Patent Publication Number: US-2019183289-A1

Title: Food processing apparatus

Description:
The present invention relates to a food processing apparatus, such as a blender, for example. 
     Food blenders are known. A popular current design is shown in US design patent 487,668 for example. GB2506926 discloses a portable blender for use in creating baby food. The present invention provides a further alternative having advantages over the foregoing designs. 
    
    
     
       Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a food processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are perspective views of parts of a blending module of the food processing apparatus; 
         FIG. 4  is an elevation of the lower part of the blending module; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a detail of the lower part of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a cover used in the module of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  a perspective view of a further detail of the module part of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a pedestal shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a food processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the apparatus of  FIG. 9 , showing a cover part; and 
         FIG. 11  corresponds to  FIG. 10  but omits the cover part. 
     
    
    
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a food processing apparatus, in the present embodiment a food blender, comprises a battery-powered blending module  10 , which is releasably locatable upon a charging module which, in the illustrated embodiment has the form of a pedestal  20 . The pedestal  20  is connectable to a mains electricity supply and acts as a power supply for recharging the blender module  10 . The blending module  10  comprises upper and lower parts  102 ,  104 . The upper part  102  is illustrated in detail in  FIGS. 2 &amp; 3  and comprises a domed cover  106  which may be fastened by a screw thread  108  to a mounting plate  110  to form a liquid tight seal. A blending rotor  112  is mounted via a bearing for rotation relative to the mounting plate  110 . The rotor  112  is connected to a driven rotary coupling part  114  which is mounted on the underside of the plate  110 . When the domed cover  106  is fixed by means of the screw thread to the plate  110 , a liquid tight container is formed within which food, upon rotation of the blending rotor  112 , will be morcelated and, thereby liquidised. Once the food has been liquidised the upper part  102  is removed and inverted and the domed cover  106  can then be removed from its screw-threaded engagement with the plate so that it may typically be used as a serving receptacle from which to serve the liquidised food or drink. In the present example the size and configuration of the cover is such as to provide a dish for baby food. It may, alternatively, however have a size and shape that facilitates the provision of other functions, such as a drinks receptacle for smoothies or shakes, for example. 
     Referring additionally to  FIG. 4 , the lower part  104  of the blending module  10  comprises a lower portion  202  which, when the blending module  10  is engaged with the pedestal  20 , sits within a bowl  22  formed in the pedestal by an upstanding peripheral wall  23  (see  FIG. 8 ) to assist stable location of the blending module  10  therein. The lower portion  202  is connected to a cover  204 . The upper surface of the cover forms a dish  206  (see  FIG. 5 ) within which is concentrically housed a driving rotary coupling part  208 . The driven rotary coupling part  114  is seen in  FIG. 3  to have drive dogs  115 . The driving rotary coupling part  208  has complementary recesses  209  to receive the drive dogs  115 . Seating the upper part  102  upon the lower part  104  brings these parts into engagement, forming an operative coupling between the blending rotor  112  and the driving rotary coupling part  208 , which is itself drivable by an electric motor (not shown) housed in the lower part  104 . A button  210  on the side of the cover  204  switches on the power supply within the lower part  104  of the blending module to make electrical power from the battery available to the motor (not shown). The motor is switched on in a manner known per se (see for example actuation of the Nutribullet® food blender) by depression and rotation of the upper part  102  within the dish. That depression and rotation action causes electrical actuation of the motor thereby causing the driving rotary coupling part  208  and hence the blending rotor  112  to rotate. 
     A feature of the present embodiment of the invention is that, being battery operated, the blending module  10  is portable. This enables the blending module  10  to be used at remote locations where no mains electrical power is available, such as in the countryside. To preserve battery life, the battery power to the motor will preferably be switched off using the button  210  when the blender module  10  is not in use. The design requirements for portability, however, mean that the button is readily accessible and is therefore susceptible to accidental depression, potentially leading to the blender being ‘live’ for long periods when not in use, which will needlessly dissipate the charge in the battery. To obviate such a risk, the lower part  104  of the blender module comprises a vertically-extending channel  212  into which a releasable cover  214  may be inserted and retained. The cover is illustrated in more detail in  FIG. 6 . When being transported, the cover  214  slots into the channel  212  and prevents any accidental force on the upper part  104  which may be applied during transportation from depressing the button  210  and accidentally switching the power on. Optionally, the cover  214  additionally comprises a recess  216  which accommodates the button  210 . In a modification, a recess may be formed on the outer side at the same location to provide a space for branding or other marking. At one end the cover additionally includes a slightly dished tab  218 . The tab  218  enables the cover  214  to serve as a spoon with which the blended food from the dish formed by the domed cover  106  may be eaten (or, more usually where the blender is used to make purée for consumption by babies or the elderly, to serve it). Referring additionally to  FIG. 8 , the pedestal  20  comprises a recess  24  in the lip of the bowl  22  which accommodates the tab (having regard to its titled angle) while the blender module  10  is located on the pedestal  20  for recharging. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the lower portion  202  has four electrical contact pins  222 . These connect with four correspondingly located contact pins  224  in the pedestal  20 . The cover of the lower part of the blending module and the bowl of the pedestal have an alignment structure which ensures that the blender module can only be located in the bowl  22  in an orientation which ensures that the correct polarity of the contact pins  222  and  224  is achieved. In the present embodiment that alignment structure is provided by the contoured shape of the lip of the bowl  22  in the pedestal and the contour of the lower edge of the cover  204  which are configured only to engage in predetermined orientations of the two modules. 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is depicted in  FIGS. 9 to 11  and has much in common with the first embodiment, once more comprising a blending module  10   a  comprising an upper part  102   a  and a lower part  104   a,  the blending module being locatable upon a charging module  20   a.  The upper part  102   a  once more comprises a domed cover  106   a  attachable by means of a screw thread (not seen in these drawings) to a mounting plate  110   a.  The interior of the upper part  102   a  is not seen in these drawings but it contains a blending rotor journaled upon the mounting plate  110   a  as before. 
     The second embodiment differs from the first in that the blending module  10   a  is able to seat upon the charging module  20   a,  making electrical contact for charging of the battery, in any rotational position. Peripheral wall  23   a  of the charging module  20   a  has in this embodiment an annular form. Within it is a concentrically arranged and circular electrical connector  50  which in this embodiment has a male formation receivable in a complementary female connector (not shown) formed in and concentric with the circular underside of the lower portion  202   a  of the lower part  104   a.  It is consequently not necessary for the user to rotationally align the blending module  10   a  with respect to the charging module  20   a  in order to seat one upon the other. In this embodiment only two electrical connections are made through the connector  50 , for supply of electrical power. Battery management and charging circuitry are carried in the blending module&#39;s lower part  104   a.    
     Looking at  FIG. 11 , the lower part  104   a  of the blending module  10   a  has a radially facing user operable button  210   a  controlling a user operable switch, not shown. Application of pressure to the button  210  changes the switch state. It may be a soft touch button. In the present embodiment the switch itself is actuable through a skin of flexible material, specifically silicone. Other types of switch could be substituted. 
     This embodiment also differs from the first in that the motor is switched on and off simply by depressing/releasing the button  210   a,  and not by movement of the top part  102   a,  although there is a safety switch (not shown) carried by the lower part  104   a  and arranged such that its state is changed when the cover  106   a  is properly engaged, through the mounting plate  110   a,  with the lower part  104   a.  The safety switch must be actuated in this manner to enable supply of electrical power to the motor. This ensures that the motor cannot be run unless the cover  106   a  is in place, covering the blending rotor  112 . If the device were operable without the cover  106   a  in place then the exposed and spinning blending rotor  112  could present an injury risk. The safety switch may simply be connected in series with the motor. 
     The lower part  104   a  also carries an indicator device  57  for providing information about the status of the blending module  10 . In the present embodiment this takes the form of an LED light which is able to adopt the following states:
         constant green light—power on   constant red light—low battery   flashing red light—over-current warning, e.g. due to stalling of motor   flashing green light—charging   solid green light whilst on charge—fully charged.       

