Oven Pull-Out Side Rail Layout for Safer Food Carrier Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing ovens with pull-out guides for food supports pose risks of injury due to protruding rails and require significant effort to remove heavily loaded carriers, limiting access and safety during food preparation.

Innovation Solution

The oven design features side rails shorter than the food support, allowing for ergonomic removal and improved access, with latching means and a spring element for secure positioning, ensuring the rails remain inside the oven when not in use, reducing the risk of injury and facilitating easy food support handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the side rails are made long to support the food support securely, then the food support is securely held, but the rails protrude far from the oven muffle and pose a risk of injury

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecure holding of food supportVSAvoidinjury risk from protruding rails
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The side rails are segmented into two functional zones: a longer portion that extends beyond the oven muffle to provide secure support and ergonomic handling of the food support, and a shorter portion that remains within the oven muffle to eliminate injury risks. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function without compromising safety or usability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the side rails extend over the entire length of the food support, then the food support is securely fixed, but the food support can only be removed from the front, requiring great effort for heavily loaded carriers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecure fixation of food supportVSAvoideffort to remove food support
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The side rails are designed with different lengths relative to the food support, creating a configuration where the food support extends beyond the rail endpoints. This segmentation enables removal from multiple directions (front, rear, sides) while maintaining secure fixation during operation, significantly reducing the effort required to handle heavily loaded carriers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If the food support is fully extended to check the food, then access to food is improved, but the user is exposed to hot air escaping from the oven and the food can cool down

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess to foodVSAvoidexposure to hot air and food cooling
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The inspection function is moved from the front dimension to the side dimension. Users can access and check food from the sides of the oven by reaching through the side openings created by the shorter rail configuration, eliminating the need to fully extend the hot food support from the front. This dimensional shift allows food checking without exposing users to hot air or causing food cooling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

This design enhances safety by reducing the risk of injury from protruding rails, allows ergonomic handling of food supports, and enables easy access to food without exposure to hot air, while maintaining the ability to close the oven door without touching hot components.

Implementation Method 1

a spring element for automatic extension of the pull-out guide in the opening direction when the oven door is opened

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpring: Spring

Data Source

PatentEP3781872B1Oven
Publication Date: 2022.06.22 PAUL HETTICH GMBH & CO KG
  • EP3781872B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3781872B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3781872B1 patent drawingFigure 2A

AI summary

An oven (1) comprises an oven muffle (2) with at least one pull-out guide (6), which has a stationary guide rail (7) and a displaceable running rail (9), wherein on the running rail (9), at least one side grid (10, 10', 10'') having at least one receptacle for a food carrier (14) is held, the food carrier being arranged between two side grids (10, 10', 10''), wherein the side grids (10, 10', 10'') are shorter than the food carrier (14) in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pull-out guides (6). The handling of the food carrier when preparing meals is thus facilitated.