Food Container Cover with Sliding Handle and Auxiliary Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food containers are inconvenient to use due to the need to manually separate multiple securing members to open and close them, especially when storing and retrieving food with high water content like Kimchi, which requires frequent handling and airtight sealing.
Innovation Solution
A food container design featuring a handle that slides to simultaneously unlock multiple securing members, allowing the cover to be opened while the main body remains closed, along with an auxiliary transparent cover that can be opened independently for easy access and monitoring of contents without compromising airtightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple securing members are provided to ensure airtight sealing, then sealing reliability is improved, but operation complexity increases as users must manually separate each securing member
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple securing members into a single integrated handle assembly. The handle includes multiple securing members arranged in parallel that are actuated simultaneously by a single sliding motion, transforming the operation from manually separating four individual securing members to one unified sliding action that unlocks all securing members at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle serves multiple functions: it acts as both the operating mechanism for unlocking and the structural element that secures the cover. The single handle assembly performs the work of multiple separate securing members while maintaining the airtight sealing function, thereby simplifying operation without compromising reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the entire container is removed from the refrigerator to access food, then food accessibility is improved, but energy loss increases due to cold air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cover into two separate parts: a main cover that remains closed to maintain sealing and an auxiliary cover that can be opened independently for food access. This segmentation allows users to retrieve food by opening only the auxiliary cover while the main cover stays secured, preventing cold air leakage and energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary cover extracts the food access function from the main cover structure. By providing a separate, removable auxiliary cover that can be opened independently, the system allows food retrieval without compromising the integrity of the main sealing structure, thereby eliminating the need to remove the entire container from the refrigerator.
3Quantity of substance
If a large container is used to store substantial food quantities, then storage capacity is improved, but handling difficulty increases due to weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary handle structure that facilitates easy handling of the large, heavy container. The handle is designed with an ergonomic grip and is positioned to provide mechanical advantage, allowing users to lift and move the substantial container with minimal effort despite its weight and size.
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
The design enables convenient and efficient access to food while maintaining airtightness, minimizing storage space and preventing cold air leakage, allowing users to easily retrieve and store food without the need to remove the entire container from the refrigerator.
Implementation Method 1
a cover (30) for opening and closing an entrance of the main body (20)
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of securing members (70) having ends rotatably secured to sides of the main body (20) and the other ends detachably connected to a edge part (32) of the cover (30)
Implementation Method 3
a handle (40) sliding-movable on a top surface of the cover (30) and contactable with the plurality of the securing members (70), to push the plurality of the securing members (70) according to the sliding to separate the plurality of the securing members (70) from the cover (30)
Data Source
AI summary
A food container and a refrigerator including a food container capable of simultaneously separating fixing members of a cover according to sliding of a handle and of taking out of food kept therein by opening an auxiliary cover even with a main cover being closed. The food container includes a main body having an entrance formed on a topside thereof, a cover opening and closing the entrance, a plurality of fixing members including one end rotatably secured to a side surface of the main body and the other end detachably connected with an edge part of the cover, to secure the cover to the main body selectively, and a handle sliding-movable on a top surface of the cover and contactable with the plurality of the fixing members, to push the plurality of the fixing members according to the sliding to unlock the securing between the cover and the main body.