to know if they would be able to access all of their items whether the bed or desk was in use. This need was one that would probably give our team the biggest problem. Safety and lifetime were the two least important consumer needs. They wanted the bed to last long and to be safe to open and close repeatedly without fear of injury. Overall, the customer’s main concerns were space efficiency, transition time, and accessibility, and these are the needs our team must take into account to design a Murphy bed that will be accepted by our customers.

4. Engineering Specifications 4.1 Establishing Target Specifications and Metrics Based on the consumer input we have outlined above, we developed six target specifications. We first need a strong material with a high yield strength that will support the weight that will be

Table 1: Weighted Customer Needs for Murphy Bed

Consumer Needs

Weighting (from AHP)

Space Efficient 22.5% Price 9.2% Strength 13.0% Transition Time 19.5% Accessibility 17.4% Safety 9.2% Lifetime 9.2%

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Figure 1. Relationship between Engineering Specifications and Consumer Needs

added to the frame. Our first thought was to use oak because of its appearance, but many more materials can be used. The second specification is that we need high tension springs that can be used to assist the consumer while raising and lowering the bed. Third, we need the overall cost to be as cheap as possible to make the product more affordable to consumers. Another specification is that the bed must utilize high yield strength supports to support the motion of the bed. The design must also have a small footprint; meaning the design must be space efficient for the consumer. This means drawers and a desk must have a useful size. Finally, the bed must have rubber dampers that will be used to isolate pinch points and protect against damage as the desk pivots. As a safety concern, the bed must have safety features so consumers will not be injured when using the product.

4.2 Relationship of Engineering Specifications to Customer Needs The relationship between the consumer needs and engineering specifications are provided in Figure 1. When analyzing the chart, our group took a broad approach to each engineering specification to see how the specifications could affect the design over its lifetime. The engineering targets are only estimates based off of our knowledge at this time. These targets are subject to change as the design progresses, and we find that the design would need to support a different weight.

4.3 Revised Problem Statement Since space is a major concern of any college student, the design must be as space efficient as possible. In order to meet the market at Penn State, our design must be able to fit into a standard dorm room. Our product will include a standard Murphy bed; however, it will also include a desk, drawers and a bookshelf to maximize space efficiency. The bed frame will need high tension springs to ease the transition of the bed from its stored position to its usable position. The design must be able to support the weight of the user while they sleep or when they are working on their desk. Rubber damping elements will be used to provide safety and prevent damage

Engineering Specifications

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Strength x x Transition Time x x x

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Units psi lb/in $ psi ft2 lb-s/ft

20x103 1000 3000 20x103 45 80

Engineering Targets

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during transition between the desk and bed. This product will also incorporate lighting into the design so that the light could be used when the bed is up or down. The design will include an electrical system so the consumer will be able to plug in their electronics on their desk. The team will focus on the desk attached to the bed and side cabinetry for the final model. The projected retail price is around $3000.

5. Concept Generation 5.1 External Search There are several existing patents and commercial products that proved useful in exploring the structural and mechanical options generally used to create Murphy beds. Since our redesign focuses on the storage and accessibility rather than the traditional mechanical components, it is difficult to quantitatively benchmark most products that we came across during our external search. We did, however, discover many valuable structural and mechanical features that were of much assistance in creating our initial design concepts. The earliest patent we were able to find for a combination bed and desk was issued in 1978 and was a fairly simple structure with a more complex four-bar hinge system for lowering the bed surface. Although this concept featured a full-size desk surface and a few drawers, it was way too primitive to be examined with much depth.

We were able to find one patent from the 1980s, but the need for a work and computer desk seemed far from the forefront of bed design at that time. At the turn of the twenty-first century, many patents emerged incorporating desks on the underside of Murphy beds- a few of which we were also able to find similarly in commercial products. One of the most useful patents considered when creating our designs was that of the “Furniture Combination bed and desk [ref 2],” which was issued in 2006 and featured a hinged desk under a side-folding bed with room for shelving and miscellaneous storage space above.

