Cheese Crumbling Chute With Opposing Plates for Hand-Like Crumbles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current cheese processing devices in kitchens and serving environments fail to produce irregularly shaped cheese crumbles like hand crumbling, are not portable, and have complex designs with many moving parts and electric motors, making them difficult to clean, store, and operate safely.
Innovation Solution
A portable cheese crumbling device with a tapered chute and opposing plates with smooth, rounded protrusions that the user moves up and down to process cheese into crumbles, allowing for control over crumb size and keeping hands clean, featuring a compact design and optional stand or motor for easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If hand crumbling is used, then irregularly shaped cheese crumbles are produced, but hands become messy and difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device with two plates containing protrusions that simulate the hand-crumbling action. This intermediary mechanism transfers the crumbling function from direct hand contact to a controlled mechanical system, producing irregularly shaped crumbles while keeping hands clean.
2Productivity
If existing cheese processing devices are used, then cheese is processed efficiently, but they produce uniform slices or cubes instead of irregular crumbles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating non-uniform protrusions on the plates with varying sizes, shapes, and distributions. This local variation in the plate surface geometry produces irregularly shaped crumbles while maintaining efficient processing through the mechanical action of the plates.
3Productivity
If commercial food processing devices are used, then cheese processing capability is achieved, but devices are large, non-portable, and require electric motors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential crumbling function from complex commercial devices by removing unnecessary components such as electric motors, multiple moving parts, and large structural elements. The invention retains only the core functional elements (two plates with protrusions) needed to produce irregular crumbles, resulting in a simple, portable manual device.
4Device complexity
If portable cheese cutters are used, then the device is compact and easy to store, but they must be placed on a surface preventing direct dispensing onto plates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a dimensional element by incorporating a tapered chute that extends downward from the plates. This vertical dimension allows the device to be held in the air and dispense crumbles directly onto plates or containers below, eliminating the need for surface placement while maintaining compactness.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for crumbling a food product such as a block of cheese into irregularly shaped food particles. One embodiment of the apparatus consists of a chute-shaped housing that contains two opposing plates with a plurality of smooth, rounded, finger-like protrusions on their faces, where the plates are closer together towards the bottom of the chute. When food is inserted into the top of the chute and one of the plates is moved in an up-and-down motion, the protrusions on the opposing plates crumble the food into progressively smaller food particles until the crumbled particles drop through the gap between the bottoms of the plates and out the bottom of the chute. Other embodiments are described and shown.