Electric cooking appliance with a function for marking the food to be cooked

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric cooking appliances face challenges in achieving sufficient food marking, particularly for meats like beef, due to temperature limitations of cooking plate materials and safety standards, which restrict the ability to enhance browning while maintaining food safety and preventing overcooking.

Innovation Solution

The electric cooking appliance incorporates a user-selectable food marking function that increases preheating and cooking plate temperatures, with temperature regulation sequences managed by electrical switches to optimize energy transfer and marking, while ensuring safety and material integrity, using temperature measuring elements to adjust heating based on food thickness and surface area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If the temperature of the cooking plates is significantly increased to enhance food marking, then the browning effect is improved, but the risk of overcooking the surface and exceeding material temperature resistance increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking plate temperatureVSAvoidovercooking risk
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary marking action during the preheating phase before the food is placed on the cooking plates. The preheating temperature is set higher than the cooking temperature specifically to create the marking effect in advance, then the food is placed and cooked at the lower, safer cooking temperature that prevents overcooking while maintaining the already-formed marking

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the temperature profile based on the marking function selection. When marking is desired, the preheating temperature is temporarily increased above normal cooking temperatures, then transitions to standard cooking temperatures. The system adapts the thermal regime throughout the cooking process to balance marking requirements with food safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Temperature

If the preheating setpoint temperature is increased to improve food marking, then the browning effect is enhanced, but the material temperature resistance limit is exceeded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepreheating setpoint temperatureVSAvoidmaterial integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The marking function utilizes the preheating phase to perform the marking action before food contact, allowing the use of higher temperatures only during this preliminary stage when no food is present, thus achieving marking without exposing food to excessive temperatures that would compromise material safety limits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the temperature parameter dynamically based on operational phase and user selection. The preheating setpoint is elevated above normal operating limits when marking is selected, but the system maintains reliability by ensuring this elevated temperature is applied only during the preheating phase before food placement, and by transitioning to safe cooking temperatures thereafter

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Temperature

If the cooking plate temperature is increased during the cooking phase to mark the food, then the marking function is improved, but the internal cooking state control becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking plate temperatureVSAvoidcooking state control
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs the marking action in advance during the preheating phase before the food is placed on the cooking plates. This preliminary marking action eliminates the need to increase temperatures during the cooking phase, allowing the cooking process to proceed with stable, controlled temperatures that maintain precise control over the internal cooking state

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a periodic temperature regime with distinct phases: a high-temperature preheating phase for marking, followed by a transition to stable cooking temperatures. This periodic action separates the marking function from the cooking function in time, allowing each to be optimized independently without interfering with the other

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

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

This solution allows for enhanced food marking with reduced risk of overcooking, providing a more pronounced browning effect and improved cooking consistency across various food thicknesses, while adhering to safety standards and material limitations.

Implementation Method 1

a temperature measuring element for measuring a temperature of the lower cooking plate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTemperature measurement:

Implementation Method 2

a lower electric heating element suitable for heating the lower cooking plate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 3

The cooking of these foods results from the exchange of calories between the hot plates and the food

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP3905931B1Electric cooking appliance with a function for marking the food to be cooked
Publication Date: 2023.01.25 SEB SA
  • EP3905931B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3905931B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3905931B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present invention relates to an electric cooking appliance (1) comprising a button for activating a function for marking the surfaces of the food, and processing means designed such that, when the user has defined at least one cooking program defined with an activation parameter of the marking function, then: - an element for measuring the temperature of an upper cooking plate (21) is used for adjusting the temperature of at least the upper cooking plate (21) to the set preheating temperature during said preheating phase of the cooking program thus defined by the user, and - an element for measuring the temperature of a lower cooking plate (11) is used for adjusting the temperature of the lower cooking plate (11) and the upper cooking plate (21) to at least one set cooking temperature during the cooking phase of the cooking program thus defined by the user.