Optically Transmissive Cookware for Narrowband Irradiation Heating

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional cooking vessels and packaging materials are opaque to most wavelengths of irradiation, leading to inefficient heat transfer and uneven cooking, as radiant energy is absorbed or reflected by the vessel rather than directly heating the food, resulting in wasted energy and prolonged cooking times.

Innovation Solution

The development of cookware and cook-packs made from optically transmissive materials such as plastics (e.g., PET, HDPE) and glass with specific coatings and designs that allow direct irradiation of food, facilitating the use of narrowband irradiation cooking technology to match absorptive characteristics of the food, ensuring that photonic energy is transmitted effectively for efficient heating.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If traditional opaque cooking vessels and packaging materials are used, then structural integrity and protection are maintained, but radiant energy is blocked from directly heating the food, resulting in inefficient heat transfer and wasted energy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy efficiencyVSAvoidradiant energy blocking

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the optical parameters of the cooking vessel and packaging materials by using materials that are transmissive to specific wavelengths of radiant energy (infrared and visible light). This allows the vessel to be opaque to human vision for structural integrity while being transparent to cooking wavelengths for efficient energy transfer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite materials that combine properties of opacity to visible light with transmissivity to infrared radiation. These composite materials enable the vessel to block visible light while allowing infrared energy to pass through and directly heat the food, resolving the contradiction between structural protection and energy efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Temperature

If heat is transferred through the cooking vessel to the food, then the food is heated, but the outer surface reaches much higher temperature than inner areas, causing uneven cooking and extended cooking time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking temperature distributionVSAvoidcooking time

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the heating function from the cooking vessel itself and applies it directly to the food. By making the vessel transmissive to radiant energy, the heating action is taken out of the vessel and delivered directly to the food interior, eliminating the temperature gradient problem and reducing cooking time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses radiant energy as an intermediary that can penetrate the transmissive vessel material and directly heat the food. This intermediary energy form bypasses the conventional conduction path through the vessel wall, enabling uniform heating without prolonged exposure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If the cooking vessel is made transmissive to irradiation wavelengths, then direct heating efficiency is improved, but the vessel material selection is limited and manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking efficiencyVSAvoidvessel material availability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the optical parameters of conventional materials or applies coatings that modify material properties to achieve transmissivity at cooking wavelengths. This allows the use of familiar vessel shapes and manufacturing processes while achieving the desired optical properties for efficient radiant heating.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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 solution enables direct and efficient heating of food, reducing energy waste and cooking time by allowing radiant energy to penetrate and heat the food directly, while maintaining structural integrity and safety standards.

Implementation Method 1

the vessel is comprised of a material that is optically transmissive at the visible or infrared narrow wavelength bands of irradiation emitted by the irradiation arrays

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectOptical transmission: Absorption (EM radiation)

Implementation Method 2

heating the comestible with irradiation emitted by the arrays, wherein the vessel is comprised of a material that is optically transmissive at the visible or infrared narrow wavelength bands of irradiation emitted by the irradiation arrays

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectNarrowband irradiation: Infrared Radiation

Implementation Method 3

direct heating by the irradiation is not possible... since the radiant energy hits the cooking vessel and does not directly hit the food item, direct heating by the irradiation is not possible

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRadiant heating: Absorption (EM radiation)

Data Source

PatentUS9357877B2Cookware and cook-packs for narrowband irradiation cooking and systems and methods thereof

Publication Date: 2016.06.07 PRESSCO IP LLC

AI summary

A methodology and product or system configurations are provided which allow food to be directly irradiated for cooking applications which involve the impingement of direct radiant energy on food or comestible items. Cooking vessels or cook-packs are used that are optically transmissive in visible or infrared narrow wavelength bands emitted in suitable narrowband cooking or heating systems.