     The upper part  102   a  is releasably securable to the lower part  104   a  through a part turn lock comprising (a) radially outwardly projecting lugs  53  formed on the cover  106   a  which engage (b) radially inwardly projecting tongues  55  which extend around part of the circumference of the dish formation  206   a  of the upper part. Once the upper part  102   a  is seated upon the lower part  104   a,  turning it through a part turn engages the lugs  53  beneath respective tongues  55  to keep the two parts together. Reversing this rotation allows the parts to be separated. 
     Similarly to the first embodiment, the blending module  10   a  is provided with a removable cover  214   a  which serves two purposes: (a) it is shaped to be usable as a spoon for use with the liquidized food and (b) it is attachable to the blending module  10  over the user operable button  210   a  to prevent its accidental actuation. In the present embodiment the cover  214   a  has a clip feature  52  configured to clip over an upper lip  54  of the lower part  104   a.  A secondary means of attachment, separated from the clip feature  52  along the length of the cover  214   a,  is also provided. This is not seen in the drawings but comprises a pip on the cover  214   a  receivable as a press or clip fit in a complementary recess in the exterior of the lower part  104   a.  In other embodiments the cover  214   a  could have some suitable female formation for receipt of a complementary male feature part carried by the lower part  104   a.    
     However the releasable attachment is achieved, the cover part  214   a  covers the user operable switch, so that the switch cannot be actuated without first removing the cover part  214   a.    
     In the present embodiment, the cover  214   a  is transparent, so that the switch  210   a  is visible beneath it. One advantage for first time or infrequent users is that one does not waste time in use looking for a concealed switch. Also the indicator device  57  is visible through the cover  214   a.    
     Numerous modifications and developments are possible within the scope of the invention as set out in the appended claims. For example in one such alternative embodiment of the invention inductive electrical charging is used to recharge the battery in the blender module (such as is nowadays frequently used in wet environments for such things as electric toothbrushes).