Hinged Cooker Assembly With Pivoting Drip Tray for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional outdoor cookers occupy excessive space and are difficult to clean due to the large footprint and build-up of drippings and charred material on the cooking plate or grill.
Innovation Solution
A cooker design featuring a hinging arrangement that allows the cooking assembly to pivot between an operative and stowed position, accompanied by a front drip tray that catches drippings, reducing the footprint and facilitating cleaning by automatically positioning the drip tray relative to the cooking assembly during pivoting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a conventional outdoor cooker with a fixed cooking plate is used, then the cooking function is stable and reliable, but the footprint is large and occupies excessive space in living areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking assembly is made dynamically movable through a hinging arrangement, allowing it to pivot between an operative horizontal position for cooking and a stowed position against the support for space-saving storage. This dynamic configuration enables the cooker to adapt its footprint from a larger operational state to a compact stored state, resolving the contradiction between stable cooking function and minimal space occupation.
2Area of stationary object
If a large cooking plate is used, then the cooking surface area is sufficient, but the build-up of drippings and charred material is significant and difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The drip tray is extracted as a separate, removable component from the main cooking assembly. It can be easily detached and removed from the cooker, allowing users to conveniently take it to a sink for thorough cleaning without having to disassemble the entire cooking unit. This extraction principle resolves the contradiction by maintaining a sufficient cooking surface area while making the cleaning process simple and accessible.
3Area of stationary object
If the cooking assembly is made movable to reduce footprint, then space usage is minimized, but the complexity of the mounting arrangement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinging arrangement is segmented into discrete, modular components including hinge brackets, mounting plates, and connection points distributed across the cooking assembly and support structure. This segmentation allows for simpler individual components that are easier to manufacture, install, and maintain, while collectively achieving the desired movable functionality to minimize footprint.
Data Source
AI summary
A cooker is disclosed. The cooker includes a cooking assembly having a cooking member, a hinging arrangement to mount the cooking assembly onto a support so that the cooking assembly can be displaced relative to the support between an operative position in which the cooking member is in a substantially horizontal orientation, and a stowed or inoperative position in which the cooking assembly is displaced towards the support, and a front drip tray that is pivotally mounted on the cooking assembly and that is configured to pivot relative to the cooking assembly while the cooking assembly is pivoted between the operative and stowed positions and to catch cooking waste, such as drippings from the cooking member as the cooking assembly is pivoted into the stowed position.