Food Processor Rotatable Lid Design for Vacuum Sealing Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing food processors face design and processing challenges in creating a vacuum for preventing oxidation and nutrient destruction, as current solutions either increase the complexity of the base or cup lid, making it inconvenient to control vacuum operations effectively.

Innovation Solution

A food processor design featuring a rotatable cup lid with an upper and lower lid that can switch between communicating and blocked states, utilizing a vacuum creating device that interacts with a reserved cavity to control vacuum operations, ensuring reliable sealing and preventing air return after vacuum creation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a vacuum creating device is provided inside the base or cup lid, then vacuum creating function is achieved, but the design and processing difficulty of the base or cup lid increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevacuum creating functionVSAvoiddesign and processing difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A reserved cavity is introduced as an intermediary component between the vacuum creating device and the food processing cup. This cavity acts as a buffer chamber that facilitates vacuum creation while simplifying the structural integration, thereby reducing design and processing difficulty without compromising vacuum functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The cup lid is divided into an upper lid and a lower lid that are rotatably assembled. This segmentation allows the vacuum creating device to be integrated more easily by distributing structural requirements across separate components, reducing the overall design and processing complexity of each individual part.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the cup lid is designed with rotatable upper and lower lids to control vacuum operations, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol convenienceVSAvoidlid structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cup lid transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one with rotatable upper and lower lids. This dynamic design enables easy switching between communicating and blocked states for intuitive operation control, while the rotational mechanism itself is kept simple to minimize added complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The functions of sealing, vacuum control, and state indication are merged into the integrated rotatable lid structure. The upper and lower lids work together as a unified system where the rotation action simultaneously achieves multiple functions, thereby improving ease of operation without proportionally increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If seals are added to ensure vacuum sealing, then reliability of vacuum is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevacuum sealingVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Flexible sealing rings are used to create reliable vacuum seals between the upper and lower lids and between the lid assembly and the food processing cup. These flexible seals conform to slight manufacturing variations, ensuring reliable sealing while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes compared to rigid precision sealing structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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

This design enhances the convenience and reliability of vacuum operations by allowing easy switching between states, maintaining the vacuum within the food processing cup and preventing oxidation, thus improving the preservation of nutrients.

Implementation Method 1

the processors are required to be able to create a vacuum so as to prevent food from being oxidized too fast with nutrients destroyed

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum: Vacuum

Implementation Method 2

when the food processing cup is in the blocked state, a bottom of the blocking hole cooperates with the first seal in an interference-fit manner so as to ensure a sealing between the upper lid and the lower lid

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSealing:

Data Source

PatentEP3880047B1A food processor
Publication Date: 2024.02.07 ZHEJIANG SHAOXING SUPOR DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE CO LTD
  • EP3880047B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3880047B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3880047B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A food processor comprising a base (1), a vacuum creating device (4), a food processing cup (2) provided on the base (1) and a cup lid (3) provided on the food processing cup (2), wherein the cup lid (3) comprises an upper lid (30) and a lower lid (31) that are rotatably assembled to form a reserved cavity (32) therebetween, the upper lid (30) and the lower lid (31) being able to switch between a communicating state in which the reserved cavity (32) is in communication with the food processing cup (2) and a blocked state in which the communication is blocked, and wherein, the vacuum creating device(4) communicating with the reserved cavity (32) can perform a vacuum creating operation on the food processing cup (2).