Abstract:
An automated soup making apparatus ( 100 ). Apparatus ( 100 ) comprises a container ( 102 ) having an open top for holding foods, a cap ( 104 ) removably installed on the top of container ( 102 ), a heating element ( 110 ) for heating foods disposed inside container ( 102 ), a blade ( 108 ) installed inside container ( 102 ) for chopping foods, a base ( 116 ) disposed underneath container ( 102 ) for supporting container ( 102 ), a motor ( 118 ) installed inside base ( 116 ) and operationally coupled with blade ( 108 ) for driving blade ( 108 ) through repeating chopping cycles. Apparatus ( 100 ) incorporates chopping and cooking of foods into one single apparatus for making soups. Other benefits include temperature control for optimized heating or chopping of foods, automated stirring for uniform heating and minimized risk of burning of foods, and spillage prevention.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of Invention  
         [0002]     This invention generally relates to cooking/food processing apparatuses. More specifically, this invention relates to soup making apparatuses.  
         [0003]     2. Prior Art  
         [0004]     For centuries, soup has been the first resort of a special dinner. Soups are not just delicious. They are comforting and warming in the winter and cooling and refreshing in the summer.  
         [0005]     People sip, slurp, and spoon soup not only for basic sustenance, but also to stay healthy. Cooking vegetables in water releases their healing bioflavonoid into the liquid without destroying their powerful antioxidant properties. Soups that feature vegetables, beans, or rice add fiber and nutrients to the diet.  
         [0006]     Small children at their early ages are relying on liquid foods, such as soups. Some senior population prefers liquid foods or soups due to their reduced digestive capability.  
         [0007]     Soups are either made from scratch or are prepared from a canned soup product. As might be expected, the traditional way of preparing soups from scratch or from a can has distinct disadvantages and drawbacks.  
         [0008]     For example, in the case of canned soups, the entire contents of the can must be heated regardless of the number of servings desired. Similarly, in the case of soup made from scratch, a large quantity must be prepared. Invariably, a certain portion of the soup remains unused and oftentimes is discarded. The aforementioned problems are further compounded when more than one type of soups are served.  
         [0009]     Another distinct disadvantage involves the amount of time necessary to prepare soups. Commonly used soup cooking apparatuses are slow cookers or the likes. Soups are cooked at low temperature for extended time, for example, several hours. This is to reduce the requirement of attendance, for example, to avoid spillage, to minimize the requirements on stirring, etc., but significant time is required. As a matter of fact, the longer the soup is cooked, the more nutrients are lost. Extended cooking will also damage the texture of foods, especially for vegetables.  
         [0010]     Thirdly, periodic stirring is required to assure uniform cooking of the entire container&#39;s contents and to avoid the burning of foods on the container bottom. As a result, extensive efforts have to be spent. Steam cooking of soups is used in some commercial equipment to avoid burning of foods, but the equipment is prohibitively expensive and, obviously, is not quite suitable for household use.  
         [0011]     The problem is getting even worse when baby foods are prepared. Baby foods are normally cooked for longer time to soften foods to an extent suitable for babies. In order to shorten the process, quite often, foods are mixed and blended before or after boiling or cooking. Constant stirring and checking on potential spillage are required. This two-step soup making process, namely, cooking and then chopping separately, is time consuming and inconvenient.  
         [0012]     In order to solve the afore-mentioned problems, some patents have been granted. The followings are two typical ones.  
         [0013]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,861, issued to Chen on May 23, 2000, describes a soup making apparatus, which can perform blending and boiling functions so as to separate dregs from juice or soup to produce an edible soup or juice. The proposed apparatus has two containers. Users can use one container to initially separate juice or soup from undesired solids and then transfer the soup or juice into the other container, a heating container, to boil the same.  
         [0014]     There are important drawbacks associated with the apparatus proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,861. First, users have to use one container for separating the juice or soup from undesired dregs and the other one to boil the same; which involves an inconvenient two-step operation. Second, there is high risk of spillage if the apparatus is left unattended while being used for boiling soup or juice. Third, two containers are necessary, whereby the apparatus is fairly large; which renders it unappealing, especially for household applications. Fourth, constant stirring might be necessary to avoid burning of foods on the bottom of the container.  
