Patent Description:
Speciality beverages in which at least a portion is made up of frothed or heated milk are becoming more and more popular. The best-known beverage of this type is a coffee of the cappuccino type. It comprises a liquid portion consisting of coffee topped by a layer of frothed milk which, because of its very much lower density, floats atop the surface of the liquid. In general, preparing one takes time, manipulation operations and cleaning.

Milk-based froth can be prepared in a mechanical stirring appliance. Regular cleaning of the tank of the appliance needs to be envisaged in order to remove any solid food residue. In addition, heating the milk has a tendency to increase the extent to which cooked or burnt proteins are deposited on and adhere to the surfaces.

<CIT> relates to an appliance for preparing hot beverages or food with stirring such as hot chocolate, for example. Other devices for stirring food products are described in <CIT> or <CIT>. Stirring systems with a magnetic engagement type are described in documents <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>. <CIT> relates to a refrigerated pot for dispensing a milk-based beverage. <CIT> discloses a stirring device that has a heated tank, magnetic drive means positioned under the tank for driving a hub located in the middle of the tank.

Further examples of beverage processing appliances using stirring systems, in particular magnetically driven stirring systems, are disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

An improved appliance for preparing froth from a milk-based liquid or milk has been proposed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>. The device has: an inner tank for receiving the liquid that is to be frothed, in which a rotatable stirrer is positioned; an outer stand holding the tank; drive and control means which are in a cavity located between the inner tank and the outer stand, and which communicate with a switch and electrical connections located on the outer surface of the stand; and disturbance means to optimise circulation of the milk during frothing.

Heat can be provided into the processing tank by using an induction system, e.g. as disclosed in <CIT>.

More recently, it has been proposed, as described in <CIT> and <CIT>, to provide a coffee machine with this type of milk conditioning tank.

An architecture to favour the evacuation of unwanted heat generated by the operation of electric components of the milk frothing appliance has been disclosed in <CIT>. As disclosed in <CIT> and <CIT>, such appliance can also be fitted with one or more fan coolers.

The abovementioned <CIT> and <CIT> discloses a beverage processing tank. The beverage can be heated in the tank. To dispense the processed beverage, the tank is fitted with a handle that has a connection member projecting from the tank and a generally upright elongated gripping part extending above and below the connection member.

There is still a need to improve the handling of such appliances.

It is a preferred object of the present invention to provide a machine for conditioning a food substance which provides a more reliable handling configuration.

The invention thus relates to a machine for processing a liquid food substance, such as milk or a milk-based substance. The liquid food substance can be aqueous, e.g. containing coffee and/or chocolate and/or cacao.

The machine may be a standalone machine, e.g. directly pluggable to the mains via an electric cord, or may be integrated in a food processor arranged to process other food items or to carry out different food conditioning processes, the food processor itself being generally pluggable to the mains via an electric cord whereas the machine is a sub-part of the food processor. Such a food processor may be a beverage maker, such as a coffee maker, e.g. a beverage maker configured to prepare a beverage (such as coffee) from an ingredient capsule.

The machine of the invention may advantageously be configured to froth and/or heat and/or cool milk and optionally be associated, as a standalone machine or as an integrated machine, into a coffee maker. Standalone machines and integrated associations of milk frothing machines and coffee makers are for example disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

Hence, the machine can be a milk frother which operates by incorporating finely divided gas bubbles, e.g. air bubbles, into milk. When the machine is configured for incorporating gas bubbles into milk, it may include an operating mode without incorporation of gas bubbles.

The machine of the invention is configured for processing a liquid food substance, such as milk or a milk-based substance.

The machine has a jug that comprises a container and a handle for holding the jug by an adult human hand. Typically, the jug is held single-handed by using the handle. The container delimits a food cavity for containing the liquid food substance. The container can have a removable lid for covering the cavity, e.g. as taught in <CIT>.

The container can be substantially cup-shaped or bowl-shaped or cylinder-shaped, the sidewall being substantially upright and the bottom wall being substantially flat or curved.

The jug may be mechanically passive. Hence, beyond the inherent mechanical properties of the materials making its structure for containing the food substance and for being integrated or assembled in the machine, the jug may be free of any mechanically active part such as a motor or movement transformation system which may require special care for hygiene or cleaning purposes. The jug may contain one or more mechanically passive movable parts, such as a whisk or stirrer or ingredient basket in the container, that is/are driven from outside the jug.

