Blending Appliance with Whisk Agitator

A blending appliance is provided including a motorized base, a blending container, and an agitator configuration fitted into an opening of the blending container and rotatably coupled to the motorized base when the blending container is mounted on the motorized base. The agitator configuration includes a blade arrangement disposed on a spindle performing a blending operation on ingredients at a lower end of the blending container and a whisk including a plurality of loops disposed a pre-determined distance from the blade arrangement at a distal end of a rotating shaft interconnected to the spindle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to food preparation devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a blending or food processing appliance with an improved agitator configuration having both conventional blending blades and a blending implement to resist cavitation in the upper areas of the blending container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Blending appliances used to blend beverages from solid and liquid ingredients are known. These blending appliances typically use agitators disposed in proximity to the bottom of the blending jar and formed from blade sets that perform different functions. Known problems include cavitation and solidification of blending ingredients in areas of the blending jar remote from the agitator configuration at the bottom of the blending jar.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment, there is provided a blending appliance including a motorized base, a blending container, and an agitator configuration fitted into an opening of the blending container and rotatably coupled to the motorized base when the blending container is mounted on the motorized base. The agitator configuration includes a blade arrangement disposed on a spindle performing a blending operation on ingredients at a lower end of the blending container, and a whisk including a plurality of loops disposed a pre-determined distance from the blade arrangement at a distal end of a rotating shaft interconnected to the spindle.

In an embodiment, there is provided an agitator configuration including a blade arrangement disposed on a spindle performing a blending operation on ingredients at a lower end of a blending container, and a whisk including a plurality of loops disposed a pre-determined distance from the blade arrangement at a distal end of a rotating shaft interconnected to the spindle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, embodiments with the understanding that the present description is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described herein. Instead, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications and equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Referring now toFIGS. 1 and 2of the drawings, in an embodiment there is illustrated a blending or food processing appliance100. The Mending appliance100includes a motorized base110and a blending jar120. In use, the blending jar120fits into a recess (not shown) formed in the base110. The blending jar120includes a removable lid115that fits into an open top of the blending jar120. The base110includes an electrical motor (not shown) for providing rotary power to an agitator configuration130disposed within the blending jar120. Electronic controls112in the base110control electrical power to the electrical motor (not shown) which in an embodiment may include one or more switches for controlling the electrical motor (not shown) at various speeds including “off”, “low”, “medium” and “high”. In an alternate embodiment, the electronic controls may include a microprocessor (not shown) with memory storing pre-programmed routines for controlling the electrical motor (not shown).

The agitator configuration130is inserted into an opening (not shown) on the bottom end of the blending jar120and secured therein with an agitator nut150having internal threads151that engage complementary threads121around the opening (not shown) on the bottom end of the blending container120.

Referring now toFIGS. 3 to 5, the agitator configuration130includes a base131having a hub132containing a bearing assembly (not shown.) with a centrally disposed spindle133that passes therethrough. The spindle133is connected to a splined socket129disposed at the center of the bottom of the base131. The socket129receives a complementary splined shaft (not shown) disposed in the recess (not shown) disposed in the base110. The splined shaft (not shown) in the recess (not shown) transfers rotary power from the electrical motor (not shown) in the base110when the blending jar120is mounted on the base110and the electronic controls112are energized.

In the illustrated embodiment, the agitator configuration130includes a blade stack136,135,134mounted on the spindle133and secured thereon with an elongated threaded nut137. The blade stack136,135,134is designed to allow for traditional blending functions while simultaneously providing improved food processing capabilities without the need to remove, change or alter the blade assembly within the blending appliance100. The blade stack includes a top or first blade form136, a middle or second blade form135, and a third or bottom blade form134. The blade forms136,135and134may be made of any durable material such as metal, steel, carbon, composites, or any combinations of such material which can be sharpened and withstand the high stresses and heats generated in this environment.

The top blade form136and the bottom blade form134are preferably similar to a conventional blender blade design (one or more generally U-shaped blades). In particular, the top blade form136includes a central, substantially flat base136athat extends radially with respect to the rotational axis R-R of the blade assembly. A first wing portion136bextends at a. first angle upward from the base136aand a second wing portion136cextends at a second angle upward from an opposing end of the base136a.While it is preferred that first and second wing portions respective136b,136cangles are not equal so as to provide enhanced blending and processing, it should be noted that such angles may be identical.

As with the top blade form136, the bottom blade form134includes a central, substantially fiat base134aextending radially with respect to the rotational axis RR of the agitator configuration130. First134band second134ccurved blades are preferably formed integrally with the base134a,and extend downward and outward from opposing ends of the base134a.The curved shape of the blades134band134cenhances blending and processing, and permits the edges of the blades134band134cto extend to adjacent the agitator configuration base131. In this manner, blended and processed items are dislodged and forced upward from the bottom of the jar120.

