Pocket Bun Pan Structure for Filling Containment and Easy Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sandwiches face difficulties in containing fillings when eaten on the go, as the filling often leaks out due to the lack of an effective bun design.
Innovation Solution
A pan is designed to produce pocket buns with a base plate, housing, ejector plate, and divider, allowing for the formation of buns with cavities that can hold fillings securely, featuring a pneumatic system or ejection pins for easy removal and customizable shapes for branding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional bread is used for sandwiches, then the sandwich can be easily assembled, but the filling leaks out when eaten on the go
Solution Approach 1:
The bun is divided into two separate pieces (first and second buns) that are baked independently in separate cavities, then joined together after baking. This segmentation allows each bun to maintain its structural integrity while creating a pocket space between them for filling containment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a flat bread structure to a three-dimensional pocket bun structure with internal cavities. The cavities create additional dimensional space for holding fillings, and the joined buns form a enclosed volume that prevents leakage while maintaining ease of assembly.
2Reliability
If deep-draw buns are baked to form pockets for filling, then filling containment is improved, but ejection from the pan becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pan is segmented into multiple independent cavities, each capable of forming a complete pocket bun. This segmentation allows each bun to be ejected independently through its own ejection mechanism (ejection pins or pneumatic system), making the ejection process easier despite the deep-draw geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
Ejection pins or pneumatic systems serve as intermediary mechanisms between the baked bun and the pan cavity. These intermediaries facilitate the removal of deeply drawn buns by providing a controlled ejection force that overcomes the adhesion and deformation resistance without damaging the bun structure.
3Productivity
If multiple cavities are formed in a single bun, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The pan is divided into multiple separate cavities within a single pan structure, allowing simultaneous formation of multiple buns or multiple-pocket buns. Each cavity is independently designed and formed, ensuring precise geometry while maximizing production efficiency through parallel processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple cavity formations are merged into a single baking cycle within one pan. The pan structure integrates multiple cavities that can be filled and baked simultaneously, achieving high productivity while maintaining precision through the unified pan design and consistent baking conditions.
4Strength
If buns are joined together with baked connectors, then structural integrity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Adjacent cavities in the pan are positioned and designed to form buns that naturally join together through baked connectors. The pan structure integrates the cavity arrangements to facilitate this joining, creating structurally sound buns while maintaining relatively simple pan geometry without complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The pan cavities are pre-configured during pan manufacturing to enable the formation of baked connectors between adjacent buns. This preliminary design of the cavity geometry and positioning ensures that when buns are baked and joined, they achieve structural integrity without requiring complex joining mechanisms or post-baking assembly operations.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes a pan formed from a base plate, a housing, a divider and an ejection plate. Together, the pan is shaped to form a pocket bun. The constituent parts of the pan nest together when baking, and disassemble when removing the bun from the pan. The pocket bun has an open-mouth design to allow ingredients to be retained in the bun while the sandwich is being consumed. The open-mouth design is formed having either a single cavity or a plurality of cavities, with each cavity adapted for carrying a filling. The pan is designed having one or more chambers, with each chamber adapted for baking a bun. Adjacent chambers optionally include openings therebetween such that adjacent buns will have a baked connection therebetween.