Cold-Air Dispensing Path for Low-Temperature Fluid Ingredients

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional dispensing machines lack the ability to maintain fluid materials containing protein components at low temperatures, leading to bacterial growth and deterioration, which increases labor and maintenance costs.

Innovation Solution

A fluid material dispensing apparatus equipped with a cold air tunnel and temperature sensors to maintain the internal temperature of the material outlet chamber below a predetermined temperature, using cold air to prevent bacterial growth and deterioration without the need for heating devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If heating devices are installed to maintain high temperatures, then bacterial growth is suppressed, but ingredient deterioration accelerates and storage period shortens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebacterial growth suppressionVSAvoidingredient storage period

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using heating devices to suppress bacterial growth, the patent inverts the approach by using cooling devices to maintain low temperatures (4°C or below) in the material outlet chamber and transmission paths, achieving bacterial suppression through refrigeration rather than heating

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local cooling by installing cooling devices specifically in the material outlet chamber and material transmission paths where ingredients are most vulnerable to bacterial growth, while keeping other parts of the dispensing machine at ambient temperature, thus extending overall storage period without compromising food safety in critical areas

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If heating devices are installed to maintain high temperatures, then bacterial growth is suppressed, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebacterial growth suppressionVSAvoidheating device installation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces heating devices with cooling devices in the material outlet chamber and transmission paths, inverting the conventional approach of using heat for bacterial suppression and thereby reducing device complexity by eliminating the need for heating elements, thermostats, and associated control systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Device complexity

If conventional dispensing machines are used without heating devices, then device complexity is reduced, but bacterial growth occurs and ingredient deterioration accelerates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheating device installationVSAvoidbacterial growth suppression

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies localized cooling only in the material outlet chamber and material transmission paths where ingredients are most vulnerable to bacterial growth, rather than cooling the entire dispensing machine. This selective approach maintains low device complexity while effectively preventing bacterial growth in critical areas

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

Effectively extends the storage period of fluid materials, reduces the risk of bacterial growth, and lowers maintenance costs by maintaining the temperature between 1°C and 4°C, ensuring the quality and safety of protein-containing ingredients.

Implementation Method 1

a cold air tunnel, arranged to operably introduce cold air into the material outlet chamber, so as to maintain the internal temperature of the material outlet chamber below a predetermined temperature

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 2

a temperature sensor, positioned in the material outlet chamber, arranged to operably sense an internal temperature of the material outlet chamber

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectTemperature sensing:

Data Source

PatentUS12129161B2Fluid material dispensing apparatus capable of maintaining fluid material within material transmission path at low temperature

Publication Date: 2024.10.29 BOTRISTA INC

AI summary

A fluid material dispensing apparatus includes: a material outlet chamber extended outward from a main body of the fluid material dispensing apparatus; multiple pumps arranged to respectively extract multiple fluid materials stored in multiple material containers, and to operably push corresponding fluid materials forward; a fluid output device positioned on a bottom of the material outlet chamber and comprising multiple fluid outlets, wherein the multiple fluid outlets are respectively coupled with the multiple pumps through multiple material transmission paths; and a cold air tunnel coupled with the material outlet chamber and arranged to operably introduce cold air into the material outlet chamber, so as to maintain an internal temperature of the material outlet chamber to be lower than a predetermined temperature.