Insert Module for Kitchen Appliance Pot to Reduce Food Upward Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen appliances with processing bowls experience issues where food moves upwards during processing, especially with small quantities, leading to uneven processing and the need for manual intervention, and require material-specific adaptive means, increasing complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
An insert module with a disc-shaped base element adapted to the pot's dimensions, limiting the usable space and securely holding food against the functional element, using a design that can be universally applicable and cost-effective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the pot's usable space is large to accommodate various food quantities, then the pot's versatility is improved, but food moves upwards during processing causing uneven processing results
Solution Approach 1:
The insert module segments the pot's interior space into a lower processing zone and an upper storage zone. The base element with its specific outer contour divides the single large space into functionally distinct regions, allowing the lower zone to maintain consistent food engagement while the upper zone provides additional capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert module utilizes the vertical dimension by extending upward from the pot base. The base element's thickness and height create a three-dimensional space division, effectively adding vertical storage capacity without compromising the horizontal processing area at the functional element level.
2Manufacturing precision
If material-specific adaptive means are provided to move upward-moving material downwards, then processing uniformity is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insert module is designed as a universal component that works with all types of food materials (powdery, paste-like, solid) without requiring material-specific adaptations. The single base element structure provides consistent food retention across different material types, eliminating the need for multiple specialized means.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex mechanical means to push food downward, the invention uses a simple geometric copy of the pot's inner contour at the working height. This replicated contour shape passively guides and retains food through its form, achieving the desired effect without active mechanical intervention.
3Manufacturing precision
If material-specific adaptive means are provided for different food types, then processing uniformity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insert module serves as a universal solution for all food types, eliminating the need to manufacture multiple different components. The single base element design can be produced using standard injection molding or similar processes, significantly reducing tooling and production costs compared to maintaining inventories of material-specific adaptive means.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert module achieves material-specific adaptation through geometric parameters rather than structural variations. By adjusting the base element's outer contour to match the pot's inner contour at working height, the design maintains consistent performance across different food types without requiring different physical components for each material type.
Data Source
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AI summary
An insert module (20) for a pot (30) of a kitchen appliance is disclosed. The insert module (20) has a disk-shaped base component (70), wherein an external diameter (dA) of the base component (70) is matched to an internal diameter (dI) of the pot (30), said internal diameter decreasing toward the pot base (36) of the pot (30), such that the insert module (20) rests inside the pot (30), spaced apart from the pot base (36) at a working height (h), against an internal wall (37) of the pot (30). An outer contour of the base element (70) is matched to an inner contour of the internal wall (37) at the working height (h). The insert module (20) is designed to delimit a useful space (100) within the pot (30) in an upward direction when it is inserted into the pot (30). A kitchen appliance and a set composed of insert module and pot is furthermore disclosed.