Assembly for preparing and/or cooking food for a food appliance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cooking baskets with integrated gripping members are heated by steam during cooking, making them difficult to handle and potentially hazardous, while external accessories can be cumbersome and may not ensure a tight seal when the basket is removed, leading to food or steam leakage.

Innovation Solution

A kitchen appliance assembly featuring a bowl with a handle and a cooking basket with a perforated bottom, where the gripping member is housed in an isolated compartment outside the cooking volumes, preventing steam from heating it and allowing for easy handling and maintaining a tight seal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the gripping member is positioned inside the cooking space, then it enables handling the basket during cooking, but it is heated by steam and becomes difficult to handle and occupies cooking space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling of basket during cookingVSAvoidtemperature of gripping member

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The gripping member is extracted from the cooking space and positioned outside the bowl. The housing isolates the gripping member from the cooking inner volume, preventing steam heating while maintaining handling capability. This resolves the contradiction by removing the gripping member from the harmful thermal environment while preserving its functional purpose.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A housing structure acts as an intermediary between the gripping member and the cooking space. The housing is arranged outside the cooking inner volume and isolates the gripping member from steam, serving as a protective barrier that allows the gripping member to remain cool while still enabling basket handling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the handle of the basket emerges via a recess in the upper portion of the bowl, then the handle remains cool and the basket can be easily handled, but the recess is not filled when the basket is removed, causing food or steam leakage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling of basket after cookingVSAvoidtightness of the bowl

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The housing serves multiple functions: it houses the gripping member, maintains the tightness of the bowl when the basket is removed, and prevents food or steam leakage. By making the housing a permanent part of the bowl structure, it universally addresses both handling safety and seal integrity regardless of basket presence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing is pre-positioned on the bowl to maintain tightness even before the basket is removed. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the basket is taken out, the housing is already in place to prevent leakage, eliminating the need for reactive measures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If an external accessory is used to cooperate with hooking areas, then the basket can be removed without burning risk, but the connection is not easy and the accessory must be kept nearby

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremoval of basket without burningVSAvoidconnection between accessory and basket

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gripping member is merged with the basket structure as an integrated component rather than a separate accessory. This integration eliminates the need for separate connection mechanisms and external accessories, simplifying the overall system while maintaining the safety benefit of cool handling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The gripping member is designed to be self-contained and permanently attached to the basket, eliminating the need for separate accessories or external tools. The gripping member serves itself by being always available and requiring no additional connection or disconnection steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables safe and easy handling of the cooking basket after cooking without risking burns and ensures the bowl remains tight, preventing food or steam leakage even when the basket is not in place.

Implementation Method 1

said housing is isolated at least partially from the first inner volume and second inner volume of the assembly

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Data Source

PatentUS11471001B2Assembly for preparing and/or cooking food for a food appliance

Publication Date: 2022.10.18 BEABA SAS

AI summary

An assembly for preparing and/or cooking food for a kitchen appliance, includes at least in a first configuration: a bowl for preparing and/or cooking food including a first cooking and/or preparation inner volume, the bowl further having at least one handle extending outside of the first inner volume, a cooking basket shaped so as to be positioned inside the first cooking inner volume, the cooking basket having a second cooking inner volume, the basket having at least one gripping member, a cap shaped so as to close the first volume. The assembly has a housing configured to house at least partially the gripping member of the basket, the housing being arranged outside the first inner volume and outside the second inner volume.