The jug may be electrically passive. Hence, beyond the inherent electrical properties (e.g. resistive and/or inductive and/or capacitive properties) of the materials making its structure for containing the food substance and for being integratable or assembled in the machine, the jug may be free of any electric components, in particular active electric components. The inherent electrical properties of the jug may however be used in the processing of the food substance, for instance for heating and/or cooling the jug that is powered electrically or electromagnetically from an (active) source that is external to the jug.

By providing a jug which is mechanically and/or electrically passive (optionally with a lid that is equally passive), it can easily be cleaned, e.g. in a dishwater, without any risk of damaging electric and/or mechanic components.

The same result can be achieved when the jug is provided with a control cavity, e.g. containing mechanical and/or electric control active constituents such as actuators and signal processing units, which cavity has no movable access panel sealed off by a rubber, silicone or like seal that is exposed to early wear, especially when exposed to detergents or soaps used for cleaning. Hence, the same result may be achieved, if the jug contains active components that are contained in an inaccessible confinement cavity, the jug being for instance entirely moulded and/or welded around such a confinement cavity so that the cavity is completely sunk in the jug's structure and separate from the environment outside the jug with no access from the outside without destroying the jug. In such circumstances, the jug may contain in such confined inaccessible cavity an active device, e.g. an RFID-type device or the like.

The machine may have a base that has one or more walls forming a seat for removably receiving the container.

The base may have a powered cavity, e.g. a cavity powered by the mains via an electric cord, that is adjacent the container. The base cavity may include a thermal conditioner for generating heat in the food cavity (heating the cavity) and/or for removing heat from the food cavity (cooling the cavity). The base cavity may include an actuator, e.g. a motor, for driving the liquid food substance in the container.

Actuators e.g. motors, control units, user-interfaces, AC/DC converters can all be comprised in the base, e.g. in the powered cavity.

The handle has a connection member projecting from the container and a substantially elongated upright gripping member that is connected to the connection member at a distance from the container. The gripping member has an upper portion that is above the connection member and a lower portion that is below the connection member. The upper portion is configured to support a thumb of the hand and delimits with the connection member an upper seat for accommodating an index finger of the hand when the handle is held by the hand.

The connection member may be horizontal or at an angle of less than <NUM> deg thereto, such as less than <NUM> deg. thereto, when the jug is oriented for processing the liquid food substance.

The upright gripping member may extend vertically or at an angle of less than <NUM> deg thereto, such as less than <NUM> deg.

The handle has a confinement member that extends: substantially uprightly between the container and the lower portion of the gripping member; and downwardly from the connection member or from close thereto. For instance, the confinement member may be spaced (if at all) from the connection member by a distance of less than <NUM>.

The confinement member and the lower portion and the connection member delimit a lower seat for accommodating a portion of a middle finger of the hand when the handle is held by the hand.

Hence, such a handle configuration may be used to safely secure the handle (and the jug) between the inner side of the hand's thumb (pushing the handle's upper portion towards the container), the inner side of a hand's first finger below the thumb (e.g. the index finger pulling the handle's upper portion away from the container) and the rear and lateral sides of a hand's second finger (e.g. the hand's middle finger resting against the confinement member towards the container and supporting the connection member). In such a holding configuration, the jug is held by the second finger and locked in position by the thumb and the first finger in an ergonomic manner. The remaining fingers, e.g. the annular and the little fingers, are not even required for holding or securing the jug in the user's hand. If the lower portion of the gripping member is long enough, these remaining fingers may seize it to assist the holding. However, such a contribution by the remaining fingers is optional.

The confinement member may be used to reduce the risk that the hand comes into contact with heated or cooled parts of the container, for instance when the container is heated above <NUM> or <NUM> or cooled down below <NUM> or <NUM>. The confinement member may thus be spaced from the container and/or made of thermally insulating material, e.g. a ceramic and/or a polymer.

The upper part may be spaced from the container by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The upper part can extend above the connection member by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The upper part of the gripping member may have a width in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The upper part can have an uppermost free end.

The lower part of the gripping member can be spaced from the container by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The lower part may extend below the connection member by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The lower part of the gripping member can have a width in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The lower part may have a lowermost free end.

The confinement member may be spaced by a distance to the lower part of the gripping part in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The confinement member can have a lowermost end that is spaced by a distance to the connection member in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> such as <NUM> to <NUM>, e.g. <NUM> to <NUM>.

The confinement member may have a width in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>.

