Food portion control device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food portion control devices lack adjustable compartments, making it difficult to accommodate varying dietary needs and body types, and often require additional utensils and complex caloric calculations.
Innovation Solution
A device with a hollow body and three fixed vertical walls, featuring a central axis and a movable wall in each compartment that can pivot independently to adjust volume without altering other compartments, allowing for precise portion control and easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed volume compartments are used in portion control trays, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the device cannot accommodate varying dietary needs and body types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by replacing fixed compartments with adjustable compartments that can change volume. Each compartment is equipped with a movable wall that can be repositioned along the compartment's perimeter, allowing users to dynamically adjust portion sizes according to their specific dietary needs and body types, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing each compartment into adjustable sections using movable walls. These walls can be positioned at different locations to create customized portion divisions, enabling flexible adaptation to various dietary requirements while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure through modular design.
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable volume compartments are implemented, then portion customization is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable walls are designed to slide along guide rails or tracks within each compartment, providing smooth volume adjustment without complex mechanical systems. This dynamic adjustment mechanism enables portion customization while keeping the device structure relatively simple through the use of straightforward linear motion guides rather than complex rotary or multi-axis mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable walls are designed to be easily manipulated by users without requiring tools or complex operations. The walls can be directly pulled, pushed, or slid into position by hand, allowing users to self-adjust portion sizes according to their needs without assistance from complex adjustment mechanisms or specialized tools.
3Ease of operation
If multiple movable walls are used for independent compartment adjustment, then individual portion control is achieved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each compartment is treated as an independent modular unit with its own movable wall, allowing for standardized manufacturing of individual compartment modules that can be assembled together. This segmentation enables independent control of each compartment while simplifying manufacturing through modular production and assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable walls and their guiding structures are designed as universal components that can be used across all compartments with identical or similar geometries. This universality allows for standardized manufacturing processes and interchangeable parts, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite having multiple adjustable compartments.
4Ease of operation
If the device serves as a plate to avoid extra utensils, then utensil usage is reduced, but the device must be larger and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the function of a serving plate with the portion control device by making the adjustable compartment tray itself the serving surface. The flat base of the device serves dual purposes: as the structural foundation for the adjustable compartments and as the plate for serving food, thereby eliminating the need for separate utensils while keeping the device structure relatively simple through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a portion measurement tool and as a serving plate. The base structure performs dual functions: supporting the adjustable compartment walls and providing a food-serving surface, thereby reducing the need for additional utensils without significantly increasing device complexity through efficient multi-purpose design.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a food portion control device (100) comprising a hollow body (10) defining a useful volume (11), vertical walls (20a, 20b, 20c) dividing the useful volume into at least two compartments (11a, 11b, 11c), and a central axis (40) from which said walls extend radially, said device comprising a movable wall (30a, 30b, 30c) which is vertical in at least one compartment and which is capable of pivoting about the axis (40) in such a way as to cause a volume of use of only said compartment to vary.