Disposable container to prevent splatter in a microwave
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cleaning a microwave oven is tedious and involves health risks due to the use of caustic cleaners, and preventing food splatter during cooking is challenging.
Innovation Solution
A disposable container with a main body and perforations to receive a plate of food, allowing it to turn with the turntable while remaining stationary, and featuring a turntable aperture and perforations for venting, constructed from materials like paper or plastic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a disposable container is used to prevent food splatter in a microwave, then cleaning ease is improved and toxic chemicals are eliminated, but the container structure becomes more complex requiring specific apertures and perforations
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into functional segments: a main body for holding food, a plate receiving aperture for plate insertion, a turntable aperture for turntable access, and multiple perforations for venting. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific function while maintaining overall simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The container serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a splatter barrier, allows plate insertion and removal, enables turntable rotation, and provides venting for steam escape. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate cleaning tools and chemicals
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the main body remains stationary while the plate turns with the turntable, then food splatter is contained, but the container design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The turntable aperture acts as an intermediary element that allows the turntable to pass through and rotate independently. This design enables the plate to turn with the microwave's turntable while the main container body remains stationary, containing splatter without requiring complex mechanical linkages
Solution Approach 2:
The container structure is segmented into a stationary main body and a rotating plate area. The turntable aperture creates a clear separation between the stationary container and the rotating turntable, allowing independent movement while maintaining splatter containment
3Productivity
If perforations are added for venting, then cooking performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates multiple perforations distributed across its surface to allow steam and air circulation during cooking. These simple hole patterns provide effective venting without requiring complex porous material structures or advanced manufacturing processes
Solution Approach 2:
As a disposable container, the perforated design can be easily manufactured using simple stamping or punching techniques on single-use materials like paper or thin plastic, making the added complexity economically viable for single-use applications
Data Source
AI summary
A disposable container to receive a plate of food therein and to prevent splatter in a microwave, the disposable container including a main body to receive the plate of food therein, the main body including a plate receiving aperture disposed at a side portion of the main body, through which the plate of food is insertable, and a turntable aperture disposed at a front portion of the main body to correspond to a turntable of the microwave, such that the plate of food contact the turntable directly and turns along with a turning of the turntable while the main body remains stationary.