         [0015]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,510, issued to Kowalics, et al., on Apr. 4, 1989, describes a soup cooking apparatus, into which air is supplied for mixing or stirring purposes. However, users have to prepare raw foods for making soups, for example, chopping foods. Even as claimed by the inventors that the bubbling introduced by the supplied air may serve as a stirring mechanism, users still have to attend the apparatus because spillage might occur when the soup is boiling. Further more, supplying air into the fluid container would require an air pump, which complicates the system, resulting in a more expensive product.  
         [0016]     Blenders are widely used for processing foods and many patents have been granted. However, for the purpose of making soups, blended foods have to be transferred to a cooking pot for proper cooking. The two separate operations would require large space and multiple cooking utensils or appliances, and obviously, more time and efforts are required for the whole cooking process.  
         [0017]     Therefore, it remains desirable to provide soup making apparatuses that have an automated stirring mechanism for hands free soup making, that combine the chopping and heating of foods in one single appliance or equipment for saving time and efforts, that can detect potential spillage and avoid the same for unattended cooking, and that are highly efficient in heating foods and fast in making soups.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]     Accordingly, the present invention is an automated soup making apparatus. This soup making apparatus comprises a container having an open top for holding foods, a cap installed on the top of the container for closing up the open top thereof, a heating element for heating foods disposed inside the container, a chopping blade removably installed inside the container for chopping foods, a motor operationally coupled with the chopping blade for driving the chopping blade through repeating chopping cycles. Additionally, there are provided a temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature of foods for optimized heating of foods and a spillage-preventing device to prevent spillage from happening.  
         [0019]     The chopping blade sweeps across food pieces in an intermittent operation, in which it dwells for a predetermined dwell period near the end of each chopping cycle. This intermittent operation affords relief of the motor from constant chopping of foods at a super high speed, thereby extending the utility life of the motor. When rotating at a relatively lower speed, the chopping blade serves as a stirrer for more uniform heating and for avoiding local burning of foods.  
         [0020]     The heating element boils foods in an intermittent operation. The intermittent heating of foods is provided to further reduce the risk of local overheating or burning of foods.  
         [0021]     Accordingly, the followings are some of the objects, features, and advantages of the present invention.  
         [0022]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a soup making apparatus for use to prepare tasteful soups.  
         [0023]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a “One Touch for All” soup making apparatus.  
         [0024]     It is a further more object of the present invention to provide a soup making apparatus that cooks soups faster and saves time.  
         [0025]     It is a still further more object of the present invention to provide a soup making apparatus that can be conveniently used to prepare foods for babies and elderly people who suffer from reduced digestive capability.  
         [0026]     It is a feature of the present invention that this soup making apparatus has a chopping blade removably installed inside a container for chopping foods. The blade sweeps across food pieces at a predetermined high speed to chop foods. The same blade also serves as a stirrer when rotating at a relatively lower speed for high efficient heat transferring and uniform cooking.  
         [0027]     It is another feature of the present invention that this soup making apparatus has a spillage prevention mechanism to avoid potential spillage for worry-free cooking.  
         [0028]     It is a further more feature of the present invention that the heating element is immersed into the soup such that the heating efficiency is extraordinarily high, as a result, saving time and energy.  
         [0029]     It is an advantage of the present invention that this soup making apparatus is virtually hands free for making soups.  
         [0030]     It is another advantage of the present invention that this soup making apparatus is highly efficient in heating foods and faster in making soups.  
         [0031]     It is a further more advantage of the present invention that this soup making apparatus provides large value to businesses and general public, as well, in making soups.  
         [0032]     Further more features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood after reading the subsequent description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0033]      FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, a soup making apparatus  100 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded cross-sectional view of blade  108  and the neighboring components in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 3  illustrates a blocked diagram of control circuit  142  for soup making apparatus  100 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of soup making apparatus  100 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 5  illustrates a blocked diagram of a soup making process  180 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an alternative design of soup making apparatus  100  in  FIG. 1 , soup making apparatus  100   a.    
         [0039]      FIG. 7  illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention, a soup making apparatus  200 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exploded cross-sectional view of blade  208  and the neighboring components in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0041]     Reference is made to  FIG. 1 , which illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, a soup making apparatus  100 . Apparatus  100  comprises a container  102 , a top cap  104 , a bottom cap  106 , a chopping blade  108 , a heating element  110 , a temperature sensor  112 , a spillage preventing sensor  114 , a base  116 , a motor  118 , and a cable  120 .  
