Detachable Pitting Device with Nested Storage to Reduce Space
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pitting devices for fruits and vegetables require significant storage space due to protruding plungers and lack a convenient mechanism for collecting pitted material, leading to potential environmental pollution and inefficient storage.
Innovation Solution
A pitting device with a detachable and lockable cutting unit that can be inserted into a core container, featuring a retaining device with a pivotable locking element and a container designed as a dish or bowl with a funnel-like inlet, allowing for compact storage and collection of pitted material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the plunger protrudes upwards from the top of the device, then the piercing function is effective, but the storage space required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting unit is inserted into and nested within the core container, with the plunger housed inside the container structure. When not in use, the entire cutting unit can be removed and stored compactly, eliminating the need for protruding components that consume cupboard space.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into separable components: a core container and a detachable cutting unit. This segmentation allows the cutting unit to be removed entirely for compact storage, while the container remains as a compact base structure that can hold pitted material.
2Volume of moving object
If the cutting unit is made detachable and lockable, then the storage compactness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining device integrates multiple functions into a single mechanism: it simultaneously locks the cutting unit to the container during operation and provides a compact stored position. The locking element combines retention and positioning functions, reducing the need for separate complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking element is designed to be movable between locked and unlocked positions, allowing the cutting unit to be securely attached during use and easily removed for storage. This dynamic mechanism provides adaptability between operational and storage states without requiring complex fixed structures.
3Device complexity
If no container is provided for collected cores, then the device structure is simpler, but environmental pollution occurs from scattered pitted material
Solution Approach 1:
The core container serves multiple functions: it collects and contains pitted material during operation, provides structural support for the cutting unit, and offers a compact storage form when the cutting unit is removed. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate containment structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The container transforms the potential harm of scattered pitted material into a beneficial concentrated collection system. By providing enclosed space for cores, the device converts what would be pollution into organized waste collection that can be easily disposed of or repurposed.
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 device allows for easy storage by locking the cutting unit within the container, reducing overall space requirements and preventing environmental pollution by containing pitted material within the device.
Implementation Method 1
a restoring spring arranged between them. The upper component has the plunger protruding downwards. The return spring pushes the cutter unit apart, causing the lower section to be drawn into the lower component
Implementation Method 2
If the lower area of the plunger is placed against the cherry with its lower punch, this area, which is usually sharp-edged, presses into the cherry and, with further advancement, pushes out its pit on the opposite side
Implementation Method 3
The locking element can assume a first position in which it engages behind a retaining edge and forms a fastening with the container attachment or the core container
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~8
AI summary
The invention relates to a kernel removal device for kernel-containing foods, comprising a kernel container (1) for receiving the kernels pressed out of the food, and a kernel removal unit (2) arranged on the kernel container (1) with a lower plunger guide (12) and at least one piercing plunger (7) movably guided back and forth along a working axis (A) in the plunger guide (12) for piercing the food and pressing the kernel out of the food. The kernel removal unit (2) has a food feeder through which the food can be fed to a processing position located below the piercing plunger (7). Known kernel removal devices have the disadvantage of requiring considerable storage space. The invention improves upon this by detachably connecting the kernel removal unit (2) to the kernel container (1).