Sous Vide Egg Cooker With Vacuum Sealing and Programmable Profiles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sous vide cooking devices lack the ability to efficiently cook multiple and different food items simultaneously and do not have a built-in vacuum pump, leading to incomplete air exclusion in cooking bags, which can result in uneven cooking.

Innovation Solution

A sous vide device with a movable food rack, a processor module for temperature control, and a user interface for selecting cooking parameters such as egg style, texture, and weight, which allows for precise temperature and time settings through wireless communication with a temperature sensor and scale, enabling programmable cooking profiles for eggs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a built-in vacuum pump is provided for complete air exclusion, then air exclusion completeness is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair exclusion completenessVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The vacuum pump, heating element, and control system are integrated into a single unified device rather than using separate components. This merging approach provides complete air exclusion and reliable temperature control while reducing overall system complexity compared to multiple separate devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The device combines multiple functions including vacuum sealing, temperature control, and cooking operations in one unit. This multi-functionality improves air exclusion reliability while avoiding the complexity of coordinating multiple separate devices.

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

2Productivity

If multiple and different food items are cooked simultaneously, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking throughputVSAvoidcooking precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cooking chamber is divided into multiple racks that can hold different food items simultaneously. Each rack operates in the same temperature-controlled environment, allowing multiple items to be cooked at once while maintaining consistent temperature precision for each item.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows different cooking parameters (temperature, time) to be set for different racks or food items simultaneously. This enables multiple different food items to be cooked with precise control over each item's specific cooking requirements, maintaining manufacturing precision while improving productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If programmable cooking profiles with multiple cycles are provided, then cooking quality is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking qualityVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Cooking profiles with multiple temperature cycles and time parameters are pre-programmed into the device memory. Users can select from predefined profiles (e.g., rare, medium, well-done egg) without manually programming complex sequences. This provides high cooking quality while keeping the control interface simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The device automatically executes multi-cycle cooking profiles once selected by the user, managing temperature changes, timing, and cycle transitions without requiring user intervention. This enables complex cooking quality control while maintaining simple device operation for the user.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

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 device ensures even cooking of eggs by allowing for customizable cooking profiles, ensuring precise temperature and time settings, and includes a built-in vacuum pump for complete air exclusion, enabling simultaneous cooking of multiple items.

Implementation Method 1

The vessel includes a heating element, and a temperature sensing element, which are coupled to a processor element for heating the water in the vessel to a selected temperature

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 2

The vessel includes a heating element, and a temperature sensing element, which are coupled to a processor element

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTemperature sensing: Thermistor

Implementation Method 3

A processor element (or module) controls the cooking process by enabling and disabling power supplied to the heating element

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTemperature control: Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2879555B1Sous vide cooking device
Publication Date: 2019.01.16 BREVILLE HLDG PTY LTD
  • EP2879555B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2879555B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2879555B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A sous vide device and method for cooking food. The device including: a reservoir for retaining water; a user interface having one or more user input elements and a display element; a heating element for heating water in the reservoir; a temperature sensor element for providing a temperature signal indicative of water temperature in the reservoir; and a processor module, the processor module being coupled to the user interface for receiving user inputs; the processor module being coupled to the temperature sensor element for receiving the temperature signal; the processor module enables control of the heating element for regulating the temperature of water in the reservoir.