Patent Description:
Conventional blenders are devised for domestic use and typically comprise a jar and a base. The jar usually is composed of a knife holder configured to hold a blade assembly and forming a bottom of the jar, and a wall component detachably combinable to the knife holder so as to form the jar. The base comprises an electric motor and defines an operation position for the jar. In this position of the jar, the blade assembly held by the knife holder is coupled to the electric motor which thus is adapted to rotate the blade assembly. Thereby, food may be chopped, mixed and/or liquefied. Kitchen appliances with an additional cooling element are known, for example, from <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a jar and a blender, which are improved so as to facilitate a simple and convenient preparation of a broadened class of foods.

The object is achieved by a jar according to claim <NUM>, and by a blender according to claim <NUM>.

Advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims, the description and the figures.

A jar according to the present invention belongs to a blender or is configured to form part of a blender. The jar comprises a tool holder, a wall component and a cooler element, which are detachably combinable. In a combined state (i.e., when the jar has been assembled), they together define a food reception space of the jar, the food reception space designated to receive food to be processed by the blender (in particular, by a tool the tool holder may hold). Therein, the cooler element (i.e., a surface thereof) at least partially delimits the food reception space.

A blender according to the present invention comprises a jar according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a base defining an operation position of the jar and comprising an electric motor. When the jar is positioned at the operation position, the electric motor is coupled with a tool when this is (preferably detachably) fixed to the tool holder.

The cooler element is designated to be put - prior to its utilisation - in a cooling environment such as a household refrigerator or a domestic freezer, and thus may be cooled therefrom. As it delimits, after being combined, the food reception space, when food is present in the food reception space, the food may contact the cooler element. The present invention thus facilitates that, if the cooler element has recently been taken out of the cooling environment before assembling and using the jar (along with a base of the blender), the temperature of the food being processed may be lowered due to its contact with the cooler element. Therefore, the present invention provides a convenient and easily employable passive cooling means for preparing, in a domestic environment, cool stirred and/or ground food such as frosty smoothies.

The cooler element comprises one or more double-walled regions including a chamber which may contain a solution (such as salt water and/or urea) freezing at a temperature below <NUM>. In particular, the cooler element may preferably contain a latent heat accumulator which can comprise a phase change material.

According to preferred embodiments, the cooler element is ring-shaped.

The tool holder, the wall component and/or the cooler element may comprise means for a frictional connection (e.g., a (respective) screw thread) and/or means for a form-fit connection (such as at least one snap-lock means and/or at least one bayonet joint), which respectively may provide for detachably combining said components. In particular, the wall component, the cooler element and/or the tool holder may respectively comprise at least one fixation element (such as a pin, a screw thread and/or a cavity) configured to engage with at least one fixation element (such as a pin, a screw thread and/or a cavity) of a respective other one of the wall component, the cooler element and/or the tool holder.

Preferably, the cooler element at least partially delimits the food reception space in a bottom region thereof. For instance, it may at least partially delimit a lowest third or even a lowest fourth of the food reception space; in this document, the terms "bottom" and "low" and its derivatives each relate to an orientation designated for processing food in the assembled jar. In particular, a cooler element's surface delimiting the food reception space may advantageously at least partially abut a tool holder's surface facing (and also delimiting) the food reception space.

According to the invention, the cooler element is detachably fixable to the tool holder so as to build a bottom part of the jar, and the wall component is then detachably fixable to the bottom part, in particular to the tool holder and/or to the cooler element thereof. Therein, the cooler element may be detachably fixable to the tool holder by means of at least one screw connection and/or at least one form-fit connection, such as at least one snap-lock means and/or at least one bayonet joint. Additionally or alternatively, the wall component may be detachably fixable to the bottom part by means of a screw connection or a form-fit connection, such as at least one snap-lock means and/or at least one bayonet joint.

Such embodiments facilitate a particularly comfortable and quick assembly of the jar.

