Charcoal Grill Grate Rotation to Reduce Side Wall Contamination
Solution Overview
Problem
Charcoal grills often become dirty due to food residue on the side walls when adjusting the distance between the charcoal and the grill grate, making it cumbersome and requiring frequent cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A charcoal grill design featuring a grill grate with handles and connecting struts that allows for easy reorientation between two pairs of vertically offset support sections on the side walls, enabling adjustable distance between the charcoal holder and the grill grate without horizontal movement, and a detachable cover for easy transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the grill grate is removed from recesses and inserted into recesses to change distance to coals, then the distance between charcoal and grill grate can be varied, but the operation becomes cumbersome especially when the grill grate is completely covered with food
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal movement (removing and inserting grill grate in recesses) to rotational movement in the vertical plane. The grill grate is rotated about 90 degrees around connecting struts to move from resting on one pair of side walls to another pair, changing the distance dimension vertically rather than horizontally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the grill grate position dynamically adjustable through rotation rather than static repositioning. The connecting struts act as hinges allowing the grill grate to rotate between different positions, enabling easy adjustment of cooking distance without cumbersome removal and insertion operations.
2Ease of operation
If the grill grate with food is placed directly on side walls to change distance, then the distance adjustment is simple, but the side walls become dirty requiring cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the support function from the side walls themselves. Instead of placing the grill grate directly on the side walls, it rests on dedicated support sections formed by offset support portions, separating the support function from the side wall surface and preventing food residue contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces support sections as intermediary elements between the grill grate and side walls. These support sections, formed by offset support portions on the side walls, serve as dedicated contact points that prevent direct contamination of the side wall surfaces with food residue.
3Ease of operation
If the grill grate is rotated in the plane of the grill grate and placed on support sections of other side walls, then the distance between grill grate and charcoal holder can be easily changed, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes each side wall pair serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, define support sections at specific heights, and enable distance adjustment when rotated into position. The offset support portions on each side wall can serve as support sections for either the first or second distance configuration, eliminating the need for separate adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the support function and distance adjustment function into a single rotational operation. The connecting struts serve both as structural supports and as rotation axes, merging multiple functions into unified components that reduce overall system complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a charcoal grill (1) with a housing (5) forming a first pair (3) and a second pair (4) of opposite side walls (2), a charcoal holder (6) arranged in the housing (5) and a grill grate (7) having handles (8) protruding beyond the housing, with a first distance between the charcoal holder (6) and the grill grate (7) when the grill grate (7) is placed directly or indirectly on the first pair (3) of Support sections (9) formed on the side walls (2), characterized in that a second distance between the charcoal holder (6) and the grill grate (7) is defined by the support sections (9) formed by the second pair (4) of side walls (2). is predetermined, so that the distance between the charcoal holder (6) and the grillage (7) by realigning the grillage (7) and placing the grillage (7) on the support sections (9) of the other pair (3, 4) of Se internal walls (2) can be changed.