Cooking device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric cooking devices, such as waffle irons and grills, lack effective liquid recovery systems, leading to potential damage and failure during overflow events, and do not meet stringent new temperature and safety regulations, particularly in preventing juices from flowing between cooking plates.
Innovation Solution
An electric cooking device with articulated frames, removable cooking plates, and a thermal reflection plate system that includes a main drip orifice in the lower frame and a secondary drip orifice, allowing liquids to be evacuated to a removable receptacle, while improving insulation to maintain uniform cooking temperatures and prevent user burns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a drainage system is added to recover cooking juices, then liquid overflow is managed and damage is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage system is integrated into the existing housing structure by utilizing the cavity between the cooking plate and the housing. The heat-reflecting plate serves dual purposes: reflecting heat back to the cooking plate and providing a surface for liquid drainage. The outlet in the heat-reflecting plate connects directly to the cavity, creating a merged functional system that manages liquid overflow without adding separate complex components.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat-reflecting plate performs multiple functions: it reflects thermal energy back to the cooking plate to improve heating efficiency, and simultaneously serves as a drainage surface with an outlet that allows cooking juices to escape into the cavity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate drainage components, managing liquid overflow while maintaining device simplicity.
2Temperature
If insulation is improved to maintain even cooking temperature, then temperature uniformity increases, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Insulation elements are applied selectively to specific areas of the housing where temperature control is most critical. Rather than insulating the entire housing uniformly, insulation is concentrated in regions that require temperature management to achieve even cooking, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining temperature uniformity where it matters most.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure utilizes composite construction combining different materials with complementary thermal properties. The housing itself provides structural support, while added insulation elements provide thermal management. This composite approach achieves temperature uniformity through material selection rather than complex geometric insulation designs, simplifying manufacturing.
3Reliability
If the cooking plate is set back from the peripheral reflection plate, then liquid drainage is improved, but cooking surface area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage function is achieved by utilizing the vertical dimension and the cavity space rather than reducing the horizontal cooking surface area. The cooking plate is set back to create a vertical clearance that allows liquids to drain into the cavity below. This dimensional approach to drainage preservation maintains the full cooking surface area while improving liquid management through spatial arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing interior space is segmented into distinct functional zones: the cooking plate area for food preparation, the setback region for liquid collection, and the cavity for drainage. This segmentation allows the cooking surface to maintain its full area while the setback portion efficiently manages liquid overflow, separating the cooking function from the drainage function in space.
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
Effectively manages liquid overflow, prevents damage, and meets new safety standards by ensuring liquids are collected and not allowed to overflow between plates, while enhancing thermal performance and user safety through improved insulation and liquid evacuation design.
Implementation Method 1
a peripheral thermal reflection plate; a thermal reflection plate for the heating element
Implementation Method 2
a main drain hole in the lower thermal reflection plate allowing the evacuation of liquids generated, in use, to a receptacle located under the lower frame
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention discloses an electrical cooking device comprising a lower frame (2) and an upper frame (3) which are articulated about a pivot axis, the lower and upper frames each comprising: • - a removable cooking plate (5, 6); • - a heating resistor (7); • - a peripheral heat reflection plate (8, 9); • - a heat reflection plate for heat resistance (10, 11); the upper frame (3) comprising at least one insulating plate (14) and the lower frame (2) comprising a main drip port (12) in the lower peripheral heat reflection plate (8) for discharging liquids generated, during use, into a receptacle (4) located below the lower frame (2), the cooking plates (5, 6) being set back from the peripheral heat reflection plates (8, 9).