Beverage serving trolley

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Solution Overview

Problem

Beverage serving trolleys often appear messy and cluttered when used for both serving and preparing drinks, requiring multiple trolleys or extensive modifications to accommodate different accessories and occasions.

Innovation Solution

A beverage serving trolley with a modular outer housing featuring interconnected side panels and edge profiles that create vertical and horizontal gaps for accessory mounting, allowing for easy storage and quick cleaning, while maintaining a tidy appearance and enhancing stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If beverage serving trolley is equipped with multiple accessories for drink preparation, then functionality is improved, but appearance becomes messy and crowded

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovefunctionalityVSAvoidappearance
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts accessories from the main body of the trolley and relocates them to detachable mounting positions on the outer housing. This allows the main body to maintain a clean, uncluttered appearance while accessories can be attached where needed for specific functions, resolving the contradiction between functionality and appearance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic reconfigurability through detachable accessories that can be mounted or removed from the outer housing. This allows the trolley to adapt its functionality dynamically based on operational needs while maintaining a consistent, clean appearance when accessories are not in use, balancing versatility with aesthetic appeal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If various different beverage serving trolleys are used for different occasions, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadaptabilityVSAvoidcomplexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal trolley platform with a standardized outer housing that can accommodate multiple types of accessories through detachable mounting positions. This single versatile design replaces the need for multiple specialized trolleys, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high adaptability across different service occasions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the trolley system into a permanent base structure (the trolley itself) and detachable accessory modules. This segmentation allows different accessory combinations to be attached to the same base, providing versatility without requiring multiple complete trolley systems, thus reducing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If extensive reconstruction of beverage serving trolley is done for each use, then adaptability is improved, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadaptabilityVSAvoidtime
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables dynamic reconfiguration of the trolley by allowing accessories to be quickly detached and reattached to the outer housing at different positions. This dynamic capability allows rapid adaptation to different service occasions without extensive reconstruction, significantly reducing the time required to reconfigure the trolley while maintaining high versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Ease of operation

If outer housing with smooth surfaces is used, then ease of cleaning is improved, but mounting stability of accessories may worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of cleaningVSAvoidmounting stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by maintaining smooth surfaces on the main body of the outer housing for easy cleaning, while incorporating localized mounting structures at specific positions where accessories need to be attached. These localized features provide secure attachment points without compromising the overall smooth surface quality, thus balancing ease of cleaning with mounting stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4077099B1Beverage serving trolley
Publication Date: 2024.05.22 DOMETIC APPLIANCES
  • EP4077099B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4077099B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4077099B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a beverage serving trolley comprising a supporting structure (2), at least one wheel (11A, 11B), a presentation basket (40) comprising a basket handle (46) and being configured to receive beverage bottles and ice cubes, and an outer housing, wherein the outer housing includes at least one first side panel (19) and at least one edge profile (20) that cover at least in part at least one side and at least one vertical edge, respectively, of the beverage serving trolley (1), wherein both the at least one first side panel (19) and the at least one edge profile (20) have the same vertical extension and are mounted to the beverage serving trolley (1) in a way that adjacent first side panels (19) and edge profiles (20) are connected flush with each other at their respective vertical edges with a distance, thus forming a vertical gap (21) of a predetermined width between each other.