Nestable cookware
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cookware handles are not rigidly locked in their working or stowed positions due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to a loose fit and making it difficult to nest and store efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A vertically rotatable handle with a locking assembly that includes a locking member engaging multiple contact points, ensuring a rigid locking mechanism even with manufacturing variations, allowing for easier nesting and reduced storage space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a locking assembly is provided to allow handle rotation, then the handle can be positioned in working or stowed positions, but the handle is not rigidly locked due to manufacturing tolerances causing loose fitting components
Solution Approach 1:
The locking assembly is divided into multiple independent contact points (first contact point on the locking member, second contact point on the connecting portion, third contact point on the cavity) that work together to provide rigid locking. This segmentation allows each contact point to independently compensate for manufacturing tolerances while collectively achieving rigid handle locking in both working and stowed positions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different contact points are positioned at specific locations with different geometric characteristics. The first contact point engages with the connecting portion, the second contact point engages with the cavity wall, and the third contact point provides additional constraint. This local differentiation of contact point positions and geometries ensures rigid locking despite manufacturing variations in each individual component.
2Ease of manufacture
If the handle is fixed in a protruding position, then the handle is simple and rigid, but it is difficult to nest cookware together and store in cupboards
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to be dynamically repositionable between a working position (extending away from the body) and a stowed position (lying along the circumference of the body). The locking assembly enables the handle to be locked in either position, providing both operational functionality and compact storage capability, thereby reducing the storage footprint when the handle is positioned along the body circumference.
Solution Approach 2:
When the handle is rotated to the stowed position, it lies along the circumference of the cookware body, allowing multiple pieces of cookware to be nested together efficiently. The handle in the stowed position does not protrude outward, enabling compact stacking and storage of multiple pots and pans in cupboards or storage spaces.
3Reliability
If manufacturing tolerances are reduced to achieve rigid locking, then the locking fit becomes rigid, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking assembly design anticipates manufacturing tolerances by incorporating multiple contact points with geometric features that accommodate dimensional variations. The acute angled upper surfaces and strategically positioned contact points create a locking mechanism that maintains rigid handle positioning even when component dimensions vary within normal manufacturing tolerance ranges, eliminating the need for tight tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
An item of cookware including a body having an outer wall, a base, and a handle. The handle being vertically rotatable between a first working position in which the handle is oriented to extend away from the outer wall and a second stowed position in which a major portion of the length of the handle is located extending across the body substantially parallel with the base or at a downward angle relative to the plane of the base. The handle has a proximal end and a distal end, where the proximal end is rotatably secured to an item of cookware via a connecting portion attached to one side of the cookware and the distal end having a gripping member disposed thereon. The handle includes a cavity that has a locking assembly comprising a locking member. The locking member moves between a first locked position and a second unlocked position.