         [0042]     Container  102 , having an open top and an open bottom, is provided for holding foods. A grasp handle  102   a  is fixedly installed on the sidewall of container  102  for use of handling container  102 . Cap  104  is removably installed on the top of container  102  for closing up the open top thereof. A cap handle  104   a  is provided on the top of cap  104  for use of handling cap  104 . Cap  106 , removably engaged with a cylindrical wall  122  emanating from the bottom of container  102  downwards, is provided for closing up the open bottom thereof and holding blade  108  in position. Wall  122  forms the open bottom of container  102  and has a cylindrical configuration.  
         [0043]     As more clearly illustrated in  FIG. 2 , which illustrates an exploded cross-sectional view of blade  108  and the neighboring components in  FIG. 1 , blade  108  is installed on the bottom of container  102  through a seal housing  124 . The bottom of housing  124  has a circular flat configuration, which fits into the bottom of cap  106 . When cap  106  is tightened onto the bottom of container  102  through screws thereof, housing  124  is held in position in between the horizontal bottom surface of wall  122  and the bottom of cap  106 . A first seal  126  is disposed in between housing  124  and wall  122  for sealing off the interface thereof. Blade  108  is fixedly engaged with the upper portion of a blade shaft  128 , which extends downwards into housing  124 . A second seal  130  creates a seal by being squeezed against housing  124  and shaft  128  to seal off the interface thereof. A coupling element  132 , fixedly engaged with the lower portion of shaft  128 , removably receives the square head of a motor shaft  134  for transferring rotating force.  
         [0044]     Reference is made to  FIG. 1 , again. Heating element  110 , installed on the bottom of cap  104 , is provided for heating foods disposed inside container  102 . Heating element  110 , an electrical resistance type heater, extends downwards into container  102  and is immersed into foods to be cooked.  
         [0045]     Temperature sensor  112  is provided for measuring the temperature of foods. Sensor  112  is installed on the bottom of cap  104  and extends downwards into container  102 . The lower portion of sensor  112  is immersed into foods.  
         [0046]     Spillage-preventing sensor  114  is provided for detecting and preventing potential spillage. Sensor  114  is installed on the bottom of cap  104  and protrudes downwards. Sensor  114  is disposed above foods with a predetermined clearance. When spillage is about to happen, the bubbles of foods are in contact with sensor  114 . Either the temperature is measured or an electric potential or current is generated. The signal is then sent to a control module  140  of apparatus  100  to shut off the electrical power to heating element  110  to prevent the spillage from happening.  
         [0047]     Base  116  is provided for supporting container  102  from the bottom and for housing motor  118 . An outer wall  136  of the bottom portion of container  102  sits into an upstanding cylindrical wall  138 , which is installed on the top surface of base  116 . When container  102  being locked in position, coupling element  132  is in the position to removably receive the square head of shaft  134 .  
         [0048]     Motor  118  is installed inside base  116 . Motor shaft  134  extends upwards through an aperture on the top surface of base  116 . The square head of shaft  134  is removably engaged with coupling element  132 .  
         [0049]     Cable  120  is provided for transferring electrical power to heating element  110  from base  116  and for the communication of signals between control module  140  and sensors  112  and  114 . A connector  120   a  is fabricated onto the upper end of cable  120  and is adapted to removably engage with a terminal  104   b,  which is installed on the side of cap  104 .  
         [0050]     Control module  140 , installed inside housing  116 , is provided for controlling various functions of apparatus  100 .  
         [0051]     Control module  140  includes a control circuit  142 , as the blocked diagram shown in  FIG. 3 . Circuit  142  comprises a microcomputer  144 , which controls various functions of apparatus  100 , a relay  146 , which activates heating element  110 , and a relay  148 , which activates motor  118 .  
         [0052]     Microcomputer  144  is provided with ROM and RAM for data memory, and further provided with I/O ports and A/D converters as interfaces. The aforementioned ROM&#39;s comprises a ROM  150  containing control programs related to the performance of all the soup making processes and a ROM  152 , which memorizes referenced data.  
         [0053]     The temperature signal from sensor  112  is taken by microcomputer  144 . The signal is used for controlling heating element  110  and/or motor  118 .  