The confinement member can have a lowermost free end.

The container may have a rim delimiting an opening of the container cavity.

The removable lid can extend over the rim and have a peripheral wall that extends downwardly to form an outside lid face of the container. The outside lid face may have a height in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> e.g. in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>. The outside lid face may extend flush with an outside face of the container uncovered by the lid and/or with an outside face of the base.

The removable lid can extend over the rim and have an upright inner wall that extends downwardly into the cavity along the rim. For instance, the peripheral wall and/or the upright inner wall has a sealing member, such as an annular deformable sealing member, for sealing off the cavity of the container. Such sealing member may include at least one of the following features:.

The removable lid can have a or the above peripheral wall that has a bottom end that contacts or comes close to the connection member. For instance, the bottom end is spaced from the connection member by less than <NUM>, such as less than <NUM>.

The cavity of the container may extend to above the connection member by a height in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as from <NUM> to <NUM>, e.g. from <NUM> to <NUM>.

The base may delimit a peripheral seat, such as a peripheral seat on a or the above outside face of the base, for receiving the confinement member when the container is received by the seat of the base so as to be in place for processing the liquid food substance.

Hence, to ensure proper position of the jug on or in the base, cooperating member and peripheral seat can be used in a simple manner to discriminate mechanically between an improper positioning and a proper positioning.

The cooperating member and peripheral seat, may be used to prevent relative movement of the jug and seat during the processing of the liquid food substance.

The cooperating member and peripheral seat can also be used to detect automatically a misplacement of the jug and seat such that the processing of the liquid food substance is not possible or sub-optimal.

For example, such a misplacement may be detected automatically by using a sensor for sensing the presence (or absence) of the member in the cooperating peripheral seat. However, under certain conditions, such a sensor is not required to detect automatically a misplacement, for example as exposed in the embodiments below.

For instance, when the confinement member is received in the peripheral seat, the seat and the confinement member have at least one of:.

The container may be off its place for processing the liquid food substance when the confinement member is off-set, e.g. angularly off-set, relative to the peripheral seat.

When the container is off its processing place, a or the above downwardly oriented edge of the container can be spaced apart from a or the upwardly oriented edge of the base, such as a base edge forming a rim of the base seat for receiving the container, by a distance that is greater than when the confinement member is received in the peripheral seat.

The machine may include a processing device and a control system that is configured to control the processing device, such as an actuator and/or a thermal conditioner controlled by a control unit, for processing the liquid food substance. The control system can be configured to detect when the container is off its processing place by measuring a characteristic, e.g. a current consumption and/or a voltage consumption and/or an electric frequency, of the processing device and comparing such measured characteristic to an expected value thereof when the container is in its processing place or off its processing place. The control system may be configured to prevent processing of the liquid food substance and/or generate an error message or alarm, when the control system detects that the container is off its processing place.

The container may have at least one outside container wall that can be thermally conditioned by the liquid food substance in the cavity and/or by processing the liquid food substance in the cavity and that faces the base wall (s) when the container is in or on the base seat. The base and/or the container can have one or more thermally insulating spacers, such as ribs or protrusions or an insulating layer, spacing the base wall(s) from the container wall(s) when the container is received in or on the seat so as to prevent or inhibit thermal transfer between the base wall(s) and the container wall (s) adjacent the base wall(s).

The container may include an outside thermally radiating or absorbing element, such as an electrically resistive element or a thermocouple element.

The outside thermally radiating or absorbing element may have a total outside surface facing the base wall(s), whereby less than <NUM>%, such as less than <NUM>%, for example less than <NUM>%, e.g. less than <NUM>%, of the total outside surface contacts or forms the thermally insulating spacers.

Such insulating spacer may be made of insulating material, such as a ceramic or polymer material, and/or the spacer may have an insulating shape, e.g. provided with a small cross-section orthogonal to the thermal flux between the container and the base.

The thermally radiating or absorbing element may be powered by the base by electric conduction and/or electromagnetic induction.

The energy may be passed electrically from the base to the jug by respective electric connectors that are electrically connected when the container is in the base seat.

The energy may be passed inductively from the base to the jug by an induction generation device in the base and by an induction receiver in the jug, e.g. walls of the container.

The container can be configured to radiate heat to outside of the container or absorb heat from outside of the container predominantly via one or more preferential container walls, that form such (a) thermally radiating or absorbing element(s), when the liquid food substance is processed in the container received in or on the seat. The thermally insulating spacers can be positioned so as to space the preferential wall(s) from the base wall(s). The preferential container wall(s) may form a bottom wall of the container or a sidewall of the container or both.

