Patent Publication Number: US-2021177196-A1

Title: A lid for a food processor

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a lid for a container, and more particularly, but not exclusively to a lid for a food processor such as a blender. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A blender, is used to mix, stir, liquefy and otherwise process foods and beverages. A typical blender has a motorised base with rotating blades and a removable vessel in the form of a jug having an interior, the jug contents being isolated from the outside environment by a lid. The action of the rotating blades causes the contents to circulate around the vessel. 
     Accordingly, the lid is typically designed to withstand the forces exerted by the rising contents to securely seal the vessel. Disadvantageously, this results in a lid which is relatively difficult to remove readily or which may not adequately seal the vessel when the interior is subjected to a negative pressure. 
     OBJECT 
     It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more of the above disadvantages, or to provide a useful alternative. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     There is disclosed herein, a lid for a food processor, the food processor including a hollow body providing an interior chamber to receive product and within which the product is processed, the body having a sidewall with an outwardly stepped rim portion surrounding a body top opening, the rim portion having a lip, the lid including: 
     a main part to cooperate with the lip to close the opening; and 
     a skirt to extend into the interior of the body and sealingly interface with an inner surface of the sidewall, wherein the skirt is attached to the main part at one end, and wherein the skirt steps radially outwardly towards its other end to engage the stepped rim portion. 
     Preferably, the skirt includes: 
     an upper portion attached to the main part; and 
     a lower portion having a peripheral seal to sealingly interface with the inner surface of the sidewall, 
     wherein the upper portion has a transverse width, and the lower portion has a transverse width, with the transverse width of the lower portion being greater than the transverse width of the upper portion. 
     Preferably, the main part includes a roof extending over the skirt, the roof including a plurality of latch members spaced apart around a periphery of the roof to releasably couple to the lip of the rim portion. 
     Preferably, the roof is interrupted by the latch members along the periphery of the roof so that the latch members can flex independently to the roof. 
     Preferably, each of the latch members include a projection to engage the lip to secure the main part to the body, wherein a portion of the projection is sloped to facilitate removal of the latch member from the lip when the projection is inclined relative to the lip. 
     Preferably, at least one of the latch members includes a pull tab to facilitate inclining the sloped portion of the projections of the other latch members toward the lip. 
     Preferably, the peripheral seal has a sealing projection to engage the stepped rim portion so that the sealing projection deflects into the inner surface of the sidewall to seal the body when the interior is subjected to a negative pressure relative to outside the interior. 
     There is also disclosed herein, in combination: 
     a container for a food processor, the container including a hollow body providing an interior chamber to receive product and within which the product is processed, the body having a sidewall with an outwardly stepped rim portion surrounding a body top opening, the rim portion having a lip; and 
     a removable lid to close the container, the lid including:
         a main part to cooperate with the lip to close the opening; and   a skirt extending into the interior of the body to sealingly interface with an inner surface of the sidewall, wherein the skirt is attached to the main part at one end, and wherein the skirt steps radially outwardly towards its other end to engage the stepped rim portion.       

     Preferably, the rim portion has a transverse width which is greater than a transverse width of the rest of the body, wherein an abutment surface is formed at the boundary where the sidewall transitions from having a lesser transverse width to a greater transverse width. 
     Preferably, the skirt includes: 
     an upper portion attached to the main part; and 
     a lower portion having a peripheral seal to sealingly interface with the inner surface of the sidewall, 
     wherein the upper portion has a transverse width, and the lower portion has a transverse width, with the transverse width of the lower portion being greater than the transverse width of the upper portion. 
     Preferably, the peripheral seal includes a sealing projection to engage the abutment surface so that the sealing projection deflects into the inner surface of the sidewall to seal the body when the interior is subjected to a negative pressure relative to outside the interior. 
     Preferably, the main part includes a roof extending over the skirt, the roof including a plurality of latch members spaced apart around a periphery of the roof to releasably couple to the lip of the rim portion. 
     Preferably, the roof is interrupted by the latch members along the periphery of the roof so that the latch members can flex independently to the roof. 
     Preferably, each of the latch members include a projection to engage the lip to secure the main part to the body, wherein a portion of the projection is sloped to facilitate removal of the latch member from the lip when the projection is inclined relative to the lip. 
