Bread Machine Vessel Curvature for Natural Dough Rise

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional bread machines impose unnatural dough growth due to vertical walls, making it difficult to mold bread and resulting in a significant crust, which restricts the production of various bread types and complicates the demolding process.

Innovation Solution

A bread machine with a preparation and cooking tank featuring a substantially horizontal bottom wall and vertical walls connected by a curved connecting wall with a radius of curvature greater than 30 mm, allowing the dough to rise naturally and facilitating easy bread release, along with perforations for air circulation and infrared radiation penetration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If vertical walls are used in the tank, then the tank structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the dough cannot rise naturally and the bread is difficult to demold

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetank structure simplicityVSAvoiddough rising naturalness and bread demolding
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by replacing the conventional vertical cylindrical walls with a conical frustum structure having a specific apex angle (60°-120°). This curved surface allows the dough to rise naturally toward the apex while preventing adhesion, enabling easy demolding without compromising structural simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Ease of operation

If a large radius of curvature is used in the connecting wall, then the dough can rise naturally, but the tank height increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedough rising naturalnessVSAvoidtank height
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent controls the tank height by precisely defining the apex angle parameter of the conical frustum (60°-120°) and maintaining the vertical wall height within 20-80mm. This parameter optimization allows the dough to rise naturally along the curved surface while preventing excessive tank height increase

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the vertical wall height is increased, then food splashes are prevented, but the bread adheres more to the walls and demolding becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefood splash preventionVSAvoidbread demolding
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the tank wall structure into two zones: a lower conical frustum section with curved surface for natural dough rising and easy demolding, and an upper vertical wall section (20-80mm height) for preventing food splashes. Each zone has optimized properties for its specific function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 promotes natural dough growth, reduces the presence of vertical edges in the bread, enhances demolding, and produces loaves with a well-browned, uniform crust, suitable for a variety of bread types.

Implementation Method 1

Such openings then make it possible to promote the circulation of air

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAir circulation: Convection

Implementation Method 2

when the tank is associated with means of heating by radiation, to contribute to the penetration of infrared radiation through the openings to color the surface of the bread

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectInfrared radiation: Infrared Radiation

Data Source

PatentEP2339946B1Vessel for preparing and cooking food for a household electrical appliance
Publication Date: 2012.10.31 SEB SA
  • EP2339946B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2339946B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2339946B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a vessel (20) for preparing and cooking in a household electrical appliance, comprising a substantially horizontal bottom wall (201) and one or more substantially vertical walls (202) connected to the periphery of the bottom wall (201) via a connecting wall (203), characterized in that this connecting wall (203) has at least a radius of curvature (R) greater than 30 mm.