Multi-piece construction of barrel smoker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor cookers with constant diameter cylindrical barrels face manufacturing challenges due to the need for multiple brackets for attachments, space inefficiency in packaging, and issues with uneven fires and ash containment in open-bottomed fuel containers.
Innovation Solution
A smoker design featuring cylindrical segments of different diameters with a ledge for mounting components without fasteners, an ash pan with air ports, and a snorkel for controlled airflow, along with a wheeled cart and collapsible structure for improved accessibility and shipping efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a constant diameter cylindrical barrel is used, then the structure is simple, but multiple brackets are required for attachments which increases manufacturing cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by transitioning from a constant diameter cylindrical barrel to a tapered barrel design where the diameter varies along the length. This asymmetric geometry creates an integrated ledge structure that eliminates the need for separate brackets, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and complexity while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered barrel design creates a local ledge structure at specific positions along the barrel length. This local geometric feature provides attachment surfaces for components without requiring additional brackets, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and manufacturing cost.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a constant diameter cylindrical barrel is used, then the structure is uniform, but it consumes great deal of space in packaging making it less convenient and more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The smoker is divided into multiple cylindrical sections with different diameters that can be disassembled and nested within each other for compact packaging. The tapered design allows sections to telescope into one another, significantly reducing packaging volume while maintaining structural integrity during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical sections of the smoker are designed to nest within each other when disassembled, similar to nested dolls. This nesting capability dramatically reduces the packaging space required, making the product more convenient to ship and store while maintaining structural uniformity when assembled.
3Use of energy by moving object
If open-bottomed fuel container is used, then air flow is free, but uneven fire is produced due to flue effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the open-bottomed container with a perforated container that has distributed air ports throughout its surface. This porous structure provides controlled air flow through multiple small openings rather than a single large opening, eliminating flue effects and ensuring uniform fire while maintaining adequate air supply for combustion.
4Ease of operation
If open-bottomed fuel container is used, then air can be introduced freely, but ash is not contained requiring additional elements
Solution Approach 1:
The perforated container serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the fuel container, provides controlled air flow through its perforations, and functions as an ash tray to contain ash. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate ash containment elements while maintaining ease of air introduction, thereby reducing device complexity.
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 design reduces manufacturing costs and complexity, enhances airflow control, contains ash effectively, and provides a more compact and convenient packaging solution while maintaining efficient cooking performance.
Implementation Method 1
an ash pan with circumferentially located air ports may be suspended above a floor of the at least one generally cylindrical segment of a second diameter so as to form a void between the ash pan and the floor
Implementation Method 2
The air inlet may be fed by a snorkel extending upwardly at least to a level of the at least one generally cylindrical segment of a first diameter
Data Source
AI summary
A smoker is formed from at least one generally cylindrical segment of a first diameter and at least one generally cylindrical segment of a second diameter. The first diameter is greater than the second diameter and a ledge is formed between the at least one generally cylindrical segment of a first diameter and the at least one generally cylindrical segment of a second diameter when the two are joined one atop the other.