Multi-Material Refrigerator Basket for Airflow and Spill Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator and freezer storage baskets face challenges in being aesthetically designed, functional, easily cleanable, providing proper airflow, and maintaining robust strength while minimizing material usage, as they often suffer from issues like poor airflow, difficulty in cleaning, and leakage of food particles and liquids.
Innovation Solution
A storage basket formed as an integral unit from a combination of materials such as formed and welded wire members, stamped sheet metal, and glass or plastic components, featuring an imperforate bottom and perforated second portion to allow airflow, visibility, and easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If wire-formed baskets are used, then airflow is improved, but food particles and liquids fall through the bottom
Solution Approach 1:
The basket employs different bottom configurations for different compartments: the produce compartment has a solid bottom to contain liquids and particles, while the meat compartment has a perforated bottom for drainage. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing containment where needed and airflow where beneficial.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket combines multiple materials including wire mesh for sides and bottom, solid plastic panels for liquid containment areas, and transparent panels for visibility. This composite approach allows simultaneous achievement of airflow, containment, and aesthetic requirements.
2Illumination intensity
If wire-formed baskets are used, then visibility into basket interior is improved, but cleaning difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The basket is divided into multiple removable compartments including produce compartment, meat compartment, and dairy compartment. Each compartment can be separately removed and washed, transforming the cleaning process from difficult (washing entire wire structure) to easy (washing separate plastic compartments in dishwasher).
Solution Approach 2:
The removable compartments are made of smooth, non-porous plastic material that is uniform and easy to clean, contrasting with the wire structure. This homogeneous material choice for removable parts ensures easy cleaning while maintaining visibility through transparent panels.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If solid bottom baskets are used, then food particles are prevented from falling through, but airflow is inhibited
Solution Approach 1:
Different compartments have different bottom structures tailored to their specific needs: solid bottoms for produce and dairy compartments to contain liquids, perforated bottoms for meat compartment to allow drainage. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between containment and airflow.
4Ease of manufacture
If single-material baskets are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but functional performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The basket uses composite construction combining wire mesh for structural framework, solid plastic for removable compartments, and transparent panels for visibility. This multi-material approach enhances functional performance (airflow, containment, cleaning ease, visibility) while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket is segmented into multiple independently manufacturable components: wire frame structure, removable plastic compartments, and transparent panels. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and manufactured using appropriate processes, then assembled into the complete basket.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage basket used for storing and displaying food products and packages in a refrigerator or freezer unit may include a single-material first portion including a bottom wall and an upright wall that extends away from the bottom wall. The bottom wall and the upright wall are imperforate, thereby creating a solid barrier to transfer and fall-through of materials contained in the storage basket. The storage basket may also include a single-material second portion coupled to and extending from the upright wall, and the second portion may include a plurality of perforations. The plurality of perforations may permit airflow around and about the materials contained in the storage basket.