Rotating Oven Rack with Tool-Free Bottom Support Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional commercial ovens with food product racks face challenges in ease of manufacture, reliability, and cleaning due to complex designs and tool-dependent assembly/disassembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A food product rack design featuring a frame assembly with multiple sides, tray supports, and a bottom support that can be manually reoriented from a locked to a release configuration without tools, allowing for easy connection and disconnection from a rotatable output member within the oven, facilitating rotation and simplifying cleaning by exposing more of the oven floor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the bottom support is permanently fixed to the frame assembly, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of cleaning deteriorates due to limited access to the oven floor
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom support is divided into separable components that can be detached from the frame assembly. The support structure is segmented into removable sections that allow access to the oven floor for cleaning while maintaining structural integrity during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom support transitions from a static fixed state during operation to a dynamic removable state during cleaning. The support can be easily reconfigured between locked and unlocked positions, allowing it to adapt between providing structural stability and enabling cleaning access.
2Manufacturing precision
If the bottom support requires tools for assembly and disassembly, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates due to increased complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Traditional tool-based fastening mechanisms (screws, bolts, wrenches) are replaced with a tool-free mechanical release system. The bottom support uses a manual release mechanism that operates through simple hand manipulation, eliminating the need for external tools while maintaining secure attachment during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom support assembly and disassembly system is designed to be self-servicing, allowing operators to perform assembly and disassembly operations without external tools. The release mechanism is configured to be actuated by hand, making the system self-contained and tool-independent.
3Reliability
If the bottom support is permanently attached, then the reliability of operation is improved, but the productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming disassembly for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom support system dynamically adapts between two states: a locked state during operation that ensures reliability, and an unlocked state during cleaning that enables quick removal. The transition between states is designed to be rapid and tool-free, optimizing both operational reliability and cleaning productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom support is pre-configured with release mechanisms that are prepared in advance for quick disassembly. The locking and release features are designed beforehand to enable rapid transitions, eliminating the need for complex disassembly procedures and maximizing cleaning efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An oven includes a chamber for receiving a food product rack. A heating system provides heat to the chamber for a cooking operation. A rotatable output member extends downward from a top portion of the chamber. A pivot support extends upward from a bottom portion of the chamber. A food product rack is removably located in the chamber and is releasably connected to the rotatable output member for rotation therewith. The food product rack includes a frame assembly including multiple sides. Multiple tray supports are located along the height of the frame assembly. A bottom support extends laterally between opposite sides of the frame assembly and passes through a vertical rotation axis of the frame assembly. The bottom support is connected at one end to a bottom portion of one side of the frame assembly and is connected at an opposite end to the bottom portion of an opposite side of the frame assembly. The bottom support releasably engages with the frame assembly and is configured to be disconnected from the frame assembly without use of tools by manually reorienting the bottom support from a locked orientation to a release orientation. The bottom support includes an underside that is engaged with the pivot support.