Outdoor appliance with retractable platform
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor fire appliances, such as bonfires and wood-fired pits, are inconvenient to set up and maintain, requiring time-consuming ignition and fuel management, and often attract pests and produce ashes, while decorative fire pits lack functionality without visible flames or heat.
Innovation Solution
A gas-powered fire pit with a retractable burner and iris-like cover mechanism, featuring an actuator that moves a platform from a lower position within the base to a raised position and a cover between closed and open positions, incorporating a thermocouple for safety and fuel management, allowing for easy ignition and extinguishing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional wood-fired fire pits are used, then visible flames and heat are provided, but setup time and maintenance become inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of lighting wood fires with an electrical ignition system. A gas burner with electronic ignition mechanism eliminates the need for manual fire starting, allowing instant ignition through electrical activation. This substitution of mechanical fire lighting with an electrical system directly resolves the contradiction between visible flame provision and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas burner and fuel system are pre-configured and ready for immediate use. The propane or natural gas supply is预先 prepared and connected, eliminating the need for firewood preparation, stacking, and lighting procedures. This preliminary preparation of the fuel and ignition system allows instant operation, resolving the time loss associated with traditional fire pit setup.
2Quantity of substance
If wood piles are kept for fuel supply, then continuous burning is possible, but pests are attracted and wood is prone to rot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the fuel from solid wood to gaseous propane or natural gas. This parameter change from solid to gas state eliminates the biological vulnerabilities of wood (rot and pest attraction) while maintaining adequate fuel supply. The gas fuel can be stored in sealed tanks, preventing pest access and moisture-related degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a composite approach combining gas storage tanks, regulated delivery systems, and burners. This composite gas fuel system replaces the organic wood material with an inorganic fuel delivery system that is impervious to biological degradation, resolving the contradiction between maintaining fuel supply and avoiding pest attraction.
3Power
If wood fires are used, then heat and light are produced, but ash disposal becomes a hassle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the combustion of solid wood with gas combustion. This substitution changes the combustion byproducts from solid ash requiring manual removal to gaseous exhaust that disperses naturally. The gas burner system maintains high heating output while eliminating the mechanical burden of ash collection and disposal, directly resolving the contradiction between heating power and maintenance ease.
4Shape
If decorative fire pits are used, then aesthetic appeal is improved, but functionality is lost when no fire is burning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a retractable platform mechanism that dynamically changes the fire pit's configuration. When not in use, the burning platform retracts into the base, presenting a clean, decorative appearance. When needed, the platform extends to provide functional burning surface. This dynamic transformation allows the fire pit to adapt between aesthetic display mode and functional use mode, resolving the contradiction between shape/aesthetics and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire pit system integrates multiple functions: decorative display mode when the platform is retracted, and active burning mode when extended. The same structure serves both aesthetic and functional purposes at different times, making the device universally applicable for both decoration and heat/light production, thereby resolving the contradiction between aesthetic design and functional utility.
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 a convenient, aesthetically pleasing, and functional outdoor heating and lighting solution with reduced maintenance, as the gas burner can be easily operated and the system includes safety features to manage fuel usage and prevent overheating.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating a thermocouple for safety and fuel management
Data Source
AI summary
A base has an open top, an aperture coaxial with the open top of the base, and an actuator. The device includes a cover for the aperture that is moveable between a first closed position and a second open position in response to a first displacement of the actuator, and a platform moveable from a first lower position within the base to a second raised position proximate the tabletop in response to a second displacement of the actuator.