Searching current products in this area, we found many wooden Murphy beds with either shelves or a desk, but few that had the full utilization of storage space and accessibility that we were looking for. After some searching, we discovered “The Tale [ref 3]” Computer bed, which closely matched the patent that proved so helpful before. Although fairly simple and streamline, this model lacks the extra storage capacity and structural stability necessary to carry the load of a college student’s dorm life. However, this model proved to be an integral backbone for our future designs as a team. The commercial Murphy beds featuring storage and/or a desk surface currently range anywhere from $800-5000, which had to be closely considered when trying to minimize price of our design. After viewing some useful applications of overhead lighting, pivoting shelves, and hinge systems of some of these products, we were ready to start developing design concepts for our final product. Appendix C contains information on external searches.

5.2 Design Concepts Once we had sufficiently determined our customers’ needs and researched prior designs on the subject, our group met in an isolated room in order to generate some design concepts. Our first concept was a tall, vertically-folding Murphy bed with one fixed shelf above an extendable desk that concealed additional shelves when in the closed position. Although this concept took up

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very little floor space, the hinge for the desk may be structurally unstable and lacked the necessary shelf space and accessibility that we were looking for.

Our second design concept also folded upright to take up minimal floor space, but this also caused some shelves to be inaccessible in the closed position. This concept, however, did incorporate some drawers and specialized cubby holes for the storage of pens and other office supplies. The top shelf was designed to pivot over the corner of the bed for use in either the closed or open position, which made the shelving much more accessible if it was implemented correctly. Made of mostly wood, this frame fulfilled most of our needs, but still lacked a deep desk surface due to the amount of shelves located under the bed. This concept first tackled the problem of desk lighting with one large light covering the desk surface.

Concept three featured three L-shaped, hinged shelves that served as both support and storage space for optimal efficiency. This bed folded up long ways to cover minimal floor space, which also restricted the depth of the desk surface that we aim to maximize. The feature that distinguished this concept from the rest, however, was the addition of fixed shelving on each side “hutch” or external bed frame. The general idea was to incorporate fixed shelving in order to reduce the number of moving parts and to make the shelves accessible from multiple directions in the open position. This concept however, did not make any advancement on the lighting problem. See appendix D for photos of these design concepts.

Our fourth design concept- a hybrid of the three previously mentioned concepts- similarly represented the overall shelving structure of the third design, but integrated some low-profile lighting and removed the bottom shelf, which was deemed unnecessary with the additional shelving. Drafting this final concept made us able to create a short checklist of key components that had to be involved in our final design-1) a pivoting desk and bookshelf, 2) built-in shelves and drawers, 3) desk lamp (not fluorescent), and 4) a white or cork board. Pulling these ideas together, we were able to create a basic idea to run with into the latter stages of development.

Our fifth and final concept was not sketched during the concept brainstorming session, but was decided upon amongst our group as the best option for fulfilling our target goals set at the beginning of our search. Since Concept four had been decided to be the best hybrid of our first three concepts, we decided to take the concept one step further by turning the bed ninety degrees, so it folds up sideways. By doing this, we were able to minimize depth of the bed frame while maximizing our desk and shelf space. Since the bed folds onto its side rather than vertically, we were able to use the extra ceiling clearance to add an additional set of fixed shelving above the bed which would be accessible in both the flat and upright positions of the bed.

6. Concept Selection After our group obtained customer input and created general design concepts, we had to finalize our design selection. Using our individual design concepts, every member of our team introduced their own idea, and the team decided on which concepts to use. We accomplished

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Figure 2. Concept Selection Matrix

this by creating a selection matrix (See Appendix E for the full matrix). The three concepts that were introduced where: a collapsible desk, single pivot desk, and a double pivot desks. The team used the weighted percentages from the AHP, and then proceeded to compare the three concepts in each category by ranking them 1 through 5. As shown in Figure 2, the double pivot desk finished first with the collapsible desk finishing last. The score and rank make logical sense because the ability to pivot is more useful than a collapsible desk in which desk items would need to be taken off. Our team’s solution was to combine the ideas of the single and double pivot desks into one. This would allow us to create a superior product for our final design.

7. Final Design The final product will be made of wood to enhance aesthetics. The overall size will be 10 feet by 6 feet by 4.5 feet and include a 7 foot by 4.5 foot opening for the bed. A detailed drawing can be found in Appendix F. The product will include a pivoting desk that will remain horizontal at all times. It will also include a bookshelf above the desk. On either side of the bed will be two customizable shelving units. This design will include two desk lamps attached to the top bookshelf so the consumer can use them while the bed is up or down. Above the desk will be a white board or cork board which will be chosen by the consumer. An electrical outlet system will be incorporated into the desk and an extension cord will connect the system to a wall outlet. This will prevent cords from getting in the way as the product pivots. The estimated manufacturing cost of our product will be about $2000.

