Kitchen machine with automatically operated dispensing means
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen machines require user intervention for operation initiation, lacking efficient on-demand and remote control capabilities for cooking procedures, which limits their independence and scheduling flexibility.
Innovation Solution
The kitchen machine incorporates a mixing cup, dispensing means, and a base structure with motion transmitting means, allowing for on-demand and remote initiation of cooking procedures through a dispensing command that triggers the dispensing of food supplies into the mixing cup, followed by activation of mixing and heating means for predefined periods, enabling automated cooking programs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If kitchen machines require user intervention for operation initiation, then the machine can be operated, but the user independence and scheduling flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-loading ingredients into storage containers and pre-configuring cooking parameters before the actual cooking operation is needed. This allows the machine to be ready for automatic operation without requiring last-minute user intervention, resolving the contradiction between automation and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The kitchen machine is equipped with automatic ingredient dispensing systems and self-monitoring capabilities that allow it to service itself during operation. The system automatically retrieves ingredients from storage, dispenses them at the correct times, and monitors cooking progress, enabling autonomous operation without continuous user involvement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If kitchen machines lack on-demand and remote control capabilities, then the machine structure remains simple, but scheduling flexibility and user independence are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a simple local interface for basic operations and as a remote communication hub for smartphone control and scheduling. This universal design allows the same system to provide both simplicity for immediate use and advanced adaptability for scheduled operations, resolving the contradiction between versatility and complexity.
3Reliability
If ingredients are stored in containers until dispensing command, then ingredient freshness is maintained, but the dispensing mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ingredient storage system is segmented into multiple independent containers, each capable of autonomous dispensing. This segmentation allows each container to have a simplified dispensing mechanism while the overall system provides comprehensive ingredient management. Each container can be independently controlled, reducing the complexity of any single dispensing mechanism while maintaining ingredient freshness through controlled access.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention is enclosed in the area of kitchen machines, in particular kitchen machines which are electrically ran/operated. It is an object of the present invention a kitchen machine which is electrically ran and comprises i) a mixing cup, ii) mixing means provided in the mixing cup and iii) dispensing means comprising a container suitable to contain food supplies, wherein food supplies contained within the container are dispensable to the inside of the mixing cup under a dispensing command received by the kitchen machine. The inclusion of the controllable dispensing means in a kitchen machine provides for on-demand and/or remote initiation of a cooking procedure. Until the receipt of a dispensing command by the kitchen machine, the food supplies remain stored inside the container. Only after such command is received in the machine are the food supplies provided to the inside of the mixing cup, for subsequent preparation.