The or each insulating spacer may be configured to space the corresponding base wall from the container wall by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM> e.g. <NUM> to <NUM>.

According to the invention, the food cavity contains a movable agitating device, such as a whisk and/or a stirrer, to agitate the liquid food substance during its processing. For instance, the agitating element is:.

The agitating device may be an impeller. The impeller may have a spring-like structure of the type disclosed in <CIT> or in <CIT> and/or the impeller can have a wavy and/or open disc-shaped structure as taught in <CIT>.

The impeller can have a foot for being coupled to the actuator, e.g. via magnetic elements in the foot.

A magnetic coupling of the impeller, e.g. of a low inertia impeller, can be achieved as taught in <CIT> or in <CIT>.

The magnetic coupling of the impeller, e.g. of a high inertia impeller, may be achieved as taught in <CIT> or <CIT>.

When a high transmission torque is transmitted to the impeller via a magnetic coupling (i.e. a strong coupling), a magnetic uncoupling arrangement may be provided, e.g. as taught in <CIT>.

Suitable impellers and their implementation into the machine are disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> as well as <CIT> and <CIT>.

The container can be provided with a thermally insulating outside material and/or with a handle, for seizure and optional displacement of the container by a human hand. Such a configuration is particularly advantageous when the food is processed at a higher temperature exceeding e.g. <NUM> or at lower temperature below <NUM>.

When reference is made in the present description to an orientation or position relative to the machine or parts thereof, e.g. "above" or "below" or "vertical" or "horizontal", the orientation or position takes as a reference the position and orientation of the machine in operation to process the liquid food substance in the container unless specified otherwise.

The invention will now be described with reference to the schematic drawings, wherein:.

An exemplary embodiment of a machine <NUM> according to the invention and parts thereof are illustrated in <FIG>.

Machine <NUM> is configured for processing a liquid food substance, such as milk or a milk-based substance.

Machine <NUM> includes a jug <NUM> having a container <NUM> and a handle <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> for holding jug <NUM> by an adult human hand <NUM>. Container <NUM> delimits a food cavity <NUM>' for containing the liquid food substance. Container <NUM> may have a removable lid <NUM> for covering cavity <NUM>' (<FIG> and <FIG>). Food cavity <NUM>' may have a central upright or vertical axis <NUM>".

Machine <NUM> may incorporate a base <NUM> that has one or more walls <NUM> forming a seat <NUM>' for removably receiving container <NUM> (<FIG>).

As illustrated in <FIG>, handle <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> can have a connection member <NUM> projecting from container <NUM> and a substantially elongated upright gripping member <NUM> that is connected to connection member <NUM> at a distance from container <NUM>. Gripping member <NUM> has an upper portion 32a that is above connection member <NUM> and a lower portion 32b that is below the connection member <NUM>. Upper portion 32a is configured to support a thumb <NUM> of hand <NUM> and delimits with connection member <NUM> an upper seat 31a for accommodating an index finger <NUM> of hand <NUM> when handle <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> is held by hand <NUM>.

Connection member <NUM> can be horizontal or at an angle of less than <NUM> deg thereto, such as less than <NUM> deg. thereto, when jug <NUM> is oriented for processing liquid food substance.

Upright gripping member <NUM> may extend vertically or at an angle of less than <NUM> deg thereto, such as less than <NUM> deg.

Handle <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> has a confinement member <NUM> that extends: substantially uprightly between the container <NUM> and lower portion 32b of gripping member <NUM>; and downwardly from connection member <NUM> or from close thereto.

Confinement member <NUM> and lower portion 32b and connection member <NUM> may delimit a lower seat 31b for accommodating a portion of a middle finger <NUM> of hand <NUM> when handle <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> is held by hand <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, such a handle configuration may be used to safely secure handle <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> between the inner side of the hand's thumb <NUM> (pushing in a direction 41a the handle's upper portion 32a towards container <NUM>), the inner side of a hand's first finger <NUM> below the thumb <NUM> (e.g. the index finger <NUM> pulling in a direction 42a the handle's upper portion 32a away from container <NUM>) and the rear and lateral sides of a hand's second finger <NUM> (e.g. the hand's middle finger <NUM> resting against confinement member <NUM> towards container <NUM> and supporting connection member <NUM> in a direction 43a). In such a holding configuration, jug <NUM> is held by second finger <NUM> and locked in position by thumb <NUM> and first finger <NUM> in an ergonomic manner. The remaining fingers <NUM>, e.g. the annular and the little fingers <NUM>, are not even required for holding or securing jug <NUM> in the user's hand. If the lower portion 32a of the gripping member <NUM> is long enough, these remaining fingers <NUM> may seize it to assist the holding (in a direction 44a). However, such a contribution by the remaining fingers is optional.