     Preferably, at least one of the latch members includes a pull tab to facilitate inclining the sloped portion of the projections of the other latch members toward the lip. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying description and drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a blender jug with a lid and a lid cap; 
         FIG. 2  is a parts exploded isometric view of the jug, lid and lid cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a first top plan view of the jug, lid and lid cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectioned side elevation of the jug, lid and lid cap taken along line C-C of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a second top plan view of the jug, lid and lid cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a first side elevation of the jug, lid and lid cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a second side elevation of the jug, lid and lid cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a sectioned side elevation of the jug, lid and lid cap taken along line D-D of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a third side elevation of the jug, lid and lid cap of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an inverted parts exploded isometric view of the lid and the lid cap; 
         FIG. 11  is a first top plan view of the lid; 
         FIG. 12  is a first side elevation of the lid; 
         FIG. 13  is a sectioned side elevation of the lid taken along line D-D of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a second top plan view of the lid; 
         FIG. 15  is a second side elevation of the lid; 
         FIG. 16  is a sectioned side elevation of the lid taken along line C-C of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a detail view of a latch member and a seal of the lid cooperating with a sidewall of the jug; 
         FIG. 18  is a detail view of the latch member and the seal, showing a sealing projection of the seal deflecting into the sidewall; 
         FIG. 19  is a third top plan view of the lid; 
         FIG. 20  is a detail view of cut-outs on either side of the latch member; 
         FIG. 21  is a first partial side elevation of the lid showing the latch member; 
         FIG. 22  is a second partial side elevation of the lid showing the latch member; 
         FIG. 23  is a partial perspective view of the lid, showing the slope of a ledge of the latch member; and 
         FIG. 24  is an inverted parts exploded isometric view of the lid, showing a main part, a filament and a skirt. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a container  100  within which food can be processed. As a particular example, the container  100  may be a container for a blender or other food processing apparatus within which a food product is engaged and processed in some form by a blade assembly  172  (shown in  FIG. 4 ). The blade assembly  172  may be rotatably driven by a drive assembly (not shown) that includes a motor (not shown). 
     The container  100  includes a hollow vessel or body (jug)  102  having a handle  104  and a base  106  that engages the drive assembly for the food processor (blender). In this embodiment, the cross-sectional profile of the body  102  is generally rectangular and the container  100  has a generally central longitudinal axis  107 . 
     The body  102  has an upper rim portion  108  that provides a pouring spout  110 . 
     The body  102  has an interior  103  surrounded by a sidewall  112 . A food product to be processed is delivered to the interior  103  where it is engaged by blades  173  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) of the blade assembly  172  or other apparatus that are motor driven by the drive assembly. 
     With particular reference to  FIGS. 2, 17 and 18 , a section of the sidewall  112  locating in the rim portion  108  is outwardly offset or stepped from the rest of the sidewall  112  such that the transverse width across the rim portion  108  is greater than the transverse width of the rest of the body  102 . In this way, an abutment surface  113  is formed at the boundary where the sidewall  112  transitions from having a lesser transverse width to a greater transverse width. 
     A sealing face is defined by the inner surface of the sidewall  112  locating above the abutment surface  113  and below the level at which the spout  110  decays the inner surface of the sidewall  112  of the body  102 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the rim portion  108  terminates in a lip  109  which surrounds a top opening  114  that is closed by means of a removable lid  116 . The lip  109  extends outwardly from the opening  114  slightly past the rim portion  108 . The profile of the opening  114  is generally rectangular apart from the spout  110 . 
     The lid  116  includes a main part  118  and a skirt  120  as best depicted in  FIG. 24 . The main part  118  and the skirt  120  are preferably constructed of polymer material. 
     The main part  118  is generally rectangular in configuration to close the opening  114 . The main part  118  includes a roof  122  overhanging the skirt  120 . The roof  122  includes a peripheral flange  124  that depends from the periphery of the roof  122  and extends generally in the direction along the axis  107  to a floor  126  of the flange  124 . The floor  126  may include one or more foot pads  128  which rest on an upper surface  130  of the lip  109  when the opening  114  is closed by the main part  118 . 
     The flange  124  is interrupted by a plurality of latch members  132  spaced apart around the roof  122 . In the embodiment depicted, there are three latch members, with one of the latch members located at an edge of the roof  122  and the other two latch members each generally centered on the sides of the roof  122  opposite the edge. The latch members  132  extend from the periphery of the roof  122  generally in the direction along the axis  107  past the floor  126  of the flange  124 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 23 , the latch members  132  are provided with protrusions in the form of ledges  134  extending transversely across an inner side surface of the latch members  132  proximal to the free hanging end of the latch members  132 . When the main part  118  closes the opening  114 , the ledges  134  locate under the lip  109  thereby latching the main part  118  to the rim portion  108  to securely close the opening  114 . 
     Cut-outs  136  are provided either side of the latch members  132  and extend through the roof  122  and the flange  124  so that the latch members  132  can flex independently of the flange  124  and each other, thereby facilitating movement of the ledges  134  relative to the lip  109 . 
     As best depicted in  FIG. 23 , each of the ledges  134  has an upper face  140  for engagement with an underside of the lip  109 . The upper face  140  is defined by a generally flat surface  140   a  continuous with a sloped surface  140   b . The flat surface  140   a  is approximately coplanar (typically within about 5 degrees) with a plane perpendicular to the axis  107 . In this way, the flat surface  140   a  is configured to engage the underside of the lip  109  to resist positive pressure on the lid  116  that can be created within the body  102  (by certain liquid ingredients or when blending hot liquids, for example) but also to slidingly release from the lip  109  when encouraged. 
     The sloped surface  140   b  has an angle of depression, measured from the plane of the flat surface  140   a , which gradually increases along the length of the sloped surface  140   b , typically from 0 degrees, at the boundary between the sloped surface  140   b  and the flat surface  140   a , to about 30 degrees, at the free end of the sloped surface  140   b.    
