External Roller Mixing Device for Natural Peanut Butter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural peanut butter separates into an oil layer on top of solids, making it laborious and messy to mix, and existing mechanical solutions require insertion into the jar and subsequent cleaning, which is inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A mixing device with drive and guide rollers that rotate cylindrical containers externally, allowing for horizontal rotation of the jar at varying speeds, with the option to tilt the lid end downward or upward, effectively mixing the peanut butter without opening the jar and minimizing cleanup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hand turning cranks or hand-held motorized wands are used to mix natural peanut butter, then the peanut butter can be mixed effectively, but the device must be inserted into the peanut butter and cleaned after use
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing action is extracted from inside the jar to the outside. The patent uses external rollers that rotate the entire jar, eliminating the need to insert mixing devices into the peanut butter. This extraction resolves the contradiction by maintaining mixing effectiveness while completely avoiding contact with the product, thus eliminating cleaning requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The jar itself serves as an intermediary between the mixing mechanism and the peanut butter. Instead of directly contacting the peanut butter, the external rollers rotate the jar, which then mixes the contents through its rotation. This intermediary approach allows effective mixing while keeping the mixing mechanism clean and maintenance-free.
2Stability of the object's composition
If natural peanut butter is stirred manually to an even consistency, then the separation of oil and solids is resolved, but the process is laborious and messy due to thick consistency and oil spilling
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of stirring the peanut butter directly with a spoon or device, the patent inverts the approach by rotating the entire jar externally. This inversion transforms a direct-contact, laborious stirring process into an indirect, automated rotation process that achieves uniform mixing without manual labor or mess.
Solution Approach 2:
The jar performs the mixing function for itself through external rotation. The rotation of the jar causes the peanut butter to mix and circulate within the container, eliminating the need for external stirring tools or manual intervention. This self-service approach resolves the contradiction by achieving uniform consistency without labor or mess.
3Stability of the object's composition
If saturated oils are used to replace peanut oil, then the peanut butter does not separate, but the saturated oils are considered less healthy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by mixing the peanut butter before use to prevent separation. Instead of modifying the composition with unhealthy saturated oils, the system performs preliminary mixing that redistributes the natural unsaturated oils throughout the solids, maintaining healthiness while preventing separation through mechanical action rather than chemical modification.
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
Automatically stirs natural peanut butter to a uniform consistency in minutes, maintaining the mix for a week or more at room temperature, and eliminates the need for cleaning, while being inexpensive, compact, and easy to use.
Implementation Method 1
The drive rollers and guide rollers are constructed to cradle a jar and rotate the jar
Implementation Method 2
The axles slant downward from the front end to the rear end. Preferably, the axles slant downward 2 to 45 degrees
Data Source
AI summary
A mixing device for cylindrical jars, the device having two drive rollers and two guide rollers extending upward from a housing and through a top surface of the housing. The rear end of the top surface has a stop member. The drive rollers on one side of the jar and the guide rollers on an opposite side of the jar are mounted on axles positioned in the interior of the housing, wherein the axles slant downward 2 to 45 degrees from the front end to the rear end of the housing. A motor and transmission in the housing are connected operatively to the drive rollers. The drive rollers will rotate the jar at least 5 RPM with the jar tilted downward. Ajar of natural peanut butter rotated for 5 to 20 minutes will remain uniformly mixed for a week.