Oven Appliance Spill Plug Insert for Protected Levelling Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Oven appliances face challenges in managing spills while protecting sensitive internal components and maintaining access to adjacent components for adjustment or customization, as existing structures that inhibit spills often restrict access.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a trough with an aperture and a resilient plug that sealingly engages the aperture above an adjustment screw, allowing for spill containment while enabling access to the screw for levelling adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a structure is added to inhibit spills from reaching sensitive internal components, then spill protection is improved, but access to adjacent internal components is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The cabinet side is segmented into a spill-resistant barrier portion and an access portion. The barrier portion includes the trough that prevents spills from reaching sensitive components, while the access portion includes an opening that allows access to the adjustment screw. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by spatially separating the spill protection function from the access function.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient plug acts as an intermediary element that sealingly engages with the aperture in the trough. It provides spill protection when inserted while allowing access when removed. This intermediary component enables the system to switch between protection and access modes, resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a trough is added to contain spills, then spill management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trough is formed as a thin, flexible barrier structure that extends from the cooktop surface down into the cabinet. This thin-film approach provides effective spill containment while minimizing the addition of complex structural elements. The resilient plug similarly uses a flexible sealing element rather than a complex mechanical system, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining spill management effectiveness.
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
Effectively prevents spills from reaching sensitive internal components while allowing for easy access to adjustment screws, ensuring both spill protection and maintenance convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient plug configured to be received in the aperture such that the resilient plug sealingly engages the aperture
Data Source
AI summary
An oven appliance includes a cabinet having a front portion spaced apart from a back portion and a left side spaced apart from a right side. The oven appliance also includes a cooktop defined on a top panel of the cabinet. A levelling leg extends through the cabinet from a levelling foot below the cabinet to an adjustment screw below the top panel. The oven appliance further includes a trough positioned below the top panel of the cabinet and above the adjustment screw. The trough includes an aperture located directly above the adjustment screw. The oven appliance further includes a resilient plug configured to be received in the aperture such that the resilient plug sealingly engages the aperture.