Contact Grill Modular Assembly for Dishwasher-Safe Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contact grills are difficult to clean due to the integration of electrical components, which requires careful handling to prevent damage and limits their submersion in water or dishwasher use.
Innovation Solution
The design allows for fully separable upper and lower grill assemblies from the hinge assembly, with all electrical components housed within, enabling the grill plates and heating elements to be safely submerged in water or washed in a dishwasher.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If electrical components are integrated into the housing assembly, then the structural integrity and functionality of the contact grill are maintained, but the ease of cleaning deteriorates because the grill plates cannot be submerged in water or placed in a dishwasher
Solution Approach 1:
The contact grill is divided into separate modules: the housing assembly containing all electrical components (heating elements, controls, power supply) and the grill plates. This segmentation allows the grill plates to be detached and cleaned separately without risking damage to electrical components, while the housing assembly remains intact with its integrated electrical system.
Solution Approach 2:
The grill plates are extracted from the housing assembly as removable components. By taking out the grill plates from the integrated structure, they can be cleaned independently by submersion or dishwasher without exposing any electrical components to water, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of cleaning and device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the grill plates are made separable from the housing, then the ease of cleaning is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional connection and disconnection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The contact grill is segmented into a housing assembly and removable grill plates. This segmentation enables the grill plates to be easily separated for cleaning while maintaining a simple connection interface that minimizes additional complexity. The separation mechanism is designed to be straightforward, allowing users to detach and reattach grill plates without complex procedures.
3Reliability
If all electrical components are housed within the housing assembly, then the grill plates can be safely submerged in water, but the overall device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The grill plates are extracted as separate removable components from the housing assembly. This extraction ensures that no electrical components are attached to or integrated with the grill plates themselves, allowing them to be safely submerged in water or placed in a dishwasher without risk of damage to electrical systems.
Solution Approach 2:
All electrical components (heating elements, controls, power supply, wiring) are merged into a single housing assembly. This consolidation protects all electrical components within one enclosed structure that remains attached to the countertop, while the grill plates become simple removable cooking surfaces without electrical attachments.
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
This design enhances cleaning ease and safety by isolating electrical components, allowing for thorough washing without risk of damage, making the contact grill more user-friendly and efficient.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the grill plates can be controllably heated. As such, a food product, for example one or more burgers, can be cooked by being placed on the lower grill plate surface, the upper grill plate then lowered onto and in substantially full contact with the food product, while the grill plates are heated.
Data Source
AI summary
A contact grill includes upper and lower grill assemblies connected together by a hinge assembly. Contact grills of the present invention are advantageously easier to clean including components that can be submerged in water or washed within a dishwasher. In one aspect of the present invention, the upper and lower grill assemblies are fully separable from one another and from the hinge assembly so that the upper and lower grill assemblies, each comprising a housing, grill plate, and heating element, are free of electrical components so that they can be submerged or washed in a dishwasher. In another aspect of the present invention, upper and lower grill plates that are assembled with respective upper and lower heating elements are separable from an assembly of upper and lower housings connected together with a hinge assembly. All electrical components are provided within the hinge and housings assembly so that the grill plates and heating elements can be separated from the contact grill to be submerged or washed in a dishwasher.