Cooking Pot Handle with Phase-Change Material for Heat Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cooking pots fail to maintain the content warm for an extended period after heating due to inadequate heat retention, and the contact between the bottom wall and the hob is not optimized for efficient heating.
Innovation Solution
A cooking pot design featuring a handle structure with phase-change material integrated into the outer side wall, allowing for efficient heat absorption and release without obstructing the bottom wall's contact with the hob, ensuring the content remains warm by strategically positioning the phase-change material close to the side wall and using a pouch or compartmentalized structure for effective heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If phase-change material is provided in the bottom of the cooking pot, then heat retention is improved, but contact between the bottom wall and the hob is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The phase-change material is extracted from the bottom wall location and relocated to the handle structure. This allows the bottom wall to maintain full contact with the hob for efficient heating, while the phase-change material in the handle structure still provides heat retention functionality by absorbing heat during cooking and releasing it after heating stops.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If phase-change material is provided on the outer side of the upright side wall, then heat retention is improved, but heating efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The handle structure is designed with differentiated zones: an inner side portion that contacts the side wall for heat absorption, and an outer side portion that provides insulation. This local quality differentiation allows the phase-change material to retain heat effectively without significantly impeding the heating process, as the inner portion is positioned to receive heat from the side wall during cooking.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If phase-change material is provided in the handle structure, then heat retention is improved and contact with hob is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle structure is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides the gripping function necessary for handling the cooking pot, and simultaneously serves as a heat retention device by incorporating the phase-change material. This multi-functionality approach avoids adding separate components for heat retention, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity while achieving the desired heat retention effect.
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 cooking pot effectively maintains the content warm for longer by utilizing phase-change material in the handle structure, ensuring good contact with the hob for efficient heating and preventing heat loss, while maintaining user safety and ease of handling.
Implementation Method 1
the phase-change material is able to absorb heat in a relatively short time and to relinquish this heat again over a longer period of time
Implementation Method 2
use of phase-change material as heat storage material
Implementation Method 3
the phase-change material will absorb heat when the cooking pot is being heated
Implementation Method 4
the phase-change material will gradually release the absorbed heat to the cooking pot again after the heating
Data Source
Figure 1~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Cooking pot (100) with at least one handle structure (150), wherein the cooking utensil (100) comprises a bottom wall (101) and an upright side wall (102) with an outer side (102a); the at least one handle structure (150) is arranged-against the outer side (102a) of the upright side wall (102); the at least one handle structure (150) comprises a gripping part (160) configured to be grippable by a user; and the at least one handle structure comprises a phase change material (170).