Dishwasher Basket Structure for Baby Bottle Component Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dishwasher baskets for baby bottles fail to effectively hold and align components, leading to trapped water, exposure to contaminants, difficulty in reassembly, and inadequate drying, while also requiring excessive space and handling, which increases the risk of germ spread and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher basket design featuring a body with restraints to hold components in a non-contacting relationship, a cover to secure the cap, and a grid to space the nipple and ring from the cap, allowing for easy reassembly and optimal water flow, while including a pusher for assembly and being stackable and stable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If components are placed on pegs or posts to hold them in position, then components are retained in the basket, but components are not aligned with each other requiring extensive handling for reassembly and occupying larger space
Solution Approach 1:
The basket is divided into multiple compartments, each dedicated to holding specific bottle components (nipples, rings, caps). This segmentation allows components to be retained in their respective compartments while maintaining alignment, eliminating the need for extensive handling during reassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Components are designed to nest within each other (nipples inside rings, rings inside caps) and the basket structure provides nested compartments that guide this nesting arrangement. This ensures components remain aligned and ready for quick reassembly without requiring extensive manual manipulation.
2Ease of operation
If nipples protrude from the top of the basket, then they are easily accessible, but they are highly exposed to contaminants and germs
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible cover is provided that can be placed over the top opening of the basket to seal and protect the nipples and other components from contamination. The flexible nature of the cover allows it to conform to the basket shape while providing effective protection against germs and contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed to be applied before components are removed from the basket, creating a preliminary protective barrier that prevents contamination during storage and transport. This preliminary anti-action ensures components remain protected until they are ready to be used.
3Reliability
If rings and caps form a dense lattice-barrier in the lower half of the basket, then components are held in position, but circulation of cleaning and rinsing fluids to the nipples is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The basket structure provides different qualities in different locations: the lower half contains open compartments for optimal water circulation to nipples, while the upper half provides structured compartments for holding rings and caps. This local differentiation ensures both effective positioning and efficient cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket utilizes vertical dimensionality with multi-level compartments arranged to allow water flow paths. The structure is designed so that cleaning fluids can circulate freely through the lower compartments where nipples are positioned, while upper compartments hold other components, eliminating the blocking effect of dense lattice arrangements.
4Quantity of substance
If spacing between adjacent components is reduced to fit more components, then basket capacity increases, but components cannot be easily reassembled and handling risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The basket is divided into multiple small, dedicated compartments, each designed to hold specific components. This segmentation allows maximum capacity by efficiently utilizing space, while each compartment maintains proper spacing and alignment for easy retrieval and reassembly of components.
Data Source
AI summary
A dishwasher basket washes a cap, ring, and nipple (collectively, “the components”) of a baby bottle. A body holds the ring and nipple in position in non-contacting relationship with each other and a dishwasher and includes a restraint extending from an interior side wall of the body into an interior thereof and retaining the ring above a part of the nipple while allowing a remainder of the nipple to pass by the ring. A cover is disposed directly above and spaced from the body for holding the cap in position relative to the ring, nipple, and dishwasher and covering entirely the components and a remainder of the basket. A grid is disposed between the body and cover for spacing the nipple and ring from the cap and movable out of the way such that a vertical path defined by alignment of the components is clear for reassembly thereof.