Silicone Pancake Mold Plate for Safe Hot Griddle Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crepe makers face issues with handling hot, heavy, and thermally conductive cooking plates, which can cause burns and are prone to damage or breakage when switched, especially when alternating between large and small pancake production.
Innovation Solution
A heat-resistant, non-stick, and deformable accessory made of silicone, with a design that includes a plate covering the cooking tray and stiffening ribs, featuring a shape matching the tray's edge and openings for stencil-like food shaping, along with gripping members for secure handling and thermal expansion management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a thermally conductive cooking plate is used, then cooking performance is improved, but handling safety deteriorates due to high temperature and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary cooling plate made of thermally insulating material that is placed between the user's hand and the hot cooking plate. This cooling plate has a first face that contacts the hot cooking plate and a second face that contacts the user's hand, with the insulating material in between to block heat transfer. This mediator allows safe handling of the hot cooking plate without compromising cooking performance.
2Strength
If a heavy cooking plate is used, then structural stability is improved, but ease of handling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate serves as a mediator that the user handles instead of the heavy cooking plate. The insulating material in the cooling plate has low weight, so the user only needs to lift and move the lightweight cooling plate rather than the heavy cooking plate, significantly improving handling ease while the cooking plate remains stable during cooking.
3Ease of operation
If a non-stick coated cooking plate is used, then food release is improved, but durability deteriorates due to coating damage risk
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate with its insulating material surface acts as an intermediary between the user's hand and the non-stick coated surface of the cooking plate. This prevents direct mechanical contact and potential damage to the delicate non-stick coating during handling, while the coating continues to provide excellent food release properties during cooking.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a removable cooking plate is used, then versatility is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to drop risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by providing a protective case that receives and stores the removable cooking plate when not in use. The case is designed to hold the cooking plate securely, preventing accidental drops. This cushioning protection is provided in advance, so when the user needs to store or transport the removable plate, it is already protected, reducing the risk of drop damage while maintaining versatility.
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 accessory allows for safe and secure alternation between pancake sizes, reduces the risk of burns and damage, maintains centering on the tray during thermal expansion, and offers cost-effectiveness compared to additional thermally conductive trays.
Implementation Method 1
The deformable nature of the material from which the accessory is made makes it possible, in the event of a fall, to mitigate the risk of the accessory breaking or the floor being damaged
Implementation Method 2
The heat-resistant and non-stick nature of the material from which the accessory is made gives this accessory excellent temperature resistance
Implementation Method 3
The accessory is made, at least in part, of a heat-resistant, non-stick and deformable material
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The accessory (8) has a plate (10) to cover a cooking plate of a pancake baking pan (1), where the accessory is made of anti-adhesive, deformable and heat-resisting material e.g. silicone. The accessory plate has an edge (12) delimiting a shape e.g. square shape, that is identical to a shape delimited by an edge of the cooking plate, and openings (15) whose circumferences are closed. Each opening forms a stencil key set to receive a food composition for shaping the composition to the shape of the opening. A stiffening unit has a core made of metal or glass fiber embedded in the silicone. An independent claim is also included for a cooking appliance.