Grid-Blade Chopper for Fast, Hygienic Lettuce Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prechopped lettuce poses hygiene and freshness concerns due to bacterial contamination and is costly, while cutting fresh lettuce at home is time-consuming and laborious.
Innovation Solution
A portable, ergonomic cutting and chopping apparatus with a grid blade unit and pivotable lid for safe, quick, and precise vegetable cutting, featuring a frame, grid blade unit, and a container for collecting chopped vegetables.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If prechopped lettuce is purchased for convenience, then time-saving is improved, but hygiene safety deteriorates due to bacterial contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the cutting process into controlled sections using a grid blade structure with multiple parallel blades. This segmentation allows each blade to work independently on portions of the vegetable, achieving quick chopping while maintaining hygiene through controlled exposure and reduced handling.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fresh lettuce is cut at home to maintain hygiene, then safety is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates preliminary action through its pre-configured grid blade structure and containment chamber. The blades are already positioned and the chamber is ready to receive vegetables, eliminating setup time. The lid with integrated blocks is pre-designed to fit precisely, enabling immediate chopping operation upon placing vegetables in the chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs dynamic elements including the movable lid that can be opened and closed, and the grid blade unit that can be adjusted. The lid's movement from open to closed position transforms the chopping chamber into a contained environment, enabling quick operation while maintaining hygiene through controlled access during the cutting process.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If manual cutting is performed to ensure freshness, then hygiene is improved, but labor effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grid blade structure performs self-service by automatically guiding the vegetable through the cutting process. As the lid is closed, the integrated blocks on the lid bottom engage with the grid blades, creating a self-contained chopping mechanism that requires minimal manual intervention. The structure itself facilitates the cutting action, reducing the effort needed compared to traditional manual cutting.
4Device complexity
If traditional cutting methods are used, then simplicity is maintained, but cutting precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The grid blade unit serves multiple functions: it acts as both the cutting surface and the guiding structure for uniform cuts. The parallel arrangement of blades provides consistent spacing, ensuring uniform cutting precision across all portions of the vegetable. This multi-functional design achieves precision without requiring separate guiding fixtures or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for cutting and chopping vegetables, such as lettuce. The apparatus includes a body having a frame and legs. A grid blade unit is removably mounted to the frame and includes blades arranged in a grid for cutting the vegetables. A lid covers the grid blade unit and the frame, wherein the lid is pivotally mounted to the frame. The bottom surface of the lid has a grid of blocks that are arranged to correspond to the grid blade unit. The blocks are inserted into the respective cells of the grid blade unit when the lid is pressed over the frame. The movement of a block relative to the upper sharp edges of the blade while the block being inserted into the respective cell causes the slicing of a vegetable placed over the grid blade unit. The pieces of vegetables are collected in a pan.