MGMT004

- Creative Thinking G7
Idea Creation Report

“Teapot Pivot”

Prepared by:
Jerikho Patrick Wijaya
 Table of Contents

1. Background……………………………………………………………….3

2. Purpose…………………………………………………………………...4

3. Product Details…………………………………………………...………5

4. How It Works…………………………………………………………….6

5. Benefits of Product………………….……………………………………7

6. Reference…………………………………………………………………8

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 1. Background
Singapore is one the most rapidly aging countries in Asia. In 2018, 15.2 per
cent of Singapore’s population is aged 65 and older, and this number is predicted to
keep rising in the upcoming 10 years [ CITATION Rac181 \l 1033 ]. The increasing
number of elderlies in Singapore means that the number of old age-related problems
will increase as well.
As human ages, their motoric performance deteriorate. Motor performance
deficits include coordination difficulty, increased variability of movement, slowing of
movement, and difficulties with balance and gait in. comparison to young
adults[ CITATION Rac11 \l 1033 ]. These drawbacks suffered by the elderly in
Singapore might hinder them from doing their daily activities, and one of them is tea
drinking.
Tea is one of the most popular drinks in Singapore, especially among the older
generations, and the culture of tea drinking is rooted in Singapore’s culture. Tea is
consumed in various ways and with different purposes, from as a meal
accompaniment, social event beverage, until even ritual ceremonies [ CITATION Rob93
\l 1033 ].
The main consumer of tea in Singapore is the elderly group and due to their
deteriorating motor performance, it might be hard for some elderly to lift a tea pot and
pour hot tea into cups. The main purpose of the tool invented in this paper is to solve
this issue elderly have in Singapore.

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 2. Purpose
Sometimes it can be really difficult for elderly or even an average person to
pour hot tea into tea cups without spilling the tea. The function of Teapot Pivot is to
aid the elderly with pouring tea into tea cups. Teapot Pivot is a platform which
provides fulcrum for teapots to be put on.
When the user wants to pour tea into their cups, they can just place the teacup
on the designated location lift the handle of the teapot with the tea and the tea will
flow out from the teapot into the cup. The platform provides stable fulcrum for the
teacup to rotate, hence the risk of tea spilling out of the cup is much lesser than
pouring the tea manually. Another function of the product is to lessen the amount of
effort in pouring out the tea. The product enables its users to pour out tea without
lifting the teapot.

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 3. Product Details
Platform base:
rough surface
 Material: Water-resistant wood
Justification: The platform must not be able to
conduct the heat coming from hot tea and also
it must be sturdy enough as the base of the
tool. Hence, wood is the appropriate material.
Wood is a natural insulator of heat and has a
very tough structure. The surface of the wood
will be plastered with water-resistant layer to prevent the wood from decaying
due to contact with water.
 Feature: Rough surface
Justification: When the tea flows out from the teapot into the cup, there is a
slight chance of the cup sliding. To counter that, the finishing of the wood is
designed to be rough to increase friction of the cup with the surface preventing
the cup from sliding.
Two support poles:
 Material: Steel encased in hardwood
Justification: The two poles need to be sturdy enough to withhold the weight
of teapot with tea inside, hence the material chosen to be the main structure of
the poles. To counteract the heat conducting attribute of metal, wood will be
used to encapsulate the metal, providing insulation and even more support.

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 4. How It Works
1. Place a teapot containing tea on the two poles
2. Place a teacup on the platform, below the spout of the teapot
3. Lift the handle of the teapot
4. The tea will flow out of the teapot into the teacup without the need of lifting the
whole teapot and aiming the flow of tea

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 5. Benefits
Teapot Pivot aids its users with the serving of tea. The risk of spilling hot tea
when pouring tea is greatly reduced because of the stability provided by the two
poles. Furthermore, users will need to spend less effort in pouring tea. Typically,
users will need to lift the entire teapot with tea inside and bend their hand to pour out
tea from the tea pot. However, with Teapot Pivot, the user will not need to spend the
effort in carrying the weight of the teapot with tea inside and bending their hand. The
user can just lift the handle of the teapot and the tea will flow out of the spout.

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 Reference List

Au-Yong, R. (2018). Singapore population reaches 5.64 million, with 30,000 more citizens.
Retrieved from Strait Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-
population-reaches-564-million-with-30000-more-citizens
Roberta, R. (1993). Tea Culture. Chinese Tea Culture, 75-90.
Seidler, R. D. (2011). Motor Control and Aging: Links to Age-Related Brain Structural,
Functional, and Biochemical Effects. Retrieved from National Center of Biology
Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2838968/