Upper part 32a of gripping member <NUM> may have at least one of the following features: upper part 32a can be spaced from container <NUM> by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; upper part 32a may extend above connection member <NUM> by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; upper part 32a of gripping member <NUM> can have a width in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; and upper part 32a can have an uppermost free end.

Lower part 32b of gripping member <NUM> may have at least one of the following features: lower part 32b can be spaced from container <NUM> by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; lower part 32b may extend below connection member <NUM> by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; lower part 32b of gripping member <NUM> can have a width in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; and lower part 32b may have a lowermost free end.

Confinement member <NUM> may have at least one of following features: confinement member <NUM> can be spaced by a distance to lower part 32b of gripping part <NUM> in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; confinement member <NUM> can have a lowermost end that is spaced by a distance to connection member <NUM> in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> such as <NUM> to <NUM>, e.g. <NUM> to <NUM>; confinement member <NUM> may have a width in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM>; and confinement member <NUM> can have a lowermost free end.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, container <NUM> may have a rim <NUM>' delimiting an opening of container cavity <NUM>', removable lid <NUM> extending over rim <NUM>'.

As illustrated in <FIG>, lid <NUM> can have a peripheral wall 22a that extends downwardly to form an outside lid face of container <NUM>, such as an outside lid face: having a height in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> e.g. in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>; and/or extending flush with an outside face 20a of container <NUM> uncovered by lid <NUM> and/or with an outside face 10a of base <NUM>.

Lid <NUM> may have an upright inner wall 22c that extends downwardly into cavity <NUM>' along rim <NUM>'. Peripheral wall 22a and/or upright inner wall 22c can have a sealing member 22d, such as an annular deformable sealing member, for sealing off cavity <NUM>'.

Sealing member 22d may have one or more substantially parallel sealing lips 22e, such as annular lips arranged side-by-side.

Sealing member 22d can have a tab 22f for seizing sealing member 22e.

Sealing member 22d may be removable from lid <NUM>, for instance for cleaning, and mountable on lid <NUM>.

Removable lid <NUM> can have a or the above peripheral wall 22a that has a bottom end 22b that contacts or comes close to connection member <NUM>. Bottom end 22b can be spaced from connection member <NUM> by less than <NUM>, such as less than <NUM>.

Cavity <NUM>' of container <NUM> may extend to above connection member <NUM> by a height in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as from <NUM> to <NUM>, e.g. from <NUM> to <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, base <NUM> can delimit a peripheral seat <NUM>, such as a peripheral seat <NUM> on a or the above outside face 10a of base <NUM>, for receiving confinement member <NUM> when container <NUM> is received by seat <NUM>' of base <NUM> such that container <NUM> is in place for processing the liquid food substance.

As apparent in <FIG>, when confinement member <NUM> is received in peripheral seat <NUM>, seat <NUM> and confinement member <NUM> can have at least one of: complementary shapes so that base <NUM> and confinement member <NUM> form together a continuous outside surface; an arrangement to prevent a rotation of container <NUM> relative to base <NUM>; and an arrangement such that a downwardly oriented edge <NUM> of container <NUM> rests on an upwardly oriented edge <NUM> of base <NUM> or such that container edge <NUM> is distant to base edge <NUM> by no more than <NUM>, base edge <NUM> forming for instance a rim of base seat <NUM> for receiving container <NUM>.

Container <NUM> may be off its place for processing the liquid food substance when confinement member <NUM> is off-set, e.g. angularly off-set, relative to peripheral seat <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>.

As apparent from a comparison of <FIG>, when container <NUM> is off its processing place, a or the above downwardly oriented edge <NUM> of container <NUM> may be spaced apart from an or the above upwardly oriented edge <NUM> of base <NUM>, such as a base edge <NUM> forming a rim of base seat <NUM> for receiving container <NUM>, by a distance that is greater than when confinement member <NUM> is received in peripheral seat <NUM>.

