Removable-Bottom Pan Structure for Easy Food Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional fixed-bottom pans require significant effort to remove food products and can physically impair them during removal, lacking attachments for releasable and selective release of food products.
Innovation Solution
A pan system comprising a base portion and a removable portion with attachments that allow for releasable reception and selective release of food products, using a combination of chemical and mechanical interlocks that degrade or separate with heat, facilitating easy removal and handling of food products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional fixed-bottom pans are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but significant effort is required to remove food products and physical impairment occurs during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The pan is divided into two separable components: a base portion and a removable portion. The removable portion can be detached from the base portion to facilitate easy removal of food products without physical impairment. This segmentation allows the pan to transition from a fixed structure to a separable structure, solving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pan structure transitions from a static fixed-bottom design to a dynamic separable design. The removable portion can be selectively attached or detached from the base portion based on operational needs, allowing the system to adapt between a simple fixed structure during storage and a separable structure during food removal, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional fixed-bottom pans are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but food products are physically impaired during removal
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the pan into a base portion and a removable portion, the removable portion can be designed to lift away with the food product, preventing scuffing or damage to the food. This segmentation allows for easier manufacture of each individual component while eliminating the harmful effect of food impairment during removal.
3Adaptability or versatility
If removable portion with attachments is added, then selective release of food product is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pan is segmented into a base portion and a removable portion with attachments. The removable portion includes features such as a rim and attachment mechanisms that enable selective release of the food product. This segmentation provides the adaptability for selective release while keeping each component relatively simple in structure, thus managing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable portion is designed to nest within or upon the base portion when attached, creating a compact integrated structure. The attachments are configured to engage with corresponding features on the base portion, allowing the removable portion to be stored within the overall pan structure when not in use, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity while maintaining selective release capability.
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
The pan system minimizes physical impairment to food products during removal and enhances handling and serving by allowing the removable portion to 'pop out' of the base portion, reducing effort and ensuring easy access after baking or heating.
Implementation Method 1
using a combination of chemical and mechanical interlocks that degrade or separate with heat
Data Source
AI summary
A pan system may have a closed configuration and an open configuration to selectively release a food product. The system comprise a base portion having a sidewall connected to a bottom with an opening, a removable portion configured to span the opening, and an attachment configured to releasably secure the removable portion relative to the base portion in the closed condition and selectively release the removable portion from the base portion in the open condition. The base portion and removable portion may be configured to contain the food product in the closed condition and separate to release the food product from the base portion in the open condition.