Serving Tray with Sliding Vertical Hand Grip to Reduce Muscle Strain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional serving systems, such as trays, often require extended muscle use and can lead to injuries and difficulties in handling, especially for less experienced users, due to the need for a flat palm grip, which increases the risk of accidents and health complaints during serving and lifting.
Innovation Solution
A serving system with an elongate vertically oriented hand grip that allows for easier handling by reducing muscle extension, featuring a sliding elongate element that transitions between a working and rest position, and a stacking design that enables linking multiple trays for improved carrying and use, with features like a downward-inclined element and shock-dampening provisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flat palm grip is used to support the underside of the tray, then the tray can be held, but the muscles of the arm are extended leading to injuries and poor control
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into two functional parts: the tray body for carrying items and a separate elongate vertically oriented hand grip element. This segmentation allows the user to grip the vertical element with a natural hand position rather than extending the arm muscles to support the tray from underneath, thereby reducing injury risk while maintaining ease of handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongate vertically oriented hand grip element acts as an intermediary between the user's hand and the tray body. Instead of the hand directly supporting the tray underside (which causes muscle extension), the intermediary vertical grip element provides a ergonomic interface that reduces arm muscle strain while still enabling secure tray handling.
2Ease of operation
If the hand grip is removed for setting down the tray, then the tray can be placed, but one hand must be occupied holding the tray while the other performs other actions
Solution Approach 1:
The elongate element is designed to automatically return to its rest position (slide upwards) when the tray is placed on a surface. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for the user to manually manipulate the grip element during setting down, allowing one hand to remain free for other actions while the other hand simply places the tray without needing to adjust or remove the grip.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongate element is designed with dynamic movement capability, sliding between a working position (protruding for gripping) and a rest position (retracted). This dynamic behavior allows the element to automatically adapt to the tray's placement state, reducing to rest position when not needed for lifting, thereby simplifying the setting down operation without increasing device complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the elongate element is retained in the opening, then the serving system is stable, but the element may fall without proper retention features
Solution Approach 1:
The elongate element and its opening feature asymmetric geometric profiles with downward-inclined elements and narrowing sections. This asymmetric design creates a mechanical interference fit where the element's shape complements the opening's shape, providing stable retention through geometric interlocking rather than relying on separate retention mechanisms, thereby preventing the element from falling while maintaining stability.
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 solution reduces the risk of injuries and accidents, lowers the threshold for use, facilitates easier lifting and setting down of trays, and allows for stable retention and rotation, enhancing user control and efficiency in serving, while enabling the use of both hands for other tasks.
Implementation Method 1
the downward-inclined element narrowing towards the bottom, while the engagement element of the elongate element is provided with a downward oriented narrowing, which sloping element and which narrowing combine when the elongated element is in its working position to prevent the aforementioned elongated element falling
Implementation Method 2
the engagement element is provided with a shock-dampening provision, for example an elastic ring made of plastic. This may also have a sound-deadening effect when the elongate element drops down
Implementation Method 3
an elastic ring made of plastic
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A serving system (1) comprising a tray (2) which is provided around at least part of its perimeter with an upstanding rim (3), with the tray (2) provided with an opening (4), which serving system (1) includes an elongate element (6) which at least partly protrudes from the underside of the tray (2) in order to provide a hand grip, with the tray (2) provided with a raised inner rim (5) by the opening (4), and the elongate element (6) extends through the opening (4) in the tray (2), and is there slideably positioned between the specified position where it at least partly protrudes from the underside of the tray (2), referred to as the working position, and a rest position in which the lower end is at the same height as or higher than the underside of the tray (2), and the elongate element (6) is provided with at least one stop (8), which stop (8) impinges upon the specified opening (4) in the tray (2) when the elongate element (6) is in the working position and so impedes the falling downwards of the elongate element (6) past the working position.