Confection Product Membrane Recess Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional frozen confection products face challenges in allowing consumers to experience all sensory characteristics, such as sound, taste, and texture, per bite or mouthful, while also being easy to consume and minimizing mess, due to issues with breaking the confection coating composition using spoons or spatulas, which often results in large pieces and loss of sensory characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A confection product design featuring a receptacle, a membrane with a convex recess, and a confection coating composition where the distance between the coating composition surface and the membrane's concave face is from 0% to 95% of the membrane's maximum height, allowing for easy breaking and access to all components without losing sensory characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the confection coating composition is broken using a spoon or spatula, then the coating can be accessed, but the coating breaks into large pieces that are difficult to consume in one bite and may be pushed out of the tub
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is designed with a convex recess that segments the coating composition into smaller, bite-sized pieces when the membrane is depressed. This segmentation allows the coating to be broken into manageable portions without requiring additional tools or excessive force, directly addressing the issue of large hard-to-consume pieces.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane acts as an intermediary tool between the consumer and the coating composition. By depressing the membrane's convex recess, the consumer indirectly breaks the coating into smaller pieces without needing to use a spoon or spatula directly on the coating, thus avoiding the problem of large pieces and mess.
2Ease of operation
If the confection coating composition is broken into smaller pieces by applying force, then it can be consumed in one bite, but the confection composition may be pushed out of the tub
Solution Approach 1:
The convex recess on the membrane segments the coating into smaller pieces locally, allowing easy consumption in one bite without requiring force that would push the entire coating out of the tub. The segmentation is contained within the recess structure, preventing product ejection.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane's convex recess provides localized breaking action only where needed, rather than applying force across the entire coating surface. This local quality approach allows the coating to be broken into bite-sized pieces at the recess location while maintaining containment of the rest of the product in the tub.
3Ease of operation
If the consumer waits for the coating material to soften through warming, then it can be consumed more easily, but the sensorial characteristic of chocolate snap or cracking sound may be reduced or lost
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane's convex recess is designed to break the coating into smaller pieces before consumption, eliminating the need to wait for softening through warming. This preliminary mechanical segmentation allows the consumer to immediately consume the coating in bite-sized pieces while preserving the sensorial characteristics of snap or cracking sound.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal softening mechanism with a mechanical segmentation mechanism. Instead of relying on heat to soften the coating for easier consumption, the convex recess provides direct mechanical breaking into smaller pieces, thereby preserving the sensorial characteristics while improving ease of consumption.
4Ease of operation
If the confection coating composition remains intact and is impaled by the spoon or spatula, then the coating can be removed with the utensil, but both sensorial characteristics of cracking sounds and consuming all components per spoonful are reduced or lost
Solution Approach 1:
The convex recess segments the coating into multiple smaller pieces, ensuring that all components are broken into bite-sized portions that can be consumed together in one bite. This segmentation prevents the coating from remaining intact and being removed whole with a utensil, thereby preserving sensorial characteristics and complete component consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane's convex recess performs the breaking function automatically when depressed by the consumer, without requiring external tools like spoons or spatulas. This self-service mechanism ensures the coating is broken into appropriate pieces for consumption, preserving sensorial characteristics and ensuring all components are included in each bite.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A confection product (1) comprising a receptacle (2), a membrane (3), a confection (4) and a confection coating composition (5), wherein the receptacle (2) comprises the confection (4) and confection coating composition (5), and the membrane (3) comprises a convex recess (6) and convex face (11), wherein the confection coating composition (5) is opposite to the concave face (8) of the convex face (6) and the distance (16) between the surface (7) of the confection coating composition (5) and the closest point (12) of the concave face (8) of the membrane (3) is from 0 % to 95 % of the maximum height (9) of the concave face (8).