Solid Cooking Fat Dispenser
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for dispensing solid cooking fats on cooktops are inefficient, unsafe, and require multiple utensils, as they often expose users to heat, waste product, and are limited to specific shapes of fats.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser with a rotatable base mechanism that allows for the dispensing and retracting of solid cooking fats, featuring a removable nozzle and sleeve for various shapes, providing a secure hold and insulation from heat, and eliminating the need for additional utensils.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a user directly holds and spreads solid cooking fat by hand, then the cooking surface can be coated, but the user's hand is exposed to uncomfortable heat
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dispenser device as an intermediary tool between the user and the hot cooking surface. The dispenser holds the solid cooking fat and allows it to be applied to the cooking surface without the user's hand directly contacting the heat source, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and heat exposure protection
2Device complexity
If solid cooking fat is held directly by hand, then no tool is needed, but portions may be wasted due to being too short to spread or dropping
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser device is designed to hold and dispense solid cooking fat in a controlled manner. The device allows the fat to be pushed out through a nozzle with controlled pressure, enabling complete utilization of the fat stick without waste from dropping or being too short to spread, while maintaining simple operation
3Device complexity
If solid cooking fat is handled directly, then no dispenser is needed, but the user's hand becomes greasy requiring washing time
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser acts as an intermediary that prevents direct contact between the user's hand and the greasy cooking fat. The user operates the dispenser without touching the fat, and the fat is dispensed through a nozzle, keeping hands clean and eliminating the need for washing time
4Ease of operation
If conventional dispensers use block-shaped enclosures with integrated shafts, then solid cooking fat can be held, but the fat must be warmed to load or unload
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is segmented into a permanent outer housing and a removable inner component (sleeve or cartridge) that holds the cooking fat. This allows the fat-containing component to be easily removed and replaced without warming, while the permanent housing remains on the counter. The sleeve can be quickly swapped out when fat is depleted, eliminating the need to warm fat for loading or unloading
5Reliability
If conventional dispensers have protruding shafts, then solid cooking fat can be secured, but the device cannot be disposed on its base taking up counter space
Solution Approach 1:
The protruding shaft mechanism is extracted from the base and integrated into the removable sleeve or cartridge instead. This allows the base to have a flat bottom for stable disposal on the counter, while the shaft function is maintained within the removable component that secures the fat during dispensing operations
6Reliability
If conventional dispensers use integrated shafts through the cavity, then solid cooking fat can be held, but only block-shaped fats are supported
Solution Approach 1:
The removable sleeve or cartridge is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate different shapes of solid cooking fat (block-shaped, cylindrical, etc.). The sleeve contains an open cavity without restrictive shafts, allowing various fat shapes to be inserted and held securely during dispensing, making the device versatile for different fat forms
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for storing and dispensing solid cooking fat for cooking is disclosed. In one embodiment, a dispenser for containing and dispensing solid cooking fat includes a main body having a nozzle, a base, a main body base, and a main body cavity. The solid cooking fat is disposed in the main body cavity. Rotation of the base in a direction rotates the nozzle and the main body base to move the solid cooking fat partially out of the main body and rotation of the base in an opposing direction retracts the solid cooking fat. The dispenser also includes a sleeve. The sleeve has a sleeve cavity. A portion of the main body is disposable in the sleeve cavity. The main body is removed from the sleeve when the solid cooking fat is to be dispensed.