Serving Utensil with Trigger-Actuated Resilient Arm for Food Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing serving utensils lack an independent trigger mechanism, which limits the amplified forward movement of the serving scraper, making it difficult to maximize food removal efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A utensil design featuring a main body with a handle and receptacle, a resilient arm that moves between rest and extended configurations, and a trigger that actuates the resilient arm to increase the distance between the mounting and opposite ends, allowing for enhanced food disengagement from the receptacle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a resilient arm with bowed shape is used to amplify forward movement of the serving scraper, then food removal efficiency is improved, but the movement cannot be maximized due to lack of independent trigger
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient arm is designed with a bowed shape that allows it to dynamically flex and straighten during operation. The arm transitions from a curved stored-energy state to a straight extended state, providing dynamic movement amplification that maximizes food removal capability while maintaining operational control through the trigger mechanism.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple components are used in the serving utensil, then functionality is improved, but assembly and disassembly for cleaning becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The serving utensil is divided into distinct functional segments: a handle component, a resilient arm component, and a scraper component. These segmented parts are connected through simple attachment mechanisms that allow easy separation for cleaning while maintaining the overall functionality of the utensil when assembled.
3Ease of manufacture
If a unitary design is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but cleaning requires disassembly of functional components
Solution Approach 1:
The scraper component is extracted as a separate removable element from the main utensil body. This extracted component can be easily detached and cleaned independently, providing cleaning accessibility without requiring complex disassembly procedures, while the main body remains a simple unitary structure for easy manufacturing.
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 design enables easier and more efficient food removal by amplifying the movement of the remover relative to the receptacle, improving control and ease of use while being lightweight and easy to manufacture and clean.
Implementation Method 1
A resilient arm has curved flexible portion and is operatively connected to the main body to be movable between a rest configuration and an extended configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A utensil comprises a main body having a handle and a receptacle. A resilient arm has a curved flexible portion and is operatively connected to the main body to be movable between a rest configuration and an extended configuration whereat the curved portion is less curved than in the extended configuration. A remover is operatively connected to the resilient arm in substance disengaging relation with respect to the receptacle. A trigger operatively mounted on the main body for movement between a rest position corresponding to the rest configuration of the resilient arm and an actuating position corresponding to the extended configuration of the resilient arm. In use, movement of the trigger from the rest position to the actuating position causes extension of the resilient arm from the rest configuration to the extended configuration to thereby moving the remover in substance disengaging relation with respect to the receptacle.