Foldable Disposable Grill Insert With Reinforced Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing grill/pan systems do not provide a disposable insert oven grate system that allows for cooking food on a grill and easy disposal of the grill after use.
Innovation Solution
A disposable grill with a central region and pivotable walls, along with a pan, formed from aluminum foil, where the walls can be folded for storage and extended for cooking, and the pan is designed to form a chamber for cooking food, with slots for strengthening purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional grill/pan system is used, then cooking function is provided, but disposal and cleanup is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the disposable principle by making the entire grill insert (grate, walls, and pan) from aluminum foil that can be discarded after a single use. This eliminates cleanup time and effort while providing complete cooking functionality, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of disposal and time loss for cleanup.
2Ease of operation
If a disposable aluminum foil grill is used, then ease of disposal is improved, but structural strength and stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the grill into distinct functional parts: a central cooking region with grate, four foldable walls with hinges, and a pan bottom. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall structural integrity through the hinge connections, resolving the contradiction between disposability and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies composite material principles by combining aluminum foil with hinge mechanisms to create a structure that maintains strength and stability during use while remaining disposable. The hinge connections provide mechanical reinforcement at critical joints, allowing the thin aluminum foil to support cooking loads without compromising the disposable nature of the grill.
3Volume of moving object
If walls are made foldable for storage, then space efficiency is improved, but structural stability during cooking may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by designing walls that are static and stable during the cooking phase but can be dynamically folded during storage and transportation. The hinge mechanisms enable this dynamic behavior, allowing the walls to provide structural stability when upright for cooking while collapsing into a compact configuration for storage, thus resolving the contradiction between storage efficiency and structural stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A disposable grill is formed with a central region having a periphery in a rectangular configuration. The periphery has a front edge, a rear edge, a left edge, and a right edge, a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, and a right wall. Hinges couple the walls to associated edges. Each wall is pivotable between an upper position coplanar with the central region for storage and transportation and pivotable to a lower position perpendicular to the central region for supporting food to be cooked. A plurality of slots are formed in the central region. Each slot is rectangular and formed of a longitudinal slit and latitudinal end slits to form downwardly extending supports for strengthening purposes.