Kitchen Device Lid with Rotatable Seal Mount to Reduce Closure Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen device lids require significant force to rotate and secure tightly, making it inconvenient or impossible for individuals with small physical strength to achieve a safe and tight closure of the bowl.
Innovation Solution
A lid design featuring a cover element with a rotatable rigid mount portion and a flexible sealing portion, allowing easy rotation and secure sealing without excessive force, utilizing form fitting and friction fitting means for attachment and a detachable seal element for easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tight sealing is implemented between the lid and bowl, then food containment is improved, but the force required to rotate the lid increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal element is divided into two distinct parts: a rigid mount portion that rotates with the lid, and a flexible sealing portion that remains stationary relative to the bowl. This segmentation allows the lid to rotate easily while the sealing portion maintains tight contact with the bowl surface, resolving the contradiction between easy rotation and secure sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the seal element have different mechanical properties: the mount portion is rigid to facilitate rotation, while the sealing portion is flexible to maintain tight contact. This local differentiation of material properties allows each part to perform its specific function optimally, enabling both easy rotation and reliable sealing.
2Reliability
If a rigid sealing structure is used to ensure tight closure, then sealing reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seal element transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system where the flexible sealing portion can deform and adapt during rotation. The flexible portion maintains continuous contact with the bowl surface while allowing the lid to rotate, combining the reliability of a tight seal with the ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the sealing portion from rigid to flexible, allowing it to deform and conform to the bowl surface during rotation. This parameter change enables the seal to maintain tight contact while reducing the friction and force required for lid rotation.
3Reliability
If a fixed seal element is used to maintain tight contact, then sealing performance is improved, but ease of cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seal element is segmented into a mount portion and a sealing portion that can be easily separated. This segmentation allows the sealing portion to be detached for cleaning while the mount portion remains with the lid, significantly improving ease of cleaning while maintaining sealing performance when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing portion is extracted as a separate, detachable component from the lid assembly. This extraction allows the sealing portion to be removed for cleaning purposes, addressing the ease of cleaning requirement while the sealing performance is maintained when the component is properly assembled.
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
Enables convenient handling and secure sealing of the bowl, ensuring food remains contained during processing while allowing easy removal and cleaning of the lid, accommodating users with varying physical strength.
Implementation Method 1
friction force between the flexible sealing portion (which is softer than the rigid mount portion) and the surface of the bowl can be higher than the friction caused by moving the cover element relative to both the bowl and the rigid mount portion
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Disclosed is a lid 10 for a bowl 20 of a kitchen device 1000. The lid comprises a cover element 11 and a seal element 12 with a rigid mount portion 12a and a flexible sealing portion 12b. The mount portion 12a is rotatably attached to the cover element 11. Further disclosed are bowl combination 100 comprising a lid 10 and a bowl 20, and a kitchen device 1000 with such bowl combination and a base 30 comprising an electric motor.