Nursing Bottle Loading Rack to Prevent Nesting in Dishwashers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nursing bottle components in dishwashers often fail to be cleaned effectively due to being loaded in a way that causes them to become nested or shielded, leading to inadequate cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher-safe apparatus with distinct openings and a retaining member to hold bottle components separate and stationary, using shape and indicia for proper identification and placement, ensuring effective cleaning by preventing nesting and shielding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If bottle components are loaded in bulk into a utensil basket, then the loading process is simple and quick, but the components become nested or shielded resulting in inadequate cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The loading member is segmented into multiple distinct openings (first opening, second opening, etc.), each designed to receive and hold a specific bottle component separately. This segmentation prevents components from nesting or shielding each other during cleaning, while the overall structure remains a single integrated loading member for convenient loading.
2Reliability
If bottle components are placed in a separate basket on the top rack, then they are positioned away from heating elements as recommended, but they may still become nested or shielded by other components
Solution Approach 1:
Each opening in the loading member has specific local characteristics (size, shape, configuration) tailored to accommodate particular bottle components. This local differentiation ensures proper seating and visibility of each component type, preventing nesting and shielding while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
3Reliability
If components are held separate and stationary during cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the apparatus structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The loading member is designed with pre-configured openings and retaining members that automatically hold components in separate, stationary positions during the cleaning cycle. This preliminary arrangement of components in designated openings prevents nesting and shielding, achieving effective cleaning without requiring complex active control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
In an apparatus for holding components of a nursing bottle assembly in a dishwasher, a loading member has a first opening sized and configured for receiving a portion of a first component of the bottle assembly therein to seat the first component on the loading member, and a second opening separate from the first opening. The second opening is sized and configured for receiving a portion of the second component of the bottle assembly therein to seat the second component on the loading member. The first and second openings differ in at least one characteristic indicative of the respective first and second components to facilitate identification of the first opening as being the proper location on the loading member for placement of the first component and of the second opening as being the proper location on the loading member for placement of the second component.