The middle blade form135is an altered food processing blade design suited. for use in blending container having a smaller throat. Wherein a typical blending or food processor blade arrangement may include one or more generally flat blades extending radially outward from a central point of rotation, the middle blade form135, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, is an S-shaped blade bent at opposing ends to a generally U-shaped configuration. The middle blade form135cooperates with the top and bottom blade forms136and134to enhance the circulation of blended or processed items while avoiding interference with the performance of the other blades.

Middle blade form135has a central, substantially flat base135aextending radially from the axis of rotation RR of the agitator configuration130. The central base136a,135a,and134aof each of the top, middle and bottom blade forms136,135, and134are circumferentially offset from each other by a predefined angle as will be discussed in greater detail below. A first wing portion135bextends upward and curves circumferentially away from the middle blade form's central base135a.Similarly, from an opposing end of the central base135a,a second wing portion135eextends upward and curves circumferentially away from the central base135a.The resultant compound curve of the first and second wing portions135band135cof the middle blade form135allow for a longer blade length for improved food blending and processing capabilities.

The longer blade lengths allowed by the compound curve shape of the middle blade form135provides a continuous-radius edge along the entirety of each of the wing portions135band135cso as to improve food processing performance of the agitator configuration130similar to that of the typical flat blades found in food processors. A knife-sharpened edge additionally enhances the middle blade form's135performance. Still further, the gull wing shape of the middle blade form135allows for its use, for example, in a smaller throat blender/processor jar120without negatively effecting the circulation of the blended/processed items during its operation. In part, the gull wing shape of the middle blade form135achieves this balance of improved performance and reduced circulatory impact by remaining an optimal distance from the throat wall of the blender/processor jar120. The gull-wing shape allows for a balancing of being far enough away from the jar120wall so as not to merely force items down into the bottom blade form134and thus liquefy them, while not placing the blade tips so far from the throat wall so as to fail to pull the processed items into the agitator configuration130for processing. As a result, the enhanced performance of the blade stack, and the agitator configuration130as a whole, are directly related to the defined angles involved in shaping the middle blade form135.

The enhanced processing performance is also a direct result of the middle blade form's135orientation to the top and bottom blade forms136and134as best seen inFIG. 3. More specifically, it is preferred that the wing portions135band135cof the middle blade form135make generally about a seventy-five degree angle with the horizontal plane (i.e., generally about a one-hundred five degree vertical angle between the wing portions135band135cand the central base135aof the middle blade form135). Further, the point of intersection. of the wing portions135band135cand the central base135aof the middle blade form135, the bend line, makes an angle generally about thirty four and one-half degrees with the center line of the S-shaped middle blade form's central base135a,These precise angles provide for improved interaction between the middle blade form135, the jar wall, and the processed items (not shown).

With regard to the interaction of the top, bottom and middle blade forms136,135and134,FIG. 3best shows their respective orientation to one another. The blade tips of the blending blades, the top and bottom blade forms136and134, are offset by an angle generally about twenty seven and one-half degrees and the angle formed between the tips of the middle and bottom blade forms135and134is generally about seventy seven degrees. It is these angles of rotation and the various angles of lift on the individual wing portions of the various blade forms that directly drive the performance of the agitator configuration by reducing interference by one blade form with another while enhancing the ability to circulate the blended/processed items and reducing the wear-and-tear on the assembly's bearings and the blender/processor motor (not shown).

In other embodiments, any one of the aforementioned top, middle and bottom blade forms136,135,134may be omitted or used in any combination with each other or in any combination with any other known or unknown blade forms.

In an embodiment, a whisk138comprised of a plurality of loops138a-dcomprised of fiat blades or wire are disposed on one end of a central rotary shaft139. The rotary shaft139is connected by the threaded nut137to the spindle133. The whisk138extends into the upper areas of the blending jar120when the agitator configuration130is installed in blending jar120. The whisk138is disposed a pre-determined distance D above the blade stack comprised of the top, middle and lower blade forms136,135and134. The whisk138when rotated prevents cavitation and solidification of the blended contents above the lower positioned blade stack comprised of the top, middle and lower blade forms136,135and134. The height h of the plurality of loops138a-dand the pre-determined distance D are optimized based on the size of the blending jar120and may vary as the height and width of the blending jar120is varied. This optimization provides for optimal interaction of the moving blended contents with the interior walls of the blending jar120to prevent cavitation and solidification of the blended contents above the blade stack comprised of the top, middle and lower blade forms136,135and134below.

In another embodiment, the foregoing whisk138may be used with in combination with any other known or unknown blade forms disposed on the spindle133at the bottom of the blending jar120.