Concepts Collapsible desk

Single pivot desk

Double pivot desk

Total Score 1.83 3.26 4.13 Rank 3 2 1 What Next none combine combine

Figure 3. A Diametric view of the design with the bed up and down

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8. Conclusions and Recommendations

Our team believes that this design fulfills all of the consumers needs. This design is space efficient, accessible, has a quick transition time, and is strong and safe. The final price is within the range of competitor prices. The electrical system and lighting built into the design will make the product stand out compared to competing designs. These features can change the way competitors think about Murphy bed designs. This design is recommended for dorms and small apartments where residents are trying to be space efficient. The best way to get this design marketed would be to travel to universities to sell our product when dorms go under renovations and to find a retailer like IKEA to sell our product. Although this exact design may not be patented, there are several patents that we could be infringing on. The team considered two options: selling our idea to another competitor who is paying royalties for the design or by paying royalties to the current patent owners. This design has the potential to reach the market no matter what the team decides. 9. References: [1] Bradley, Krista. "Your Guide to Dorm Room Supply & Storage: Helping you smartly fill

your closets and corners." CollegeView. Hobsons, Inc, Web. 22 Feb 2010. [2] Monestier, Juan Carlos. "Furniture combination bed and desk." Google. 2010. Google, Web.

28 Feb 2010. <http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=9TZ9AAAAEBAJ>.

[3] "The Computer Bed - Euro FlyingBed." Smart Beds from FlyingBeds. 2010. FlyingBeds, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.flyingbeds.com/14.SmartBeds/Tale-ComputerBed.htm>.

[4] "Murphy Bed Company." Murphy Bed Company. 2009. Murphy Bed Co., Web. 28 Feb 2010. <www.murphybedcompany.com>.

[5] "How to Build a Murphy Bed." eHow. 2010. eHow, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.ehow.com/how_2078364_build-murphy-bed.html>.

[6] Reppas, George S. "convertable bed with desk." Google. 2010. Google, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=s-gMAAAAEBAJ>.

[7] Reppas, George S. "convertable furniture unit." Google. 2010. Google, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=G04wAAAAEBAJ>.

[8] Sherman, Loren. " Transfigurable furniture unit." Google. 2010. Google, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=bzMJAAAAEBAJ>.

[9] Lim, Jerry. "Folding Bed." Google. 2010. Google, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=DVgQAAAAEBAJ&dq=murphy+bed+AND+desk>.

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[10] "Murphy Beds Came First, Then Wall beds, Now Flying Beds." Flying Beds. 2010. Flying Beds, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.flyingbeds.com/Expresso.Cherry-twin_808/index.htm>.

[11] "Single Bunk Bed." Smart Beds. 2010. Flying Beds, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.flyingbeds.com/14.SmartBeds/Tama_DeskBed.htm>.

[12] "Elsa Murphy Bed with Drop Down Table." Wall Bed Factory. 2010. Wall bed Factory, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.wallbedfactory.com/furniture/murphy-beds/elsa-drop-down-table-murphy-bed>.

[13] "Abbott Library Bed." Wall Bed Factory. 2010. Wall bed Factory, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.wallbedfactory.com/furniture/murphy-beds/abbott-library-murphy-bed2>.

[14] "Murphy Beds and Cabinets." USA Murphy Beds & Custom Cabinets. 2010. USA Murphy Beds & Custom Cabinets, Web. 28 Feb 2010. <http://www.usamurphybeds.com/murphybeds/deskmurphybed.html>.

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Appendix A: Interview Results

1) What five things do you use the most on your desk?

(7)-pens/pencils; (6)- lamp, books, paper; (5)-computer; (3)-speakers, calculator, stapler 2) Do you prefer ceiling lighting or a desk lamp?

lamp (6) – ceiling (2) 3) Do you prefer dry erase or cork boards? white (4) – cork(2) – both 1 4) What is the optimal height of a bed from the floor? Average: 2-3 feet 5) Would you like a retractable desk connected to your bed?

Yes (6) – no (1) 6) What 5 items would you like to have on your desk?

