Adjustable grill grate scraper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional grill grate cleaning tools, such as wire brushes and scrapers, are ineffective for various grill grate profiles and configurations, leading to unsanitary conditions and potential hazards due to broken bristles and lack of universality.
Innovation Solution
A universal, adjustable, and lockable grill grate scraper with a handle and scraper assembly featuring moveable scraper blades that can be locked into different configurations to match various grill grate types, ensuring effective cleaning and safe retention of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wire brushes are used for cleaning grill grates, then cleaning action is provided, but bristles bend and break off creating hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces durable wire brush bristles with disposable steel wool pads that are intentionally designed to be replaceable. The steel wool pads provide effective cleaning action but are meant to be discarded and replaced rather than maintained, eliminating the hazard of broken bristles remaining on the grill.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cleaning function from the handle assembly by using detachable steel wool pads. This allows the cleaning element to be easily removed and replaced, separating the cleaning function from the structural components and enabling safe disposal of worn cleaning elements.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional scrapers with fixed blade designs are used, then cleaning of specific grill grate types is achieved, but universality across different grill grate profiles is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs adjustable scraper blades that can be repositioned along the handle to accommodate different grill grate profiles. The blades can be moved to various positions and angles, transforming a static cleaning tool into a dynamic one that adapts to different cleaning requirements and grill configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal cleaning tool that can effectively clean multiple types of grill grates through its adjustable blade configuration. The same device can be adjusted to work with different grate profiles, spacing, and orientations, making it a multi-functional tool that replaces multiple specialized scrapers.
3Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable scraper blades are used to accommodate different grill grate types, then universality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the scraper blade into separate, independently adjustable segments that can be positioned along the handle. This segmentation allows each blade portion to be independently adjusted and positioned, simplifying the overall adjustment mechanism while maintaining versatility across different grill grate configurations.
4Ease of repair
If scraper components are made detachable for ease of replacement, then maintenance is improved, but accidental separation and safety hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pre-designed retention features and locking mechanisms that prevent accidental separation of components during use. These features are built into the design from the beginning, allowing easy intentional replacement while preventing unintended detachment during the cleaning operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A grill grate scraper comprises a handle portion adapted to be grasped by a user and a scraper assembly opposite the handle portion. The scraper assembly includes a scraper head made up of a plurality of scraper blades and a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism can be in an unlocked position where the plurality of scraper blades are moveable relative to one another and a locked position where the plurality of scraper blades are locked in place. Each of the plurality of scraper blades can be a rigid blade comprising a scraping portion and a rearward portion, the scraping portion comprising a scraping edge and an adjacent side surface. In one version, when in the locked position, the locking mechanism applies a lateral compressive force on the plurality of scraper blades. In another version, the locking mechanism prevents accidental separation of the scraper blades from the scraper assembly when in the unlocked position.