The wall component may form a pipe with a first end and a second end, the first end surrounding a feed opening of the jar (i.e., through which in use of the jar food to be processed may be filled into the food reception space), the second end surrounding an opening configured to receive the tool holder and/or the cooler element when the wall component is combined thereto. The jar may also be shaped so that its horizontal section is not a circle or a circle-like shape but can also be a polygonal shape, for instance a hexagonal.

According to advantageous embodiments, in a combined state of the tool holder, the wall component and the cooler element, the cooler element is at least partially (in particular, entirely) surrounded by the wall component. In particular, the cooler element may be inserted in said opening at said second end of the wall component.

According to advantageous embodiments, the tool holder and the wall component are detachably combinable for use selectively with or without the cooler component. That is, the tool holder and the wall component are configured to be combined to each other even when omitting the cooler element, thus forming a components-reduced jar with a sealed further food reception space (which is enlarged as compared to the food reception space formed using the cooler element). Such embodiments facilitate utilisation of the blender.

(for processing food not to be cooled) also without the cooler element, for example while the cooler element is deposited in a cooling environment (such as a refrigerator or a freezer).

A surface (of the jar) which at least partially delimits the food reception space may preferably have a profile comprising one or more protrusions (i.e. flow breaking elements). In use of the blender, such a profile may serve to obstruct food being processed by a rotating tool, and to redirect it towards the tool. Preferably, at least one of such protrusions may extend over both a surface of the wall component and a cooler element's surface delimiting the food reception space.

In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained with respect to the accompanying drawings. As is to be understood, the various elements and components are depicted as examples only, may be facultative and/or combined in a manner different than that depicted. Reference signs for related elements are used comprehensively and not defined again for each figure.

<FIG> show a jar <NUM> according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in different states. The jar <NUM> comprises a tool holder <NUM>, a cooler element <NUM> and a wall component <NUM>. In the present case, the cooler element <NUM> is ring-shaped, and a tool being a rotatable blade assembly <NUM> is held by the tool holder <NUM>. Preferably, the blade assembly <NUM> is detachably mounted to the tool holder <NUM>. In particular, the tool holder <NUM> may advantageously be configured to selectively hold one of various tools, which may comprise different blade assemblies and/or beaters (not shown).

The cooler element <NUM> may advantageously comprise at least one double walled region encasing a solution which freezes in a fridge and/or a household freezer. According to the invention, the cooler element <NUM> comprises a phase-change material.

<FIG> shows the tool holder <NUM>, the cooler element <NUM> and the wall component <NUM> in an uncombined, i.e., disassembled state, whereas <FIG> depicts a situation in which the cooler element <NUM> is detachably fixed to the tool holder <NUM>. Such combined, the tool holder <NUM> and the cooler element <NUM> together form a bottom part <NUM> of the jar <NUM>. Preferably, the cooler element <NUM> is detachably fixable to the tool holder <NUM> by means of a screw fitting, or by means of a form-fit connection such as a snap-lock and/or a bayonet joint (not visible in the figures). In the example shown in <FIG>, a seal ring <NUM> is configured to seal a contact region of the tool holder <NUM> and the cooler element <NUM> and/or a contact region of the tool holder <NUM> and the wall component <NUM>.

For further assembling the jar <NUM>, the wall component <NUM> is detachably fixable (such as by means of a screw fitting, or by means of a form-fit connection such as a snap-lock and/or a bayonet joint) to the bottom part <NUM>, in particular to the tool holder <NUM> and/or to the cooler element <NUM> thereof.

<FIG> shows the jar <NUM> in such an assembled state, in which the tool holder <NUM>, the cooler element <NUM> and the wall component <NUM> are combined. Therein, in the embodiment shown, the cooler element <NUM> and the tool holder <NUM> are inserted in a bottom portion <NUM> of the wall component <NUM>. In particular, the wall component <NUM> surrounds the ring-shaped cooler element <NUM>. A pivotable handle <NUM> permits a user to easily grip and operate the bottom part <NUM> when fixing the wall component <NUM> to it, which fixing may comprise a linear and/or a rotational movement of the tool holder <NUM> relative to the wall component <NUM>.

