Kitchen appliance comprising a lid with a shaft for inserting food
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food preparation appliances with eccentrically positioned chimneys for introducing food lack a simple and economical locking system that allows for versatile orientation and the ability to cut vegetables, while also preventing ingredient and steam leakage.
Innovation Solution
An electrical household appliance with a lid featuring a mobile locking ring, a drive hub with a vegetable cutter disc, an anti-waste ring, and a seal that provides a tight closure, allowing the chimney to be oriented freely and locked in any position, while preventing ingredient and steam escape through a combination of a lip seal and internal skirt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking system is implemented to secure the lid on the working receptacle, then the lid can be maintained in a closed position, but the device becomes more complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system is segmented into a stationary locking ring with locking elements and a mobile crown with corresponding locking elements. This segmentation allows the locking function to be distributed across two independent components that interact through simple geometric engagement, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile crown is designed to rotate on the body of the lid, with the locking ring positioned between them. The locking elements of the crown engage with the locking elements of the ring, creating a nested arrangement where the crown rotates around the ring. This nested structure achieves secure locking through simple rotational movement without requiring complex mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the chimney is positioned eccentrically on the lid for versatile orientation, then the user can arrange it in the best position, but the locking system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The lid assembly incorporates dynamic elements that allow the body (with eccentrically positioned chimney) to rotate relative to the locking ring, and the mobile crown to rotate on the body. This dynamic capability enables the chimney to be oriented in different positions while the locking mechanism remains simple, as it only requires the crown to rotate to the locked position regardless of the chimney's orientation.
3Ease of manufacture
If the lid is designed with a simple locking mechanism, then the device is economical to implement, but it may not provide secure closure
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is extracted from the locking mechanism itself and implemented through a separate seal element that bears against the working receptacle. This separation allows the locking system to remain simple while the seal provides the secure closure, as the seal is pressed against the receptacle by the natural clamping action of the locked lid without requiring complex sealing mechanisms integrated into the locking system.
4Reliability
If a seal is added to prevent ingredient and steam escape, then sealing performance improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is implemented as a flexible lip seal that can deform to conform to the surface of the working receptacle. This flexible sealing element creates an effective barrier against ingredient and steam escape through its ability to adapt to surface irregularities, while adding minimal structural complexity as it can be integrated into the lid's existing geometry without requiring additional rigid components or complex mounting mechanisms.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Household food preparation appliance comprising a cover (5) which removably closes a working receptacle (2) receiving a tool (4) driven in rotation by a motor, the cover (5) comprising a body (52) provided with a chimney (50) for introducing food disposed off-center on the lid (5), characterized in that the lid (5) comprises a locking crown (53) movable in rotation on the said body (52), the locking ring (53) being able to occupy a closed position in which locking elements maintain the lid (5) in the closed position on the working receptacle (2) and an open position in which the lid can be lifted from the working container (2).