Detachable Skillet Base With Rotating Handles for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric skillets and griddles face challenges with bulky bases that interfere with cleaning, storage, and shipping due to heat dissipation requirements, making them difficult to clean and store efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A detachable base with rotatable handles that can be locked or disengaged for secure attachment and easy separation, allowing the base to be stored within the pan, reducing overall size and facilitating tool-free assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a base is made several inches in height to dissipate heat, then heat dissipation is improved, but the bulk created by the base interferes with cleaning, storing and shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The base is divided into a main body portion and a separate elevated heat dissipation portion. The heat dissipation portion can be detached from the main base, allowing the base to be stored in a compact configuration while maintaining effective heat dissipation when assembled for use.
Solution Approach 2:
The base portions are designed to nest within each other when detached, with the elevated heat dissipation portion fitting inside the main base body. This nesting arrangement minimizes storage volume while preserving the full heat dissipation capability when assembled.
2Temperature
If a base is made several inches in height to dissipate heat, then heat dissipation is improved, but cleaning becomes difficult and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The base is segmented into detachable portions, with the elevated heat dissipation section separable from the main base. This segmentation allows the main base to be easily cleaned without the obstructive elevated portion, while the heat dissipation section can be cleaned separately or left attached during cooking.
3Ease of operation
If handles protrude from a base assembly, then users can grip and lift the assembly, but storage and shipping space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handles are designed to be rotatable relative to the base assembly, allowing them to be positioned in different orientations. When not in use, the handles can be rotated to a retracted position that minimizes the overall footprint, reducing storage and shipping volume while maintaining full functionality when needed.
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 solution enables efficient cleaning, storage, and transport of electric skillets and griddles by minimizing bulk, allowing for compact packaging and easy handling without tools, while ensuring secure attachment during use.
Implementation Method 1
The locking assembly can include a spring member or a rotatable latch including a locking detent that prevents unintentional disengagement of the latch member from the detachable cooking pan
Data Source
AI summary
A countertop appliance having a detachable base with rotatable handles for selectively engaging a pan or cooking surface of the appliance. The rotatable handles of the detachable base are rotatable between a locked position in which the pan is secured to the base preventing separation of the pan from the base and a disengaged position where the pan can be lifted off the base. The rotatable handles can also be rotated into a stored position in which the handles are positioned within the detachable base, whereby the detachable base can be placed within the pan to facilitate storage and reduce overall shipping volume.