CN102613916A - Food processing apparatus and receptacle thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a container for food processing equipment. The food processing appliance comprises switching means switchable between a first switching state preventing operation of the food processing appliance and a second switching state allowing operation of the food processing appliance. The container includes: a body defined by a base and at least one wall, the body including a mouth and adapted to receive a cap for closing the mouth; a safety interlock including a mechanical linkage enabling switching The device moves between the first position in the first state and the second position in which the switching device assumes the second state. When the mouth is not closed by the cover, the mechanical linkage moves to the first position. When the mouth is closed by the cover, the mechanical linkage moves to the first position. The linkage moves to the second position. The container also includes a substantially opaque passageway for housing the mechanical linkage. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a container for a food processing appliance and a food processing appliance comprising the above container.

Description

Food handling equipment and its containers

technical field

The present invention relates to food processing equipment and in particular to a container for food processing equipment including a safety interlock preventing operation of the equipment when the lid is not in place.

Background technique

Food processing appliances, such as food processors or blenders, typically include a powered base, a bowl, one or more rotating attachments (eg, blades), and a lid. The lid prevents ingredients from escaping the bowl during the method of operation and from entering the bowl during the method of operation. Some food processing equipment includes a safety feature whereby a safety interlock prevents operation of the blades when the lid is not in place. Such interlocks typically include an actuator housed within the handle of the bowl and acting between the lid and the power base. One problem with such safety interlocks is that they include channels into which food and other debris can enter, which is difficult to clean. Furthermore, it is often desirable to make the bowl and its handle transparent or translucent. In this case, the presence of food and or debris becomes unsightly.

Therefore, there is a need for a food preparation appliance with such a safety interlock that is unlikely to have unsightly passageways as described above. Alternatively, or additionally, there is a need to provide the public with useful alternatives to existing food handling equipment.

Reference to any prior art in this specification is not and should not be considered as an acknowledgment or in any way to suggest that such prior art forms common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction, or as an acknowledgment or in any way to imply that There is art that can reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood, and considered to be relevant art by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Contents of the invention

In one aspect of the invention there is provided a container for a food processing appliance comprising switching means capable of switching between a first switching state preventing operation of the food processing appliance and allowing operation of the food processing appliance Toggle between a second switching state, the container comprising: a body defined by a base and at least one wall, the body comprising a mouth and adapted to receive a cap for closing said mouth; a safety interlock, the safety interlock The device includes a mechanical linkage movable between a first position for assuming a first state of the switching means and a second position for assuming a second state of the switching means, when the mouth is not closed by the cap, the mechanical linkage to a first position, and when the mouth is closed by the cap, the mechanical linkage moves to a second position, wherein the container further includes a substantially opaque passage for receiving the mechanical linkage.

The at least one wall may be substantially transparent.

A substantially opaque passageway may be provided on at least one wall and be substantially rectilinear.

The container may include a substantially transparent handle, and the substantially shaped passage may be provided in the substantially transparent handle.

The substantially opaque passage may be C-shaped.

The safety interlock includes a biasable member that urges the mechanical linkage toward the first position.

The mechanical linkage may include a shaft received by the substantially opaque passageway and an actuation means, the first end of the shaft being acted upon when the cover is in place causing the actuation means to assume the second state of the switching means.

The mechanical linkage may further comprise a rod extending between the shaft and the actuating means.

The rod may be substantially perpendicular to the shaft and/or the actuation means.

The container may further include one or more seals positioned between the mechanical linkage and the walls of the substantially opaque passageway.

In a second aspect, the invention provides a food processing appliance comprising a container as described above.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a container for use in food processing equipment, the method comprising: sealing both ends of an opaque passage to form a sealed passage; molding the container around the sealed passage; both ends; and fitting an interlock, or portion thereof, into the open opaque passageway.

Sealing the ends of the opaque passage may include inserting a pin into each of the ends.

Opening the ends of the sealed passage may include removing a pin from each of the ends.

Molding the container about the sealing passage may include molding at least a portion of a handle of the container about the sealing passage.

