Collapsible Salad Spinner Structure for Compact Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Salad spinners are bulky and inconvenient to store, especially for infrequent users, as they occupy significant space despite being used only occasionally.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible salad spinner design featuring a bowl and basket with a flexible material and living hinges, allowing the components to reduce in size for storage, while maintaining functionality through a spinning mechanism integrated into the lid or bowl.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the salad spinner uses a traditional rigid bowl and basket design, then the structural strength and durability are maintained, but the storage space requirement increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible material between the rigid rim and base of both the bowl and basket, allowing these components to be collapsible while maintaining structural integrity during use. The flexible material enables the bowl and basket to collapse into a compact configuration for storage, directly reducing storage space requirements while the rigid rim and base provide necessary structural strength during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic structure where the bowl and basket can transition between an expanded operational state and a collapsed storage state. The living hinges enable this dynamic transformation, allowing the salad spinner to adapt its volume based on whether it is being used or stored, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining structural strength during use and reducing storage space when not in use.
2Volume of stationary object
If the salad spinner is designed to be collapsible, then the storage space is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to flexible material and living hinges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bowl and basket into distinct components: a rigid rim, a rigid base, and flexible material connecting them with living hinges. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the rigid parts provide structural strength while the flexible parts enable collapse - and simplifies the overall design by breaking down the complex collapsible structure into manageable, functional segments.
3Ease of operation
If the bowl and basket are made collapsible with flexible material, then the storage convenience is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the rim, base, and flexible material into integrated assemblies for both the bowl and basket. The flexible material is positioned between the rim and base, creating a unified collapsible structure that simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of separate parts that need to be assembled, while still achieving the desired storage convenience through the collapsible design.
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
The collapsible design significantly reduces storage space requirements without compromising the drying efficiency of the salad spinner, making it more convenient for occasional users.
Implementation Method 1
each of the bowl and basket includes a rigid rim and base with a flexible material between the rim and the base. The flexible material may be food grade silicone and includes one or more living hinges to facilitate collapsing.
Implementation Method 2
The flexible material may be food grade silicone and includes one or more living hinges to facilitate collapsing.
Implementation Method 3
The basket is supported in a manner in which it can spin within the bowl, thereby propelling items within the basket toward the perimeter of the basket. Water attached to lettuce leaves is likewise flung to the perimeter where it is expelled through holes in the basket while being retained within the bowl.
Implementation Method 4
the rigid portion of the basket includes openings to allow water to be expelled.
Implementation Method 5
the basket is carried above a central lug formed in the bowl, the lug having a height above the floor of the bowl that is sufficient to allow water to pool below the basket.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible salad spinner includes a bowl, basket, and lid. Each of the bowl and basket are formed such that they are collapsible, with the bowl and basket being collapsible while nested within one another.