Thereafter, the handle <NUM> may be pivoted so as to also be plunged in the bottom portion <NUM> of the wall component <NUM>.

In the combined state, the tool holder <NUM>, the cooler element <NUM> and the wall component <NUM> together define a food reception space R of the jar <NUM>, as is better shown in <FIG> each providing a view in the jar <NUM> and, thereby, in the food reception space R.

In <FIG>, a sectional view of the jar <NUM> formed by the tool holder <NUM>, the cooler element <NUM> and the wall component <NUM> in their combined state is presented, and <FIG> shows the jar <NUM> with its food reception space R from above (with respect to an orientation designated for processing food in the jar). As can be taken from both <FIG>, a bottom of the food reception space R is at least partially defined by the tool holder <NUM>, and both the wall component <NUM> and the cooler element <NUM> (in particular, a surface S thereof) further delimit the food reception space R by together forming a lateral jacket of the jar.

As can be further taken from <FIG>, at a surface delimiting the food reception space R, the jar <NUM> has a profile comprising protrusions P extending over both the wall component <NUM> and the cooler element <NUM>. Indeed, the protrusions P each have a section P<NUM> in which they are formed by the wall component <NUM>, and a section P<NUM> in which they are formed by the cooler element <NUM>. The protrusions P may serve to obstruct food when this is being processed by the rotating blade assembly <NUM>, and to redirect it towards the blade assembly <NUM>. Moreover, as the cooler element <NUM> is thickened in its sections P<NUM> of the protrusions P, these sections P<NUM> may provide for a particularly good capacity of holding cold.

<FIG> schematically illustrates the setup of a blender <NUM> according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The blender <NUM> comprises a jar <NUM> and a base <NUM> containing an electric motor (not visible in <FIG>). To indicate the cooler element <NUM> and the blade assembly <NUM> thereof, in <FIG>, the jar <NUM> and the cooler element <NUM> are depicted as partially transparent. However, to improve clarity of the figure, a representation of the wall component's surface delimiting the food reception space R (with the sections P<NUM> of the protrusions P shown in <FIG>) is omitted.

In <FIG>, the jar <NUM> is shown as being set in an operation position after the pivotable handle <NUM> has been swivelled so as to unblock a bottom surface of the jar <NUM>. In the operation position, the electric motor is coupled with the blade assembly <NUM>.

In use, the cooler element <NUM> may advantageously be combined, with the tool holder <NUM> and the wall component <NUM>, after having been stored in a fridge or a household freezer, such as for several hours. Due to the cooler element <NUM> delimiting, with its surface S, the food reception space R of the assembled jar <NUM>, food being processed in the jar <NUM> is then cooled by the cooler element <NUM>. Thereby, cold drinks, in particular smoothies can be easily and conveniently made even in a domestic environment.

Disclosed is a jar <NUM> for or of a blender <NUM>. The jar comprises a tool holder <NUM>, a wall component <NUM> and a cooler element <NUM> which are detachably combinable such that, in a combined state, they define a food reception space R designated to receive food to be processed by the blender <NUM>. Therein the cooler element <NUM> at least partially delimits the food reception space R.

Claim 1:
Jar (<NUM>) for a blender (<NUM>), the jar comprising a tool holder (<NUM>), a wall component (<NUM>) and a cooler element (<NUM>) which are detachably combinable such that, in a combined state, they define a food reception space (R) designated to receive food to be processed by the blender (<NUM>), wherein the cooler element (<NUM>) at least partially delimits the food reception space (R)characterised in that the cooler element (<NUM>) comprises at least one double walled region encasing a phase-change material and in that said cooler element (<NUM>) detachably fixable to the tool holder (<NUM>) so as to build a bottom part (<NUM>) of the jar, and the wall component (<NUM>) is detachably fixable to the bottom part (<NUM>).