Single-Vessel Kitchen Machine With Safe Solid-Food Discharge

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current multipurpose kitchen machines are limited in their ability to perform a wide range of gastronomy, confectionary, ice-cream making, and chocolate making processes efficiently, often failing to handle solid or packaged foods effectively and posing challenges in cleaning and safety due to restrictive protective grids and inefficient thermal management.

Innovation Solution

A multipurpose professional kitchen machine with a single vertical vessel for all processing operations, featuring independent heating and cooling circuits, a transparent lid for visual monitoring, and a hollow structure outlet protector that allows safe delivery of solid foods without grids, along with innovative components like a three-blade shear and rotary throttle for efficient food preparation and whipping.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If protective grids are installed at the discharge outlet to prevent accidental contact with rotating members, then user safety is improved, but solid piece foods cannot be delivered and pasty substances lose their consistency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser safetyVSAvoidability to deliver solid piece foods
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the protective grid entirely from the discharge outlet, replacing it with an alternative safety mechanism. This extraction allows solid piece foods to be delivered without obstruction while maintaining safety through a different approach (outlet positioned away from rotating members)

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary spatial arrangement where the discharge outlet is positioned away from the rotating members, creating a safety buffer zone. This intermediary positioning allows both safety and solid food delivery without requiring a physical grid barrier

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Temperature

If products are transited from a first heating vessel to a second cooling vessel for processing, then thermal management is improved, but cleaning difficulty increases and visual monitoring is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal management capabilityVSAvoidcleaning ease
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the heating and cooling functions into a single vessel structure, eliminating the need for product transit between vessels. This consolidation simplifies cleaning while maintaining thermal management capabilities through integrated heating and cooling circuits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single vessel is designed to perform multiple functions (heating, cooling, mixing, monitoring) that were previously distributed across separate vessels. This multi-functionality reduces the number of components needing cleaning while maintaining full thermal processing capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Device complexity

If a single vertical vessel is used for all processing operations, then device complexity is reduced and cleaning is easier, but thermal management capability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of vesselsVSAvoidheating and cooling control
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the thermal management system into independent heating and cooling circuits within the single vessel. This allows separate control of heating and cooling functions while maintaining a unified vessel structure for simplified cleaning

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different thermal properties to different regions of the vessel through localized heating and cooling circuits. This enables precise temperature control in specific areas while maintaining overall system simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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

Enables efficient processing of various food types, including solids, with enhanced safety and ease of cleaning, while maintaining product quality through precise temperature control and automatic operation, allowing continuous monitoring and real-time ingredient addition during processing.

Implementation Method 1

a circuit of heating acting on the lateral sides of the vessel (14)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

Circuits of heating and cooling acting on the lateral sides of the vessel (14), and stirring means (118) acting within the vessel (14)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

a circuit of cooling acting on the lateral sides of the vessel (14)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 4

Circuits of heating and cooling acting on the lateral sides of the vessel (14)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 5

stirring means (118) acting within the vessel (14)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical agitation: Stirring

Implementation Method 6

with the possibility, through the transparent lid (11), of monitoring the products in process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight transmission: Light

Data Source

PatentEP2673581B1Multipurpose professional kitchen machine, in particular for gastronomy/catering processes, but also for confectionary, ice-cream making and chocolate making processes
Publication Date: 2015.09.23 TELME
  • EP2673581B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2673581B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2673581B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Multipurpose professional kitchen machine (10), in particular for gastronomy/catering processes, but also for confectionary, ice-cream making and chocolate making processes, of the type comprising an upper inlet opening (13) for the ingredients to be processed and for the extraction for processed solid or packaged products, at least one removable lid (11, 11') for closing said upper inlet opening (13), and a front delivery opening (12) of the processed ingredients, if of the creamy type, underneath said inlet opening (13) being envisaged a single vertical vessel (14) for receiving and processing in heating and cooling of said ingredients, said front delivery opening (12) being directly connected to the bottom of said vessel (14) by means of a delivery inclined channel (15) for the processed products, if of the creamy type. In addition, the machine comprises both a discharge protection and a plurality of accessories suitable for the specific processes.