N/A – too similar to Q1 7) How many desk drawers do you use consistently? 2 drawers + shelves 8) How much weight can you lift over your head? About 80 lbs

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Appendix B: Analytic Hierarchical Process

AHP

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Space Efficient x 2 3 1 1 2 2 11 22.5% Price 0.5 x 1 0.5 0.5 1 1 4.5 9.2% Strength 0.33 1 x 2 1 1 1 6.33 13.0% transition time 1 2 0.5 x 2 2 2 9.5 19.5% accessibility 1 2 1 0.5 x 2 2 8.5 17.4% safety 0.5 1 1 0.5 0.5 x 1 4.5 9.2% lifetime 0.5 1 1 0.5 0.5 1 x 4.5 9.2%

total 48.83 100.0%

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Appendix C: External Search Results [1] Furniture Combination bed and desk –# 7140052 - hinged desk remains horizontal in open and closed positions - side-folding mechanism -multiple small springs for easy lifting - wooden bed frame - parallelogram desk support system - motor for easy transition [2] Combination bed and desk – #4070715 - stationary desk surface with folding bed behind (above) - bed lays flat on top of desk surface when both are lowered - internal four-bar spring system - 4 desk drawers - internally-wired overhead lighting

[3] Convertible bed with computer desk –# 6508526 - bed folded on side and behind bed - multiple configurations of desk and bed - desk drawers and shelf - description emphasizes cost and accessibility - top (bed) surface described as having multiple uses- buffet, credenza, conference table, etc.

[4] Convertible furniture unit – #4318195 - desk surface with vertically-folding bed above - hinged desk collapses forward in order to open bed

[5] Transfigurable furniture unit – #6401276 - fold-down desk under vertically- folding bed - 4 high-tension springs connected to bed platform around bracket behind point of rotation - shelf above bed frame - support bars on each side for easy lifting and lowering - 4 piece front bracket extends to support desk surface

[6] Folding bed – #6779208 - horizontally-folding desk - spring-loaded locking mechanisms -separate bracket system for bed and desk

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Products: [7] Misc. Desk ~ cherry construction ~ low-profile overhead lighting ~ vertically-folding bed with cabinet and drawers on side ~ fold-down desk surface under bed surface

[8] The Computer Bed “The Tale” ~ $3650 ~ side-folding twin bed with hinged desk surface underneath ~ fixed shelf above bed for additional book storage ~ particle board available in 6 finishes – white, maple, white oak, walnut, cherry, and wenge ~ mattress included ~ 85”W X 53”H X 39(33)”D

[9] Desk Bed (Tama) ~ $5,386 ~ vertically-folding double bed with hinged desk and upper shelf ~ 6 color choices (see above) ~ aluminum frame ~ easy to open and close ~ 72”W X 90”H X 81”D ~ no fixed shelving

[10] Elsa Drop Table ~ $2,324 ~ 100% green maple and oak ~ small fold-down desk surface

[11] Abbott Library Bed ~ about $5500 ~ available In 9 different finishes and 2 sizes (queen and full) ~ optional shelving fixed on either side of the bed (12 full book shelves maxed out) ~ air-piston mechanism for easy opening/closing ~ 100% green wood

[12] The Desk Murphy Bed ~ $1179(twin) - $1579(queen) ~ maple or oak construction ~ vertically-folding bed with desk hinged from the floor

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Appendix D: Initial Designs Concept 1 – Vertically-folding Murphy bed with hinged top shelf and desk

Concept 2 – Single Pivoting desk

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Concept 3 – Double Pivoting desk with built in shelving

Concept 4 – Double Pivoting desk with shelving on the side of the bed

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Appendix E: Concept Selection Matrix

Concept Selection Matrix Collapsible desk Single pivot desk Double pivot desk

Consumer Needs

Weight Rating

Weighted Score Rating

Weighted Score Rating

Weighted Score

Space Efficient 0.225 1 0.23 3 0.68 4 0.90 Price 0.092 2 0.18 3 0.28 2 0.18 Strength 0.130 1 0.13 2 0.26 5 0.65 transition time 0.195 2 0.39 5 0.98 5 0.98 accessibility 0.174 2 0.35 3 0.52 5 0.87 safety 0.092 3 0.28 3 0.28 3 0.28 lifetime 0.092 3 0.28 3 0.28 3 0.28

Total Score 1.83 3.26 4.13 Rank 3 2 1

Whats next? none combine combine

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Appendix F: Final Design

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