Cutlery Retaining Block Layout for Hygienic Dense Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutlery-storage systems fail to provide a hygienic and space-efficient way to store and retrieve large quantities of cutlery, often requiring users to touch multiple items, leading to contamination and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A retaining block system with a base body featuring a comb-like structure for handle-region and tool-region receiving portions, allowing items to be arranged in a single layer with partial overlap, enabling easy access and removal without touching other items, and incorporating tilt angles for stable positioning and easy sorting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If cutlery are stocked in large quantities in trays, then the quantity of cutlery available is increased, but users must touch multiple items to take out one item, leading to contamination and hygiene issues
Solution Approach 1:
The cutlery storage system is segmented into multiple retaining blocks, each holding individual cutlery items in separate slots. This segmentation allows users to access one item without touching others, eliminating contamination while maintaining large quantity storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining block structure acts as an intermediary between the user and the cutlery items. Users interact with the retaining block mechanism rather than directly handling multiple cutlery items, reducing contamination risk while enabling efficient item retrieval.
2Ease of manufacture
If cutlery are stored in traditional trays, then storage is simple, but space efficiency is poor and item access requires touching multiple items
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining blocks utilize vertical stacking with overlapping handle-region and tool-region receiving portions, transitioning from horizontal tray storage to a multi-dimensional arrangement. This increases space efficiency by utilizing vertical space while maintaining simple assembly through modular block design.
3Area of stationary object
If cutlery items are arranged in overlapping layers, then space efficiency is improved, but complexity of the storage structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is divided into modular retaining blocks that can be independently manufactured and assembled. Each block contains segmented receiving portions for different cutlery regions, simplifying the overall structure while enabling efficient space utilization through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining blocks are designed with universal features that allow them to accommodate multiple types of cutlery items. The comb-like structure and overlapping receiving portions provide multi-functional capability, reducing structural complexity while maintaining space efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A retaining block for a cutlery-storage system for one or more items of cutlery includes an elongated base body, wherein the base body has a handle-region receiving portion for accommodating a handle region of at least one first item of cutlery and a tool-region receiving portion for accommodating a tool region of at least one other item of cutlery, and the handle-region receiving portion and the tool-region receiving portion are arranged so as to overlap at least partially. The handle-region receiving portion has a comb-like structure for accommodating a plurality of items of cutlery arranged one after the other along the longitudinal extension, in particular with the items of cutlery arranged in a single layer, wherein items of cutlery placed in the handle-region receiving portion can be accommodated in a lateral orientation with respect to their tool region such that broad sides of the tool regions follow one after the other in the longitudinal extension. A cutlery-storage system having such retaining blocks is also provided.