Flat top storage device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage devices do not efficiently organize and store sandwich ingredients within a refrigerator, making the sandwich-making process inconvenient due to scattered items, lack of space-saving design, and safety concerns with sharp edges, and fail to accommodate pump bottles and knives effectively.
Innovation Solution
A compact device with a handle and flat top surface for storing all key sandwich ingredients, featuring an enclosed herb compartment, pre-configured pump bottles, a knife storage slot, and a removable tray for partially cut pieces, designed to fit on refrigerator shelves or cooler tops, allowing easy transfer and additional storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional separate storage containers are used for sandwich ingredients, then each ingredient can be stored individually, but the sandwich-making process becomes time-consuming and inconvenient due to scattered items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple ingredient storage compartments (meat compartment, cheese compartment, vegetable compartment, condiment compartment) into a single integrated sandwich maker device, allowing all ingredients to be stored together and accessed simultaneously, thereby improving sandwich-making efficiency and reducing time to locate scattered ingredients
Solution Approach 2:
The device serves multiple functions: storing various sandwich ingredients, providing cutting surfaces, dispensing condiments, and assembling sandwiches all in one unit, which consolidates what would traditionally require multiple separate containers and tools into a single multi-functional device
2Productivity
If the refrigerator door is opened multiple times to access ingredients from different sections, then all ingredients can be located, but the sandwich-making process takes longer and increases energy loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple ingredient storage sections that would traditionally be located in different refrigerator compartments (crisper drawer, shelves, door bins) into a single accessible device, allowing users to retrieve all ingredients in one action and eliminating the need to repeatedly open the refrigerator door
3Area of stationary object
If flat top plastic containers are used to store ingredients, then space is saved in the refrigerator, but they cannot accommodate pump bottles or knives effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the device into distinct functional compartments: a first compartment for pump bottles (condiments), a second compartment for knives, and a third compartment for other ingredients, allowing each type of item to be stored in its designated space-optimized section while maintaining overall compactness for refrigerator storage
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed to universally accommodate multiple types of items (pump bottles, knives, fresh ingredients, condiments) within a single compact structure, making it adaptable to various sandwich-making needs while saving refrigerator space compared to storing each item separately
4Productivity
If condiment bottles are stored without pre-configured pump bottles, then various condiment types can be stored, but the sandwich-making process becomes more complex and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent includes pre-configured pump bottles for condiments (mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup) that are already set up and ready for use, eliminating the need for users to manually open and handle multiple condiment bottles during sandwich preparation, thereby simplifying the process and improving efficiency
5Ease of operation
If a slicing knife is stuck into compartments for storage, then knife storage is provided, but the sharp edge may be exposed and cause injury during handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the knife compartment with the blade oriented horizontally with the sharp edge facing downward toward the bottom of the compartment, converting the potential harm of an exposed sharp edge into a safe configuration where the blade is protected and cannot easily injure users during handling or retrieval
Data Source
AI summary
A storage device (organizer) with a unique flat top lifting handle and having separate storage regions designed to accommodate common sandwich ingredients. Having a flat surface lifting handle enables other items to be placed on that surface thus saving space. The preferred embodiment of the invention has a middle compartment to hold bottles with an end compartment on either end—the walls of which also provide support for the bottles. One of the end compartments has a lid to ensure proper humidified environment to keep greens fresh and the other can accommodate a knife and a tray for extra storage. The middle compartment also has a single removable socket to fit two pump bottles for condiments.The device is intended for everyday use in a refrigerator and for easy transfer to a cooler. However, being a storage device, its use is not limited to food products or inside a refrigerator and maybe used outside the refrigerator as well wherever space saving is desired.