Abstract:
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.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/155,873 filed May 1, 2015, entitled “Blender Static Whipper Agitator”. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    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 
       [0003]    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 
       [0004]    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. 
         [0005]    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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a blending appliance with a blending jar with an improved agitator configuration; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a partially exploded perspective view of the blending jar with the improved agitator configuration of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the improved agitator configuration of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the improved agitator configuration of  FIG. 2 ; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the improved agitator configuration of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    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. 
         [0013]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings, in an embodiment there is illustrated a blending or food processing appliance  100 . The Mending appliance  100  includes a motorized base  110  and a blending jar  120 . In use, the blending jar  120  fits into a recess (not shown) formed in the base  110 . The blending jar  120  includes a removable lid  115  that fits into an open top of the blending jar  120 . The base  110  includes an electrical motor (not shown) for providing rotary power to an agitator configuration  130  disposed within the blending jar  120 . Electronic controls  112  in the base  110  control 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). 
         [0014]    The agitator configuration  130  is inserted into an opening (not shown) on the bottom end of the blending jar  120  and secured therein with an agitator nut  150  having internal threads  151  that engage complementary threads  121  around the opening (not shown) on the bottom end of the blending container  120 . 
         [0015]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the agitator configuration  130  includes a base  131  having a hub  132  containing a bearing assembly (not shown.) with a centrally disposed spindle  133  that passes therethrough. The spindle  133  is connected to a splined socket  129  disposed at the center of the bottom of the base  131 . The socket  129  receives a complementary splined shaft (not shown) disposed in the recess (not shown) disposed in the base  110 . The splined shaft (not shown) in the recess (not shown) transfers rotary power from the electrical motor (not shown) in the base  110  when the blending jar  120  is mounted on the base  110  and the electronic controls  112  are energized. 
         [0016]    In the illustrated embodiment, the agitator configuration  130  includes a blade stack  136 ,  135 ,  134  mounted on the spindle  133  and secured thereon with an elongated threaded nut  137 . The blade stack  136 ,  135 ,  134  is 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 appliance  100 . The blade stack includes a top or first blade form  136 , a middle or second blade form  135 , and a third or bottom blade form  134 . The blade forms  136 ,  135  and  134  may 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. 
         [0017]    The top blade form  136  and the bottom blade form  134  are preferably similar to a conventional blender blade design (one or more generally U-shaped blades). In particular, the top blade form  136  includes a central, substantially flat base  136   a  that extends radially with respect to the rotational axis R-R of the blade assembly. A first wing portion  136   b  extends at a. first angle upward from the base  136   a  and a second wing portion  136   c  extends at a second angle upward from an opposing end of the base  136   a.  While it is preferred that first and second wing portions respective  136   b,    136   c  angles are not equal so as to provide enhanced blending and processing, it should be noted that such angles may be identical. 
         [0018]    As with the top blade form  136 , the bottom blade form  134  includes a central, substantially fiat base  134   a  extending radially with respect to the rotational axis RR of the agitator configuration  130 . First  134   b  and second  134   c  curved blades are preferably formed integrally with the base  134   a,  and extend downward and outward from opposing ends of the base  134   a.  The curved shape of the blades  134   b  and  134   c  enhances blending and processing, and permits the edges of the blades  134   b  and  134   c  to extend to adjacent the agitator configuration base  131 . In this manner, blended and processed items are dislodged and forced upward from the bottom of the jar  120 . 
         [0019]    The middle blade form  135  is 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 form  135 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment, is an S-shaped blade bent at opposing ends to a generally U-shaped configuration. The middle blade form  135  cooperates with the top and bottom blade forms  136  and  134  to enhance the circulation of blended or processed items while avoiding interference with the performance of the other blades. 
