Wing-Locked Silicone Rubber Feet for Heated Metal Grids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rubber feet for metal grids on cooking hobs are laboriously glued onto the devices, making them difficult to fix reliably without complex procedures.
Innovation Solution
A silicone rubber foot with a shaft and head design featuring lateral evacuation channels and inclined wings, allowing stable insertion into holes without the need for glue, utilizing a concave upper side with differing curvatures and triangular cross-section wings for secure fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rubber feet are glued onto the metal grid, then the fixation is reliable, but the manufacturing process becomes laborious and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding system (glue/adhesive) with a mechanical fixation system. The rubber foot includes a shaft with inclined wings that engage with corresponding features in the metal grid, providing reliable fixation through mechanical interlocking rather than chemical adhesion. This eliminates the need for gluing operations while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The rubber foot design enables self-fixation without requiring external adhesive materials. The shaft with inclined wings is designed to insert into and lock within the metal grid structure, allowing the component to secure itself through its own geometric features during assembly, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.
2Reliability
If the shaft is inserted into the hole, then the rubber foot is fixed onto the device, but pressure buildup may cause self-disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or removes the harmful pressure buildup from the system by incorporating evacuation channels within the shaft structure. These channels provide pathways for pressure equalization, preventing the accumulation of harmful pressures that would otherwise cause the rubber foot to disconnect from the metal grid.
Solution Approach 2:
The evacuation channels act as intermediary structures that mediate between the internal pressure environment and the external atmosphere. By providing controlled pathways for pressure relief, these channels prevent the direct transmission of harmful pressures to the fixation interface, thereby maintaining connection stability.
3Temperature
If conventional rubber feet are used, then thermal isolation is achieved, but the fixation process requires adhesive materials and complex procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the adhesive-based fixation system with a mechanical interlocking system. The rubber foot's shaft with inclined wings engages with the metal grid through geometric compatibility, eliminating the need for adhesive materials and complex gluing procedures while preserving the thermal isolation function provided by the rubber material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fixation mechanism from chemical (adhesive bonding) to mechanical (geometric interlocking). By modifying the structural parameters of the rubber foot to include specific shaft and wing features, the system achieves reliable fixation through physical engagement rather than chemical adhesion, simplifying the overall device and assembly process.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
AI summary
The present invention relates to a rubber foot (10) for a heatable or heated metal device, in particular for a cast iron grid of a cooking hob. The rubber foot (10) includes a shaft (12) forming an upper part of said rubber foot (10). The shaft (12) includes a cylindrical body and is provided for inserting into a hole in the bottom of the metal device along the symmetry axis of said cylindrical body. The rubber foot (10) includes a head (14) forming a lower part of said rubber foot (10). The head (14) is provided for a position below the hole in the bottom of the metal device, when the shaft (12) is inserted in said hole. The diameter of the head (14) is bigger than the diameter of the shaft (12). The rubber foot (10) includes at least one wing (16) enclosing at least partially the cylindrical body of the shaft (12). The at least one wing (16) is formed by at least one ring enclosing the cylindrical body of the shaft (12) and/or by one ring enclosing the cylindrical body of the shaft (12) and subdivided by at least one recess (18). The rubber foot (10) with the shaft (12), the head (14) and the wings (16) is formed as a single-piece part.