Commercial cooking appliance and method for operating such a cooking appliance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing commercial cooking appliances require manual cleaning with chemical agents and mechanical scrubbing, consuming time and resources, and existing automated cleaning devices are cumbersome and prone to wear, with potential spray shadows due to lance placement.

Innovation Solution

A cooking appliance with a high-pressure cleaning device mounted on the lid, driven by a motor within the lid, allowing for automated, chemical-free cleaning with water jets that rotate to cover the entire chamber without a long lance, minimizing spray shadows and user interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If a lance with cleaning head is used for automated cleaning, then cleaning automation is improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning automationVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cleaning head is extracted from the lance structure and integrated directly into the lid of the cooking appliance. This eliminates the need for a separate lance assembly that requires coupling and storage, reducing device complexity while maintaining automated cleaning capability. The cleaning head becomes a permanent part of the lid structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The cleaning head is merged with the lid structure, combining two previously separate components (lid and cleaning head) into a single integrated unit. This integration eliminates the need for separate lance storage and handling, reducing space requirements and simplifying the overall device structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Area of stationary object

If a long lance is used to reach the center of the cooking chamber, then cleaning coverage is improved, but spray shadow increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning coverageVSAvoidspray shadow

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of extending the cleaning head outward from the rear wall via a long lance, the cleaning head is inverted and positioned inward from the lid. This reversal of the traditional lance configuration places the cleaning head in a central position above the cooking chamber, eliminating the spray shadow effect caused by a long lance while maintaining comprehensive cleaning coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Manufacturing precision

If manual cleaning with chemical agents is used, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but time consumption and resource usage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidtime consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The manual mechanical cleaning process using brushes and chemical agents is replaced with an automated high-pressure water jet system. The cleaning head delivers high-pressure water jets that automatically remove food residues, eliminating the need for manual scrubbing and chemical cleaning agents, thereby reducing time consumption and resource usage while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Ease of operation

If the cleaning head is mounted on a movable lid, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability may worsen due to movement

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoidreliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cleaning head is pre-positioned in the lid structure to be automatically deployed when the lid is closed. The lid itself serves as the mounting structure, with the cleaning head positioned to descend into or rotate within the cooking chamber when the lid is in the closed position. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for separate lance assembly and coupling operations, reducing user intervention while maintaining reliability through the stable lid structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

The solution provides efficient, automated cleaning with reduced user effort, minimizing wear and space requirements, while ensuring thorough cleaning without chemical additives.

Implementation Method 1

a high-pressure device for feeding a cleaning fluid, in particular water, into the cooking chamber under high pressure

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHigh pressure: Pressure Increase

Implementation Method 2

a drive device which is provided to rotationally drive the cleaning head and which comprises a motor

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRotational motion:

Data Source

PatentUS20250369622A1Commercial cooking appliance and method for operating such a cooking appliance

Publication Date: 2025.12.04 MKN MASCHINENFABRIK KURT NEUBAUER GMBH & CO KG

AI summary

A commercial cooking appliance comprises a cooking chamber, in particular in the form of a pan, a lid for closing the cooking chamber, a cleaning device for cleaning the cooking chamber, the cleaning device being formed as a high-pressure device and comprises a cleaning head having at least one outlet opening for dispensing a cleaning fluid, and a drive device comprising a motor for rotationally driving the cleaning head. The cleaning head is mounted on the lid to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation and the motor of the drive device is received in an interior space of the lid.