Machine <NUM> may include a processing device and a control system that is configured to control the processing device, such as an actuator and/or a thermal conditioner controlled by a control unit, for processing the liquid food substance. The control system can be configured to detect when container <NUM> is off its processing place by measuring a characteristic, e.g. a current consumption and/or a voltage consumption and/or an electric frequency, of the processing device and comparing such measured characteristic to an expected value thereof when container <NUM> is in its processing place or off its processing place.

Container <NUM> may have at least one outside container wall 21a that can be thermally conditioned by the liquid food substance in cavity <NUM>' and/or by processing the liquid food substance in cavity <NUM>' and that faces base wall (s) <NUM> when container <NUM> is in or on base seat <NUM>'. As illustrated in <FIG>, base <NUM> and/or container <NUM> may include one or more thermally insulating spacers 11a, such as ribs or protrusions or an insulating layer, spacing base wall(s) <NUM> from container wall(s) 21a when container <NUM> is received in or on seat <NUM>' so as to prevent or inhibit thermal transfer between base wall(s) <NUM> and container wall(s) 21a. Container <NUM> may include a thermally radiating or absorbing element, such as an electrically resistive element or a thermocouple element. For example, the thermally radiating or absorbing element is powered by base <NUM> by electric conduction and/or electromagnetic induction.

Container <NUM> can be configured to radiate heat to outside of container <NUM> or absorb heat from outside of container <NUM> predominantly via one or more preferential container walls 21a, as the above thermally radiating or absorbing element, when the liquid food substance is processed in container <NUM> received in or on seat <NUM>'. Thermally insulating spacers 11a may be positioned so as to space preferential wall(s) 21a from base wall(s) <NUM>. For example, preferential container wall(s) 21a form a bottom wall <NUM> of container <NUM> or a sidewall of container <NUM> or both.

The or each insulating spacer 11a may be configured to space the corresponding base wall <NUM> from container wall 21a by a distance in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>, such as <NUM> to <NUM> e.g. <NUM> to <NUM>.

Base <NUM> may have a powered cavity, e.g. a cavity powered by the mains via an electric cord <NUM>, that is adjacent container <NUM>. The base cavity may include a thermal conditioner for generating heat in food cavity <NUM>' (heating the cavity) and/or for removing heat from food cavity <NUM>' (cooling the cavity).

Claim 1:
A machine (<NUM>) for processing a liquid food substance, such as milk or a milk-based substance, comprising:
- a jug (<NUM>) having a container (<NUM>) and a handle (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) for holding the jug by an adult human hand (<NUM>), the container (<NUM>) delimiting a food cavity (<NUM>') for containing said liquid food substance, such as a container (<NUM>) having a removable lid (<NUM>) for covering the cavity (<NUM>'); and optionally
- a base (<NUM>) that has one or more walls (<NUM>) forming a seat (<NUM>') for removably receiving the container (<NUM>),
the food cavity (<NUM>') containing a movable agitating device, such as a whisk and/or a stirrer, to agitate said liquid food substance during its processing,
the handle (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) having a connection member (<NUM>) projecting from the container (<NUM>) and a substantially elongated upright gripping member (<NUM>) that is connected to the connection member (<NUM>) at a distance from the container (<NUM>), the gripping member (<NUM>) having an upper portion (32a) that is above the connection member (<NUM>) and a lower portion (32b) that is below the connection member (<NUM>), the upper portion (32a) being configured to support a thumb (<NUM>) of said hand (<NUM>) and delimiting with the connection member (<NUM>) an upper seat (31a) for accommodating an index finger (<NUM>) of said hand (<NUM>) when the handle (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) is held by said hand (<NUM>), optionally:
- the connection member (<NUM>) being horizontal or at an angle of less than <NUM> deg thereto, such as less than <NUM> deg. thereto, when the jug (<NUM>) is oriented for processing said liquid food substance; and/or
- the upright gripping member extending vertically or at an angle of less than <NUM> deg thereto, such as less than <NUM> deg. thereto,
characterised in that the handle (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) has a confinement member (<NUM>) that extends:
- substantially uprightly between the container (<NUM>) and the lower portion (32b) of the gripping member (<NUM>); and
- downwardly from the connection member (<NUM>) or from close thereto,
the confinement member (<NUM>) and the lower portion (32b) and the connection member (<NUM>) delimiting a lower seat (31b) for accommodating a portion of a middle finger (<NUM>) of said hand (<NUM>) when the handle (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) is held by said hand (<NUM>).