Portable and Convertible Cooking Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor cooking devices require separate purchases and occupy more space, as users need to buy both a grill and a smoker, which are not portable or convertible.
Innovation Solution
A portable and convertible cooking device that can be easily transformed from a grill to a smoker, featuring a cabinet with a leg assembly and a tether unit, allowing it to be used in both horizontal and vertical positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a user buys separate grill and smoker devices, then each device can perform its specific cooking function, but the total cost increases and the space required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking device is designed with a cabinet that can be positioned horizontally to function as a grill and vertically to function as a smoker. The same cabinet structure, when repositioned, serves both cooking purposes, eliminating the need for separate dedicated grill and smoker devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the grill and smoker functions into a single unified device. The cabinet structure integrates both cooking modes, and the leg assembly with tether unit enables the cabinet to serve dual purposes through repositioning, merging what would traditionally require two separate devices.
2Ease of operation
If conventional grills are mounted on wheels for portability, then mobility is improved, but the structure becomes more complex and less suitable for conversion between grill and smoker modes
Solution Approach 1:
The leg assembly is designed to be movable and reconfigurable rather than fixed. The legs can be positioned and secured in different configurations using tether units, allowing the cabinet to transition between horizontal (grill) and vertical (smoker) positions. This dynamic structure enables conversion without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is divided into separate leg assemblies that can be independently positioned and secured. Each leg can be attached or detached using tether units, allowing the overall structure to be reconfigured for different cooking modes while maintaining simplicity in each individual component.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a cabinet is repositioned from horizontal to vertical position for conversion, then the device can switch between grill and smoker modes, but additional support mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
Tether units serve as intermediary elements between the cabinet and leg assemblies. These tethers facilitate the connection and securing of the cabinet in different positions, enabling mode conversion without requiring complex mechanical support structures. The tethers act as simple yet effective mediators that hold the cabinet in the desired orientation.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable and convertible cooking device comprises a grilling and smoking cabinet, a tether, and a leg assembly, where the cabinet is convertible from a grill to a smoker and back to a grill. The cabinet is moveable from a fixed horizontal position on the leg assembly, for operating the cooking device as a grill, to a fixed vertical position on the leg assembly, for operating the cooking device as a smoker where the tether holds the cabinet in the smoking position. As such, the portable and convertible outdoor cooking device converts from a grill to a smoker quickly and easily. The leg assembly comprises a pair of U-shaped stands which are pivotally connected at respective hinges, such that the leg assembly is collapsible. The portable and convertible cooking device has a pair of wheels for easy transport of the cooking device while in the collapsed position.