Serving Dish Cover with Retractable Handle for Compact Stacking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing covered serving dishes require more storage height due to protruding handles, which can hinder efficient stacking and storage.
Innovation Solution
A retractable handle mechanism is integrated into the serving dish cover, allowing the handle to be fully received within a handle depression when not in use, thereby reducing the overall storage height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a handle is added to the cover to aid manual removal, then ease of operation is improved, but storage height increases due to the protruding handle
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to be movable between a protruding position for easy grasping and retraction into a depression in the cover base for compact storage. This dynamic positioning allows the handle to adapt between operational and storage states, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and storage height.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is received within a depression formed in the base of the cover when in the storage position. This nesting arrangement allows the handle to be accommodated within the cover's own structure, minimizing the overall storage height while maintaining the handle functionality when needed.
2Productivity
If the handle is made retractable to reduce storage height, then storage efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is divided into a main body portion and a separate base portion that extends between side portions. This segmentation allows the handle to be structurally simplified while achieving the retractable function, reducing the overall complexity compared to a fully integrated movable mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle mechanism utilizes the cover's own structure (the depression in the base) to provide the storage function. Rather than adding a separate retraction mechanism, the design uses the cover base itself to receive and hold the handle, simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining storage efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A cover (10) for serving dish (14) includes a main body (20) with a handle depression (22). A handle (24) is mounted within the depression for oscillation between a storage position and a operative position. A detent pin (40) on the handle (24) interacts with detent holes (42) in the handle depression (22) to hold the handle (24) in the storage and operative positions against unintended movement.