Manual Tool for Custom Baking Liners

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Solution Overview

Problem

Home bakers lack a simple and effective tool to form custom-shaped baking liners with flat bottoms and vertically fluted sides, leading to issues like baked goods sticking to traditional circular liners, inconsistent results, and limited customization options.

Innovation Solution

A kitchen tool comprising multiple pieces that form baking liner material into shapes with flat bottoms and vertically fluted sides, allowing for customization of shapes such as circular, rectangular, heart, or other geometric shapes, and enabling users to pre-color or decorate the liner material before forming.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If retail preformed fluted paper liners with circular perimeter are used, then the liners are inexpensive and readily available, but baked goods tend to stick to these liners particularly in gluten free baking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavailability and costVSAvoidsticking of baked goods

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The tool divides the liner forming process into two distinct operations: a pressing operation to create the fluted pattern and a forming operation to shape the liner. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each function, with the pressing operation creating non-stick fluted surfaces while the forming operation shaping the liner geometry.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using a drinking cup as a mold to form liners (which causes overlapping and distortion), the invention inverts the approach by using a pressing tool to create the fluted pattern on a flat base, then forming the liner around a mandrel. This inversion eliminates the sticking problem by creating the fluted pattern before forming, allowing the material to conform properly without adhesion issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a drinking cup is used as a mold to manually form liner material, then customization of shapes is possible, but the results are inconsistent and portions of vertical walls overlap which distort pre-printed images

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization of shapesVSAvoidconsistency of liner formation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces an intermediary pressing tool with a specifically designed fluted surface that mediates between the liner material and the final formed liner. This intermediary tool creates the fluted pattern consistently across all liners, eliminating the overlapping and distortion problems associated with using drinking cups as molds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The tool changes the geometric parameters of the liner formation process by using a pressing operation with controlled fluted patterns rather than relying on the curvature of a drinking cup. This parameter change from organic curve to controlled geometric pattern ensures consistent, precise liner formation while maintaining customization capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Shape

If liner material is pushed to conform to pan sidewalls using weight of batter, then the liner material conforms to the shape, but excess material results in random overlapping on the sidewalls

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconformity to pan shapeVSAvoiduniformity of sidewall fit

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies preliminary action by creating the fluted pattern and shaping the liner material before it is placed in the pan. The pressing tool pre-forms the fluted pattern on a flat base, and then the liner is formed around a mandrel to the correct shape and size. This preliminary forming ensures that when the liner is placed in the pan, the material fits the sidewalls uniformly without excess or random overlapping.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12005674B1Manual kitchen tool for forming baking liner

Publication Date: 2024.06.11 BOOM MILLENNIAL LLC

AI summary

A simple multi-piece manual tool intended for use in a home or small kitchen wherein the tool is used to form baking liner material into a baking liner having flat bottom and fluted sidewalls around the perimeter. The general perimeter of the formed article may be traditional circular as for cupcakes or alternatively a rectangle or some other geometric or non-geometric shape. This baking liner material may be pre-coated with food release agent or colored or have a custom pre-printed pattern or image. Once the baking liner material is formed, the user puts it into a suitable baking pan to be filled with batter or material to be baked or may alternatively use the formed liner as a single serve container.