Molding the container around the sealing passage may include molding a portion of a wall of the container around the sealing passage.

Fitting the interlock into the open opaque passage may include the step of sliding a mechanical linkage of the interlock into the passage.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a food processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a partial section through the food processing apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a partial perspective cutaway view of a powered base attached to the lid of the food processing appliance shown in Figure 1 via a safety interlock;

Figure 4 shows a flow chart illustrating steps in a method of manufacturing a container for a food processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention;

Figures 5A to 5E illustrate the container and safety interlock components at various steps in the manufacturing method shown in Figure 4;

Figure 5A shows a perspective view of a sealing passage;

Figure 5B shows a perspective view of the container including the sealing passage shown in Figure 5A;

Figure 5C shows a perspective view of the linkage inserted into the pathway shown in Figure 5A;

Figure 5D shows a perspective view of the cover positioned to secure the linkage within the passageway; and

Figure 5E shows a perspective view of the linkage secured within the passage by means of the cover shown in Figure 5D.

Detailed ways

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a food processing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated food processing device 100 is a food processor and will be referred to as a food processor throughout the description. However, it should be understood that the food processing device may alternatively be a mixer, liquefier, blender or other device for mixing, cutting, blending or processing food.

The food processor 100 includes a power base 102 that houses a motor (not shown) that drives a rotating mechanism, such as a shaft, that extends through an aperture 104 (shown in FIG. 2 ) in the power base 102. (not shown). The rotating mechanism is adapted to rotate an implement (not shown), such as a blade, which is driven to process food/ingredients housed in the food processing container 106 . The power base 102 includes a user interface through which a user can operate the food processor 100, as well as a safety switch 208 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), which includes a switch actuator 304, a safety switch frame 306, and a safety switch. 308. The safety switching device is capable of switching between a first or disabled state, under which the motor (and thus the appliance) is prevented from operating, and a second or enabled state, between which down to allow the motor (and appliance) to operate. The safety switch 308 shown in this embodiment is a micro switch, but could also be a tact switch, a reed switch or an optical switch.

Container 106 is received on power base 102 . The container 106 in this embodiment is a bowl 106 defined by a base 108 and walls 110 and including a handle 112 . The base 108 of the bowl 106 is configured to engage the power base 102 and connect with the rotation mechanism and implement to enable rotation of the implement within the bowl 106 . The wall 110 of the bowl 106 defines a mouth 114 through which ingredients may be added to the bowl and which may be securely closed by a removable lid 116 . In this embodiment, the cap 116 is held in place by placing the cap over the mouth and turning the cap in the direction shown by arrow 200 in FIG. 2 .

A section 117 of the wall of the cover 116 is shown in FIG. 1 . The wall of the lid 116 includes a plurality of outwardly facing protrusions 130 received in corresponding slots (not shown) in the wall of the bowl. Rotation of the cover 116 pushes the protrusions 130 along the corresponding slots and under the associated protrusions in the wall of the bowl to secure the cover 116 in place. The lid 116 includes a formation 218 that, when the lid 116 is in place, interacts with the safety interlock 120 of the bowl 106 as described below.

The lid 116 also includes a conduit 118 through which food can be introduced into the bowl 106 without having to remove the lid 116 during operation.

Bowl 106 and lid 116 are made of a transparent (or translucent) material that enables a user to view the contents of bowl 106 during handling. Typically, bowl 106 and handle 112 are integrally manufactured (eg, molded) components. This integral bowl/handle design provides for relatively cheap and efficient manufacture (eg, compared to designs with separate bowl and handle), and also allows for reduced tolerances to create safety interlock 120, described below. The handle 112, made of the same material as the bowl 106, is also transparent/translucent (or partially transparent/translucent).

The bowl 106 includes a safety interlock 120 . The purpose of the safety interlock 120 is to ensure that the motor of the food processing appliance 100 cannot be operated unless the cover 116 is secured in place. As discussed in more detail below, when the cover 116 is not in place, the safety interlock 120 is in the neutral position and does not engage the switching device 208 in the power base 102 . This puts the switching device 208 in an unusable state. Conversely, with the cover 116 secured in place, the safety interlock 120 is in the active position, which enables the switching device 208 to be in the enabled state.

