Barbecue Ash Tray and Fire Starter Layout for Easier Ignition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing barbecues face difficulties in lighting charcoal due to the placement of fire starter blocks and the risk of smothering flames, and are cumbersome and costly due to the need for a column-like tubular support for ash collection, which also poses safety risks during fire replacement.
Innovation Solution
A barbecue design featuring a removable, perforated tray with a grip handle for easy insertion and extraction of fire starter blocks, and a complementary guiding tray with ventilation holes for improved airflow, fixed directly below the brazier, eliminating the need for a column-like support and allowing for safer fire management and ash collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire starter blocks are placed below the charcoal on traditional barbecues, then fire starting is enabled, but the charcoal may smother the flame and lighting becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fire starter block placement from beneath the charcoal and relocates it to the front of the brazier through a dedicated receptacle. This allows the fire starter to be lit independently without being smothered by charcoal, while still providing heat to ignite the fuel properly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a metal plate with a recessed receptacle as an intermediary structure between the user and the fire starter blocks. This mediator provides a dedicated combustion chamber that facilitates reliable ignition while preventing direct contact between the fire starter and the charcoal until the fire is established.
2Ease of manufacture
If a column-like tubular support with base is used for ash collection, then ash can be collected, but manufacturing costs increase due to additional raw material and labor investments
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the complex column-like tubular support structure entirely and extracts the ash collection function to a simple tray positioned at the base of the brazier. This dramatically simplifies the overall structure while maintaining ash collection capability, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal plate serving as the front boundary of the combustion chamber simultaneously provides structural support, defines the combustion space, and supports the ash tray. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate support structures, reducing both complexity and manufacturing cost.
3Ease of operation
If a fixed perforated bracket is used within the column-like support, then fire starter blocks can be supported, but replacement requires cooling down and poses burn risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the fixed bracket design into a dynamic, removable receptacle system. The receptacle can be easily detached from the metal plate and removed from the brazier, allowing fire starter replacement without waiting for cooling. This dynamic design maintains operational reliability while significantly improving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire starter support function is segmented into a separate, modular receptacle that can be independently removed. This segmentation allows the receptacle to be taken out when hot for safe replacement of fire starters, then reinserted when cool, separating the replacement operation from the thermal hazard.
4Ease of operation
If a removable tray with perforated bottom is used for fire starter placement, then fire starter arrangement is facilitated, but ash collection capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges two previously separate functions into a unified system: the perforated metal plate with receptacle for fire starters and the solid-bottom tray for ash collection work together as an integrated assembly. The fire starter receptacle maintains perforations for airflow while the ash tray provides solid bottom for collection, combining both functionalities in one removable unit.
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
This design enhances convenience and safety in lighting and cleaning, while reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for a costly tubular structure, allowing for easier replacement of fire starter blocks and efficient ash collection without risking burns.
Implementation Method 1
Such perforated tray, despite being useful for inserting and positioning the fire starter blocks, is not useful at all for collecting the ash, which accumulates at the base.
Implementation Method 2
a complementary guiding tray with ventilation holes for improved airflow
Data Source
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AI summary
A barbecue (10), which comprises a brazier (11) with a bottom (12) with ventilation holes for the fuel to be burned and, below the bottom (12), a removable tray (13) for collecting ash, which carries inside it a supporting bracket (14) for fire starter blocks or other solid fuel, the tray (13) being slidingly coupled below the brazier (11).