Culinary tool holder
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional culinary tool holders often create a mess and risk cross-contamination due to food transfer and are not wide enough to accommodate larger tools, leading to unbalanced positions and tipping.
Innovation Solution
A culinary tool holder design featuring a planar base with upward and downward sloping support members, a cutout for an insert, and retaining holes and tabs, which shifts the contact point of tools toward the base to prevent tipping and includes features like vee-grooves to secure tools, preventing rolling and contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a raised rest is used to elevate the tool from the counter surface, then food transfer and cross-contamination are reduced, but the holder is not wide enough to accommodate larger tools and places the tool in an unbalanced position leading to tipping
Solution Approach 1:
The holder is divided into distinct functional zones: a raised rear rest for elevation and contamination prevention, and a forward extending support surface for stability. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its function independently - the raised portion blocks food transfer while the extended forward portion provides a wide base for balance
Solution Approach 2:
The holder extends in multiple dimensions - vertically raised to prevent contamination, and horizontally forward to provide stability. By utilizing both vertical and horizontal dimensions, the design simultaneously achieves contamination prevention and tool stability without compromise
2Adaptability or versatility
If the holder is made wide to accommodate larger tools, then tool accommodation is improved, but the design may become complex and difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The holder merges multiple functions into a single integrated structure: the raised rear rest and the forward extending support surface form one continuous piece. This unified design provides both contamination prevention and tool accommodation without requiring multiple separate components, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The holder is designed as a universal support structure that can accommodate various tool sizes and types through its extended forward surface, while simultaneously maintaining its contamination prevention function. The single structure serves multiple purposes: elevation, wide support, and adaptability to different tools
3Device complexity
If the tool is placed in an unbalanced position to fit the holder design, then the holder structure is simplified, but the tool may tip and scatter food debris
Solution Approach 1:
The holder segments the support function into a raised rear portion for structural simplicity and a forward extending portion for stability. This segmentation allows the simple structure to achieve balanced tool placement by extending the support surface forward to provide a wide, stable base that prevents tipping
Solution Approach 2:
The forward extending support surface acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the simplified holder structure and the tool. It provides the necessary stability and balance for the tool while maintaining the overall simplicity of the holder design, preventing food debris scattering
Data Source
AI summary
Culinary tool holders are presented including: a planar base; an upward sloping support member formed along a base edge of the planar base; a downward sloping support member formed along a peak edge of the upward sloping support member; a cutout disposed from and along a first portion of the upward sloping support member toward the peak edge and continuing to and along a second portion of the downward sloping support member; and an insert captured by the cutout. In some embodiments, culinary tools holders further include: a raised holder edge disposed along a perimeter defined by the planar base, the upward sloping support member, and the downward sloping support member.