Turning to FIG. 2 , the interlock 120 includes a linkage 201 that provides a connection between the cover 116 (when in place) and a switch 208 in the power base 102 . In this embodiment, the linkage 201 includes a shaft 204 having a top end 202 for engaging the cover 116 when the cover is in place. A rod 214 extends perpendicularly from the bottom end of the shaft 204 and an actuation pin 206 for engaging the switch actuator 304 of the switching device 208 extends perpendicularly from the rod 214 . Although in this embodiment the rod 214 and the actuation pin 206 are integrally formed members connected to the shaft 204, the shaft 204, the rod 214 and the pin 206 may be separate or integral members as desired. As should be appreciated, the interlock 120 may include fewer or additional components (integrally formed or connected) arranged to suit the relative position of the switch 208 and the point at which the cover 116 acts upon the interlock 120 .

The bottom end of the shaft 204 also includes a formation 216 for engaging the biasing member 302 (the other end of the biasing member 302 is supported by the bowl cover 310 as described below). The biasing device 302 acts to keep the interlock 120 in the neutral position when the cover 116 is not in place so that the actuation pin 206 does not engage the toggle 208 and prevents the food processor from operating. Conversely, when the cover 116 is in place, the forming portion 218 of the cover 116 interacts with the interlock 120 (by supporting on top of the shaft 204), forcing the shaft 204 downward against the biasing means 302 and thereby enabling Pin 206 engages with switching device 208 . The components of interlock 120 are held in place by cover 310 . Lid 310 is shaped to be received at base 108 of the bowl below handle 112 and fastened in place (eg, by screws or other fastening means). The cover 310 houses the bottom end of the shaft 204 , the rod 214 , the actuation pin 206 and the biasing device 302 and positions these components properly to allow connection with the switching device 208 .

To accommodate the interlock 120 , the bowl 106 is provided with a channel 212 from (or near) the mouth 114 of the bowl 106 to (or near) the base 108 of the bowl 106 . In the illustrated embodiment, the channel 212 is substantially straight and formed as part of (protruding slightly from) the bowl wall 110, although alternative channel locations are of course possible.

As discussed above, in order to enable the contents of the bowl 106 to be seen, the walls 110 of the bowl 106 are transparent or translucent. Accordingly, the channel 212 extending through the wall 110 is also transparent, and the interlock passage 210 is visible. To enable the interlock 120 to interact with the switching device 208, the ends of the channel 212 are open (allowing movement of the components of the interlock 120). Accordingly, debris (eg, food, etc.) may enter and become lodged in the channel 212 during use and/or cleaning of the bowl 106 . This results in bowl 106 being unsightly.

To address this issue, embodiments of the present invention provide an opaque or substantially opaque passage 210 within channel 212 and housing the interlock (or portion thereof). In this case, passageway 210 accommodates linkage/shaft 204 . Because the passageway 210 is opaque/substantially opaque, the components of the interlock 120 extending through the passageway 210 are not visible to the user, or any debris that may be caught within the passageway 212 is invisible to the user of.

To further address this problem, and if desired, one or both ends of the passageway 210 may be provided with seals such as O-rings. In this case, the relevant end of the passageway 210 may be provided with a notch or the like for receiving an O-ring sized to contact the linkage/shaft 204 but not prevent its movement. By providing such a seal, debris can be prevented or reduced from entering the passageway 210 .

As discussed above, with the lid 116 secured in place, the formation 218 carried by the lid bears against the top end 202 of the shaft 204 , forcing the shaft 204 downward relative to the bowl 106 . This enables the shaft 204 to push down on the actuation pin 206 so that the pin engages the actuator 304 of the switching device 208 rendering it inactive.