         [0020]    Middle blade form  135  has a central, substantially flat base  135   a  extending radially from the axis of rotation RR of the agitator configuration  130 . The central base  136   a ,  135   a,  and  134   a  of each of the top, middle and bottom blade forms  136 ,  135 , and  134  are circumferentially offset from each other by a predefined angle as will be discussed in greater detail below. A first wing portion  135   b  extends upward and curves circumferentially away from the middle blade form&#39;s central base  135   a.  Similarly, from an opposing end of the central base  135   a,  a second wing portion  135   e  extends upward and curves circumferentially away from the central base  135   a.  The resultant compound curve of the first and second wing portions  135   b  and  135   c  of the middle blade form  135  allow for a longer blade length for improved food blending and processing capabilities. 
         [0021]    The longer blade lengths allowed by the compound curve shape of the middle blade form  135  provides a continuous-radius edge along the entirety of each of the wing portions  135   b  and  135   c  so as to improve food processing performance of the agitator configuration  130  similar to that of the typical flat blades found in food processors. A knife-sharpened edge additionally enhances the middle blade form&#39;s  135  performance. Still further, the gull wing shape of the middle blade form  135  allows for its use, for example, in a smaller throat blender/processor jar  120  without negatively effecting the circulation of the blended/processed items during its operation. In part, the gull wing shape of the middle blade form  135  achieves this balance of improved performance and reduced circulatory impact by remaining an optimal distance from the throat wall of the blender/processor jar  120 . The gull-wing shape allows for a balancing of being far enough away from the jar  120  wall so as not to merely force items down into the bottom blade form  134  and 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 configuration  130  for processing. As a result, the enhanced performance of the blade stack, and the agitator configuration  130  as a whole, are directly related to the defined angles involved in shaping the middle blade form  135 . 
         [0022]    The enhanced processing performance is also a direct result of the middle blade form&#39;s  135  orientation to the top and bottom blade forms  136  and  134  as best seen in  FIG. 3 . More specifically, it is preferred that the wing portions  135   b  and  135   c  of the middle blade form  135  make 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 portions  135   b  and  135   c  and the central base  135   a  of the middle blade form  135 ). Further, the point of intersection. of the wing portions  135   b  and  135   c  and the central base  135   a  of the middle blade form  135 , 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&#39;s central base  135   a,  These precise angles provide for improved interaction between the middle blade form  135 , the jar wall, and the processed items (not shown). 
         [0023]    With regard to the interaction of the top, bottom and middle blade forms  136 ,  135  and  134 ,  FIG. 3  best shows their respective orientation to one another. The blade tips of the blending blades, the top and bottom blade forms  136  and  134 , 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 forms  135  and  134  is 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&#39;s bearings and the blender/processor motor (not shown). 
         [0024]    In other embodiments, any one of the aforementioned top, middle and bottom blade forms  136 ,  135 ,  134  may be omitted or used in any combination with each other or in any combination with any other known or unknown blade forms. 
         [0025]    In an embodiment, a whisk  138  comprised of a plurality of loops  138   a - d  comprised of fiat blades or wire are disposed on one end of a central rotary shaft  139 . The rotary shaft  139  is connected by the threaded nut  137  to the spindle  133 . The whisk  138  extends into the upper areas of the blending jar  120  when the agitator configuration  130  is installed in blending jar  120 . The whisk  138  is disposed a pre-determined distance D above the blade stack comprised of the top, middle and lower blade forms  136 ,  135  and  134 . The whisk  138  when rotated prevents cavitation and solidification of the blended contents above the lower positioned blade stack comprised of the top, middle and lower blade forms  136 ,  135  and  134 . The height h of the plurality of loops  138   a - d  and the pre-determined distance D are optimized based on the size of the blending jar  120  and may vary as the height and width of the blending jar  120  is varied. This optimization provides for optimal interaction of the moving blended contents with the interior walls of the blending jar  120  to prevent cavitation and solidification of the blended contents above the blade stack comprised of the top, middle and lower blade forms  136 ,  135  and  134  below. 
         [0026]    In another embodiment, the foregoing whisk  138  may be used with in combination with any other known or unknown blade forms disposed on the spindle  133  at the bottom of the blending jar  120 . 
         [0027]    It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.