         [0054]     Spillage signal from sensor  114  is fed into computer  144  and is used to control heating element  110 . Once a potential spillage is detected, heating element  110  is immediately shut off.  
         [0055]     Computer  144  can be such programmed that relay  146  activates heating element  110  intermittently, such that the soup is moderately heated each time to avoid burning of foods onto heating element  110 . This intermittent heating allows more time for the heat generated to transfer to foods. Similarly, relay  148  activates motor  118  intermittently to achieve intermittent chopping and stirring of foods.  
         [0056]     A transformer  154 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is installed inside base  116 . Transformer  154  provides electrical power to control circuit  142  and elements, like indicators, beepers, LCD, etc.  
         [0057]     A control panel  156 , attached to base  116 , as more clearly shown in  FIG. 4 , is provided for supporting elements, like switches, indicators, adjusting knobs, beepers, LCD, and so on.  
         [0058]     Reference is made to  FIG. 5 , which illustrates a blocked diagram of a soup making process  180 , using soup-making apparatus  100 . Process  180  includes the steps of adding foods  182 , heating foods  184 , chopping foods  186 , and boiling foods  188 .  
         [0059]     The step of adding foods  182 : A user first installs container  102  on base  116 ; second, adds foods, such as vegetables, meats, spices, soaked beans, soaked rice, etc., into container  102 ; third, adds water into container  102  up to the recommended level; fourth, assembles cap  104  on the top of container  102 ; fifth, hooks up cable  120 ; sixth selects a soup making program and executes the same.  
         [0060]     The step of heating foods  184 : Heating element  110  starts to heat foods to a predetermined temperature, which is, preferably, close to the boiling temperature, e.g., 70° C. to 100° C. During this stage, since the soup is not cooked or thick yet, heating element  110  can heat foods with full power and bring the temperature to the predetermined one in as short time as possible.  
         [0061]     The step of chopping foods  186 : Blade  108  starts to chop foods. The whole chopping process is divided into a plurality of chopping cycles. Within each chopping cycle, blade  108  chops foods for a predetermined time interval, e.g., 10 to 50 seconds, and then dwells for a predetermined time interval, e.g., 10 to 50 seconds. This intermittent chopping process affords relief of constant working of motor  118  at a super high speed, and as a result, extends the utility life of motor  118 . Additionally, the intermittent chopping of foods favors better chopping of foods because it allows larger food pieces to settle down before the next chopping cycle starts.  
         [0062]     The step of boiling foods  188 : The chopped foods have to be brought to boiling for a predetermined time period for proper cooking. However, the foods now have been smashed and fully mixed with water. This mixture of foods and water has become much thicker. There are some issues associated with boiling this food mixture. Potential issues include burning of foods onto heating element  110  and uneven heating of foods. In order to solve these problems, an intermittent heating of foods is proposed in this invention disclosure. In this intermittent heating of foods, the whole heating process is divided into a plurality of heating cycles. Within each heating cycle, heating element  110  heats foods for a predetermined time interval, e.g., 5 to 30 seconds, and then dwells for a predetermined time interval, e.g., 10 to 30 seconds. This intermittent heating process allows the heat generated while heating element  110  is in working to dissipate to foods during the time heating element  110  dwells.  
         [0063]     In another aspect, to facilitate the heat transferring or more even heating of foods, it is desired that foods move while being heated. A stirring mechanism is proposed in this invention disclosure. In this stirring mechanism, blade  108  sweeps across foods at a predetermined lower speed. In this case, blade  108  serves as a stirrer to bring foods into moving while the same being heated. Better heat transferring will also reduce the risk of burning of foods onto heating element  110 .  
         [0064]     Further chopping can be provided after the step of boiling foods  188  is satisfactorily accomplished. Apparatus  100  can provide a mixing or chopping function for advanced users to give them the flexibility to add more spices, soup thickening ingredients, etc., in an effort to further enhance the quality of the soup being made after soup making process  180  has been successfully executed.  
         [0065]     In operation, a user: first, installs container  102  on base  116  and adds foods and water into container  102 ; second, installs cap  104  on the top of container  102  and hooks up cable  120 ; third, selects a soup making program; fourth, pushes on the “START” button to execute the soup making program selected.  