     In the embodiment depicted, the latch member  132  which is located on the edge of the roof  122  includes a pull ring  138 , preferably integrally formed with an outer side of the latch member  132 , extending outwardly away from the latch member  132 . The pull ring  138  allows a user (by using a finger, for example) to leverage the latch member  132  away from the body  102  in a first direction and a subsequent second direction. The first direction is generally along a plane perpendicular to the axis  107  to release the latch member  132  from the lip  109 . The second direction is generally parallel to the axis  107  to lift and rotate the lid  116  around a fulcrum located on the diagonally opposite edge on the periphery of the roof  122 . This rotation imparts a force upon the other two latch members thereby changing their angle of engagement with the lip  109 . As the rotation of the lid  116  increases, each of the ledges  134  of the other two latch members is rotated relative to the underside of the lip  109  of the rim portion  108  thereby introducing the sloped surface  140   b  of the ledge  134  to the underside of the lip  109  which acts to encourage the latch members  132  to flex and release the ledge  134  from the lip  109  to thereby remove the lid  116  from the body  102 . 
     The upper face  140  of the ledge  134  is thus configured to encourage resistance against the flex of the latch member  132  when in the plane perpendicular to the axis  107  and subsequently encourage flex of the latch member  132  as the ledge  134  is rotated to engage the sloped surface  140   b  with the lip  109 . 
     The main part  118  may optionally include a central aperture  174  closable by a removable lid cap  175  which may be in the form of a measuring cup, for example. In alternative embodiments, the lid cap  175  may be replaced by a vacuum device (not shown) configured to hold a negative pressure within the body  102 . 
     The skirt  120  is generally rectangular in configuration to complement the cross-sectional profile of the body  102 . The skirt has an open end  141  to allow food product to be processed to be delivered to the interior  102 . The skirt  120  and the main part  118  are welded together using a process of induction welding. In this process, a thin metallic wire filament (ferrous)  142  is enclosed within a trench located at the upper perimeter of the skirt  120 . The skirt  120  and the main part  118  together with the filament  142  are placed within a magnetic field induced by a coil (not shown) with an electric current whereby the field induces heat within the filament  142  and causes both the main part  118  and the skirt  120  to be locally heated to melt temperature. The skirt  120  and the main part  118  are pressed together during this process and the locally melted polymer freezes to bond the skirt  120  and the main part  118  when the induction field is removed. 
     The skirt  120  is defined by a generally rectangular tubular sidewall  143  having an upper portion  144  and a lower portion  146 . The sidewall  143  steps or flares out as the upper portion  144  transitions into the lower portion  146 . In this way, the transverse width of the lower portion  146  is greater than the transverse width of the upper portion  144 . 
     As best depicted in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , a ridge  148  is provided along the upper periphery of the upper portion  144  extending outwardly away from the upper portion  144  to be received in a complementary groove  150  formed in the underside of the main part  118  in the region where the skirt  120  and the main part  118  are bonded together. 
     A recess  154  is formed in the lower portion  146  of the skirt  120  to house a seal  156 . The seal  156  is constructed of a polymer, preferably an elastomer to flex against the sidewall  112 . The recess  154  terminates to form a ceiling  160  and a lower edge  162  that forms the lowest extent of the sidewall  143 . The edge  162  preferably features a chamfer  164  that borders a gap with the side wall  112  to allow at least some amount of pressurized air to escape in situations where the user removes the seal  156  and fails to replace before blending. 
     The seal  156  has multiple flexible finger-like projections  158  extending around the periphery of the seal  156 . The projections  158  sealingly interface with the sealing face of the sidewall  112  of the body  102  to sealingly connect the skirt  120  with the body  102  to prevent ingredients (liquid) being transferred to the upper side of the projections  158  during blending. As shown in  FIG. 18 , a lower projection  166  is configured to cooperate with the abutment surface  113  so that when a vacuum is enacted within the interior  103  of the body  102  (using the vacuum device mentioned above, for example) the lower projection  166  will deflect into the abutment surface  113  to increase the interference and sealing force as the lower projection  166  deforms. In this way, the abutment surface  113  provides a vertical stop for the lower projection  166  to engage with to substantially minimize the tendency for the lower projection  166  to flex downward under the forces of negative pressure. 
     The above preferred embodiment has a number of advantages including the skirt  120  flaring or stepping out to meet the stepped-out sidewall  112  of the container  100 , so that the first projection  166  falls onto the abutment surface  113  to provide an improved seal between the lid  116  and the body  102  when a negative pressure is applied to the interior  103 . In this way, the seal  156  is configured to seal in both a positive pressure environment (hot soup being blended for example) and a negative pressure environment (when a negative pressure is applied by an external vacuum device, for example). 
     A further advantage of the above described preferred embodiment is having the sloped surface  140   b  on the ledges  134  to assist release of the latch members  132  from the lip  109  when using the pull ring  138  to lift the lid  116  to thereby reduce the force required to remove the lid  116  from the body  102 .