Filter Cup Lifting Kettle for Tea Concentration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tea-making devices lack the ability to control water heating and filter cup immersion, making it inconvenient to adjust tea concentration and requiring separate equipment for making tea or hot water.
Innovation Solution
A kettle with a filter cup lifting arrangement that allows selective immersion of a filter cup into hot water, enabling control over tea concentration and easy refilling or cleaning, comprising a kettle body, heating base, filter cup with meshes, and a lifting mechanism between the supporting member and stopper.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional kettle or water heater is used, then water heating function is provided, but the ability to make tea with controlled concentration is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a kettle body with water heating capability and a filter cup lifting arrangement into a single integrated device. The filter cup lifting arrangement includes a supporting member with a lifting mechanism that can raise and lower the filter cup within the kettle body, allowing tea leaves to be immersed in hot water at controlled depths. This merging of water heating and tea-making functions into one device eliminates the need for separate equipment while maintaining both capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The kettle is designed to perform multiple functions: it can heat water independently, make tea with controlled concentration by adjusting filter cup immersion depth, and allow easy removal of the filter cup for refilling or cleaning. The universal design enables the single device to replace both a conventional kettle and a traditional tea pot, providing versatility without increasing overall device complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional tea pot is used, then tea making capability is provided, but water heating function and control over tea concentration are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The filter cup lifting arrangement employs a dynamic lifting mechanism that allows the filter cup to be raised and lowered to different positions within the kettle body. The supporting member includes a lifting structure with movable components that can adjust the immersion depth of the filter cup in hot water. This dynamic adjustment capability enables users to control tea concentration by varying how deeply the tea leaves are submerged in the heated water, providing operational control that static tea pots cannot achieve.
3Ease of operation
If the filter cup is fixed in position, then structural simplicity is maintained, but the ability to control tea concentration and easy cleaning are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The kettle is segmented into distinct functional components: a kettle body for water heating, a detachable filter cup for holding tea leaves, and a supporting member with lifting mechanism. The filter cup can be completely removed from the kettle body for cleaning or refilling, and the lifting mechanism is divided into separate movable and fixed parts. This segmentation allows the lifting arrangement to be implemented without overly complicating the overall structure, as each component can be designed and manufactured independently.
4Ease of repair
If the filter cup is made detachable, then ease of cleaning and refilling is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter cup is extracted as a completely detachable component from the kettle body, allowing it to be removed for cleaning or refilling without disassembling the entire kettle. The supporting member provides a simple attachment interface that enables easy connection and separation of the filter cup. This extraction approach simplifies the attachment structure compared to integrated designs, as the filter cup can be attached and detached through straightforward mechanical interfaces without complex locking or sealing mechanisms.
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
Enables convenient and controlled preparation of hot water or tea, allowing users to adjust tea concentration and maintain hygiene by detaching the filter cup for refilling or cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a heating base thermally communicated with the heat plate for heating the heat plate at an elevated temperature
Implementation Method 2
a lifting member movably extended between the supporting member and the stopper through the top cap, in such a manner that the lifting member is arranged to drive the filter cup to move between an immersion position and a lifted-up position
Data Source
AI summary
A kettle includes a kettle body, a top cap, a heating base, a filter cup and a filter cup lifting arrangement. The kettle body includes a water reservoir having a receiving cavity. The filter cup is adapted for storing food or beverage items and communicating with the receiving cavity. The filter cup lifting arrangement includes a supporting member supported in the water reservoir, a stopper and a lifting member movably extended between the supporting member and the stopper through the top cap. The lifting member is arranged to drive the filter cup to move between an immersion position and a lifted-up position, wherein in the immersion position, the filter cup is moved to immerse under the hot water stored in the receiving cavity, wherein in the lifted-up position, the filter cup is moved to lift up from the hot water.