         [0066]     The whole process is hands free. Apparatus  100  will beep to remind the user when a soup is ready for serving.  
         [0067]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an alternative design of soup making apparatus  100  in  FIG. 1 , a soup making apparatus  100   a.  In apparatus  100   a,  heating element  110  is disposed underneath the bottom of container  102 . An outer pot  190 , having an open top and an open bottom, is fixedly installed on the upper surface of base  116 . Heating element  110  is installed inside pot  190  via a heater support  192 . When container  102  is locked into its working position, the outer rim of the bottom of container  102  sits right on heating element  110 , such that the heat transfer is accomplished through the contacting surface therebetween. Other features of apparatus  100   a  are similar to those of apparatus  100 . Reference is made to apparatus  100  for more detailed information.  
         [0068]     Reference is made to  FIG. 7 , which illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention, a soup making apparatus  200 . Apparatus  200  comprises a container  202 , a main body  204 , a chopping blade  208 , a heating element  210 , a temperature sensor  212 , a spillage preventing sensor  214 , and a motor  218 .  
         [0069]     Container  202 , having an open top, is provided for holding foods. A grasp handle  202   a  is fixedly installed on the sidewall of container  202  for use of handling container  202 . Main body  204  is removably installed on the top of container  202  for closing up the open top thereof. A handle  204   a  is installed on the top of main body  204  for use of handling main body  204 .  
         [0070]     As more clearly illustrated in  FIG. 8 , which illustrates an exploded cross-sectional view of blade  208  and the neighboring components in  FIG. 7 , blade  208  is installed on the bottom of main body  204  and extends downwards into container  202 . Blade  208  is engaged with the lower portion of a blade shaft  228  and disposed inside foods. The upper portion of shaft  228  is fixedly engaged with a coupling element  232 , which removably receives the square head of a motor shaft  234  for transferring rotating force.  
         [0071]     A safety cup  250  is provided for safeguarding blade  208 . Cup  250  is lockably installed onto an adapter  252 , which is fixedly installed on the bottom of main body  204 . A seal  254  is disposed in between adapter  252  and the bottom of main body  204  for sealing off the interface thereof to prevent moisture from permeating into the inside of main body  204 .  
         [0072]     Reference is made to  FIG. 7 , again. Heating element  210 , installed on the bottom of main body  204 , is provided for heating foods disposed inside container  202 . Heating element  210 , an electrical resistance type heater, extends downwards into container  202  and is immersed into foods to be cooked.  
         [0073]     Temperature sensor  212  is provided for measuring the temperature of foods. Sensor  212  is installed on the bottom of main body  204  and extends downwards into container  202 . The lower portion of sensor  212  is immersed into foods.  
         [0074]     Spillage-preventing sensor  214  is provided for detecting and preventing potential spillage. Sensor  214  is installed on the bottom of main body  204  and protrudes downwards. Sensor  214  is disposed above foods with a predetermined clearance.  
         [0075]     Control panel  256  is installed on the top of main body  204 .  
         [0076]     Motor  218  is installed inside main body  204 . Motor shaft  234  extends downwards through an aperture on the floor of main body  204 . The square head of shaft  234  removably engages with coupling element  232 .  
         [0077]     Other features of apparatus  200  are similar to apparatus  100 . Reference is made to apparatus  100  for more detailed information.  
         [0078]     Accordingly, readers will see that this soup making apparatus of the present invention can be used to prepare tasteful soups. The whole process is virtually hands free.  
         [0079]     The soup making apparatus proposed by the present invention combines the cooking and chopping of foods together into one single apparatus, thereby saving time and minimizing human involvement and chore.  
         [0080]     The chopping blade sweeps across food pieces intermittently. This intermittent operation favors better chopping of food pieces and relief of the high-speed motor from constant working. When the chopping blade rotates across foods at a lower speed, it serves as a stirrer to facilitate uniform heating of foods and to minimize the risk of burning of foods onto the heating element.  
         [0081]     The heating element boils foods in an intermittent operation. This intermittent operation allows the heat generated to dissipate to foods while the heating element dwells, as a result, reduces the risk of burning of foods onto the heating element.  
         [0082]     The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.  
         [0083]     Although this invention has been described in its preferred forms and structures with a certain degree of particularity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention.  
         [0084]     Thus it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms can be changed in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.