Interchangeable Bowl Base Plug for Tool-Free Cooking Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Kitchen appliances with a rotatable drive assembly are not well-suited for cooking operations like slow cooking, rice cooking, and sous vide water bath cooking due to the obstruction caused by the rotating tool, which reduces usable space and performance.
Innovation Solution
A bowl assembly with an interchangeable tool mount and blanking plug system, where the tool mount and blanking plug have the same cross-sectional shape as the aperture, allowing them to seal it and inhibit rotation, and a locking arrangement that secures either component to the bowl, enabling the bowl to be used with or without a rotatable drive.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rotatable drive assembly with tool is used in the bowl, then food processing capability is improved, but usable space in the bowl is reduced and cooking performance is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The drive assembly is segmented into a permanent base unit and a removable tool mount that can be inserted into or removed from the bowl. This allows the bowl to be used with or without the drive mechanism depending on the cooking task, resolving the contradiction between food processing capability and usable space.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static configuration where the drive assembly is permanently fixed to a dynamic configuration where the tool mount can be removed. This enables the bowl to adapt its internal volume and functionality based on operational requirements, allowing full usable space for operations like slow cooking while maintaining food processing capability when needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a rotatable tool is present in the bowl, then food processing function is improved, but cooking operation performance is worsened due to obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The tool mount and processing tool are extracted from the permanent bowl structure and made removable. This allows the tool to be taken out when cooking operations like slow cooking, rice cooking, or sous vide are required, eliminating obstruction and improving cooking performance while preserving food processing function when the tool is installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The bowl assembly is designed to be universal, supporting both food processing operations with the tool mounted and various cooking operations with the tool removed. The interchangeable tool mount system enables the same bowl to reliably perform multiple functions without compromising the performance of either mode.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the aperture in the bowl base is open, then tool mounting capability is improved, but sealing and heating performance is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing solution applies local quality by providing different configurations for different needs: the tool mount includes sealing elements when installed to maintain aperture functionality, while a separate blanking plug provides sealing when the tool is removed. This localized sealing approach preserves both tool mounting capability and heating performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool mount acts as an intermediary component that seals the aperture while allowing tool attachment. When the tool is not needed, a blanking plug serves as an intermediary to seal the aperture for optimal heating performance. This intermediary sealing mechanism resolves the contradiction between maintaining aperture openness for tool mounting and sealing for heating efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
A bowl assembly 110 for a kitchen appliance 1 arranged to process ingredients contained within the bowl assembly 110, comprising: a bowl 112 having an aperture 115 in its base; a drivable tool mount 200 for a food processing tool arranged to fit within the aperture 115; and a blanking plug 300 arranged to fit within the aperture 115; wherein the drivable tool mount 200 and blanking plug 300 are interchangeable with one another.