Steaming accessory comprising a receptacle for collecting condensates designed to rest on a mixing bowl of a household appliance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Handling steaming accessories with a cavity for collecting condensates is challenging due to liquid movement and overflow risks when removing the receptacle from a mixing bowl, posing a burn hazard as the condensates spill and come into contact with the user.
Innovation Solution
The steaming accessory features a protruding shaft with an annular wall and deflecting walls near the gripping handles, which act as barriers to reduce liquid movement and overflow, along with radial openings for even steam diffusion and a passageway to return any spilled liquid to the cavity, and raised ribs on the handles for cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the receptacle has a cavity for collecting condensates with a central orifice shaft, then steam can pass through to the cooking basket, but liquid moves about and overflows through the shaft when the receptacle is handled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a deflecting wall at a specific location within the shaft (facing the gripping handles) that has different properties than the rest of the shaft. This deflecting wall locally redirects liquid flow while maintaining steam passage through the central orifice, resolving the contradiction between steam functionality and liquid overflow prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft is segmented into functional zones: the central orifice for steam passage and the deflecting wall for liquid redirection. This segmentation allows independent optimization of steam flow and liquid containment functions, enabling the receptacle to maintain steam passage while preventing liquid overflow during handling.
2Productivity
If the shaft has a central orifice for steam passage, then steam reaches the cooking basket, but liquid can spill through the orifice onto the user
Solution Approach 1:
The deflecting wall creates a localized barrier facing the gripping handles that redirects liquid away from the central orifice while maintaining steam flow. This local modification prevents liquid spillage onto the user's hands during handling while preserving the steam cooking function through the orifice.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflecting wall acts as an intermediary element between the liquid in the cavity and the central orifice. It intercepts and redirects liquid flow before it can reach the orifice, thereby protecting the user from burn hazards while allowing steam to pass through the orifice to the cooking basket.
3Ease of operation
If the receptacle is designed with gripping handles for easy removal, then handling is improved, but liquid waves inside the cavity increase when gripping
Solution Approach 1:
The deflecting wall is positioned locally within the shaft facing the gripping handles to counteract the specific disturbance caused by handle gripping. This localized structure redirects liquid waves that would otherwise move toward the central orifice during handling, maintaining liquid stability while preserving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflecting wall provides preliminary anti-action by preemptively redirecting liquid waves before they can reach the central orifice during handle gripping. This anticipatory barrier prevents liquid instability from translating into overflow risk, allowing users to grip and remove the receptacle easily without liquid spillage.
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
This design significantly reduces the risk of liquid overflow and burn hazards during handling by minimizing liquid movement and providing a safer ergonomic experience when removing the receptacle, ensuring even steam distribution for better food cooking.
Implementation Method 1
the condensates forming as the steam cools in the basket and falling back into the cavity of the receptacle due to gravity
Implementation Method 2
the shaft comprises, near its upper end, an annular wall extending around the central orifice and crosswise to the shaft, and in that the shaft comprises, facing each gripping handle, a deflecting wall that stands taller than the level of the annular wall
Implementation Method 3
the condensates forming as the steam cools in the basket and falling back into the cavity of the receptacle due to gravity
Data Source
AI summary
Steaming accessory (4) including a receptacle (5) for collecting condensates designed to rest on a mixing bowl of a household appliance having a means of heating the contents of the mixing bowl, the receptacle (5) having a cavity (50) for collecting condensates and two gripping handles (52). The cavity (50) having a bottom with a protruding shaft (53) equipped with a central orifice allowing steam to pass through the accessory (4) also having at least one basket (6) for cooking food that is positioned on the receptacle (5), in which the shaft (53) includes, near its upper end, an annular wall extending around the central orifice and crosswise to the shaft (53), and in that the shaft (53) includes a deflecting wall that stands taller than the level of the annular wall.