Citrus Press and Zester with Selective Collar Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen tools for citrus juice extraction and peel grating are separate, lacking a combined solution that efficiently utilizes space and material, leading to unnecessary duplication and inconvenience in cooking.
Innovation Solution
A combined citrus press and zester design where the zester is selectively mounted to the press using a collar and depression arrangement, allowing for secure attachment and easy removal, enabling both functions in a single device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate citrus press and zester implements are used, then each tool can be optimized for its specific function, but material and weight are unnecessarily duplicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a citrus press and citrus zester into a single integrated device. The zester is selectively mounted to the press body, allowing both functions (juice extraction and peel grating) to be performed with one implement, thereby saving material and reducing the number of separate kitchen tools needed
Solution Approach 2:
The press body is designed to serve dual purposes: as the main structure for juice extraction and as a mounting base for the zester. This multi-functional design allows the same object to perform both citrus pressing and zesting operations, eliminating the need for separate dedicated tools
2Weight of moving object
If a combined citrus press and zester are integrated, then material and weight are saved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The combined device is divided into distinct functional modules: the press body (with handles and die) and the zester (with blade and collar). The zester can be selectively mounted to or removed from the press body, allowing the device to function as a compact integrated unit while maintaining modular simplicity that doesn't significantly increase overall complexity
3Stability of the object's composition
If the zester is permanently attached to the press, then structural stability is improved, but versatility and ease of cleaning are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is designed to be dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The collar on the zester fits into a depression on the press body, allowing the zester to be securely mounted when needed for zesting operations while enabling easy removal for cleaning or when only pressing is required, providing operational flexibility
Data Source
AI summary
A combined citrus press and zester. The citrus press is of a known type, and includes an upper handle and a lower handle joined at a forward pivot point. The lower handle includes a cup sized to receive a halved citrus fruit, such as a lemon or lime. The upper handle includes a male die which mates with said cup to compress and thus juice the halved fruit. To save material and weight, the male die is formed as relatively constant thickness, which results in a depression on the opposite, outer side of the upper handle. The citrus zester includes a body with a grating blade received or formed therein. The inner side of the body has a collar extending therefrom and surrounding the blade. This collar is sized to be received within the depression formed in the upper handle of the citrus press. The collar may be sized and formed such that the zester may be selectively mounted to the press.