Rotating Filter Basket Infusion Device for Accelerated Cold Brewing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional infusion devices for unheated infusions are time-consuming and lack flexibility, requiring users to submerge infusion material in liquid for extended periods, and existing solutions that increase infusion speed often result in complex, bulky designs prone to contamination.
Innovation Solution
A liquid infusion device featuring a container, collar, and filter basket with a lid assembly that allows for suspension and agitation of the filter basket, which can be rotated by a motor assembly to enhance fluid flow and turbulence, thereby speeding up the infusion process while maintaining a compact and easy-to-clean design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If unheated infusion is used to avoid bitterness and preserve flavor, then flavor quality is improved, but infusion time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The filter basket is designed to rotate dynamically during infusion, converting a static infusion process into a dynamic one. This rotation increases fluid flow and turbulence around the infusion material, significantly reducing the time required for unheated infusion while preserving flavor quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating filter basket creates mechanical agitation and turbulence in the liquid, enhancing the infusion process. This mechanical movement increases contact between the liquid and infusion material, accelerating extraction without requiring heat.
2Loss of time
If motorized agitation system is added to speed up unheated infusion, then infusion time is reduced, but device complexity and footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
The motor assembly is integrated directly into the lid assembly, merging the agitation function with the existing structural component. This eliminates the need for a separate external motor unit, reducing overall device footprint and complexity while maintaining the ability to rotate the filter basket for accelerated infusion.
3Productivity
If separate water storage container is added to provide gravity feed for percolation, then infusion speed is improved, but device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container serves multiple functions: it holds the liquid to be infused, receives the infused liquid from the filter basket, and eliminates the need for a separate water storage container. The user simply pours liquid into the container, and the rotation-driven flow performs the infusion, making the device universally applicable without additional components.
4Ease of operation
If filter basket is designed for easy removal and cleaning, then ease of operation is improved, but structural complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter basket is designed as a separate, removable component that can be easily detached from the lid assembly. This segmentation allows the filter basket to be independently cleaned and maintained, improving ease of operation while the simple connection mechanism keeps structural complexity minimal.
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 device significantly reduces infusion time for unheated infusions, providing a flexible and efficient method for both hot and cold brewing, while maintaining a compact and user-friendly format that minimizes contamination risks.
Implementation Method 1
The filter basket can be rotated by a motor assembly to enhance fluid flow and turbulence
Implementation Method 2
one or more additives, such as fruit and/or herbs, are submerged in a fluid, such as water, alcohol, or oil, which acts as a solvent to draw out attributes of the additive and infuse those attributes into the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid infusion device includes a container, a container collar, a lid assembly, and a filter basket. The container has an open top, a closed sidewall, and a closed bottom. The container collar has a collar opening and is configured to couple to a rim of the open top. The lid assembly is configured to cover at least a portion of the collar opening. The filter basket is configured to hold infusion material and to be suspended from the lid assembly and into an interior of the container. The filter basket includes an open top, a bottom, and a sidewall having an opening. The infusion device can include a motor configured to impart motion to the filter basket.