When the lid 116 is removed from the bowl 106, the safety interlock 120 is urged by the biasing means 302 back to the neutral position. In this position, the switch actuator 304 is released and the switching device 208 returns to the unusable state in which operation of the food processor 100 is prevented.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the interlock 120 may be arranged to extend from where it connects to the lid 116 (or a formation 218 on the lid) through the handle 112 of the bowl 106 to engage with the switching means 208 of the power base 102. connect. In such a device, the interlock is shaped to provide connection through the handle - for example, the member has a C shape and the opaque passageway housing the interlock would be correspondingly shaped.

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of a method for manufacturing a food processor bowl 106 that includes a safety interlock 120 such as that described above. 5A to 5E depict various stages of the fabrication method.

At step 402 , the passageway 210 is sealed 402 by inserting a sealing pin 502 , such as a rubber or brass pin, into both open ends of the passageway 210 , as represented by arrow 504 in FIG. 5A . Passage 210 is made of an opaque or substantially opaque material such as stainless steel or ABS steel. This results in a sealed passageway 506 as shown in FIG. 5A .

At step 404, the bowl 106 is molded around the sealed passageway 506 (see FIG. 5B). A sealing pin 502 is provided to prevent bowl material from entering the passageway 210 and the bowl 106 is molded directly around the passageway 210 to ensure that there is no gap between the passageway 506 and the material of the bowl 106 . The bowl 106 is molded from a clear/translucent plastic material such as, for example, Tritan, PET, SAN or PC.

At step 406 , the sealed passageway 506 is opened by removing the pin 502 .

At step 408 , shaft 204 of interlock 120 is inserted into passageway 210 in the direction of arrow 508 , as shown in FIG. 5C . O-rings may be used at the top or bottom of the passage to seal the gap between the passage and the interlock, if desired.

Once the interlock is in place, the spring 302 and bowl cover 310 are assembled at step 410 and secured in place (step 412 ) to hold the interlock 120 in place. This can be done by using screws (not shown) or by snapping onto the bowl cover 310 via the receiving surface 510 adapted to receive the bowl cover 310 . The receiving surface 310 may, for example, include a ridged edge to facilitate fastening of the bowl cover 310 . Alternative means such as adhesives, screws, or alternative fasteners may also be used.

In one embodiment, there is also an upper bowl cover 512 that is secured to the bowl and helps keep the interlock 120 in place. The upper bowl cover 512 may be secured using any of the methods described above that may also be used for the bowl cover 310 . In such an embodiment, steps 410 and 412 include assembling and/or securing an upper bowl cover 512 .

If the interlock 120 is of the type located in the handle 112 of the bowl 106 , then in step 404 described above, the portion of the bowl 106 molded around the sealed passageway 506 is the bowl handle 112 .

Alternative manufacturing methods are possible. For example, depending on the material used, the bowl may initially be molded without including the passageway being sealed. In this case, the passage 210 may be forced into the bowl after molding (e.g., by press-fitting), or the passage 210 may be machined into the molded bowl in a subsequent machining process (e.g., by press-fitting). by drilling, etc.).

It shall be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims (17)

1. container that is used for food-handling equipment; Said food-handling equipment comprises switching device shifter; Said switching device shifter can switch between first switching state that prevents said food-handling equipment operation and second switching state that allows said food-handling equipment to operate, and said container comprises:

Body, said body is limited on base portion and at least one wall, and said body comprises oral area and is suitable for holding the lid that is used to seal said oral area;

Safety mutually-locking device; Said safety mutually-locking device comprises mechanical linkage, and said mechanical linkage can move making said switching device shifter present the primary importance of said first state and said switching device shifter is appeared between the second place of said second state, when said oral area during not by said lid may enclose; Said mechanical linkage moves to said primary importance; And when said oral area during by said lid may enclose, said mechanical linkage moves to the said second place, and wherein

Said container also comprises the roughly opaque path that is used to hold said mechanical linkage.

2. container as claimed in claim 1, wherein, said at least one wall is roughly transparent.

3. according to claim 1 or claim 2 container, wherein, said roughly opaque path is set on said at least one wall and shape linearly roughly.

4. according to claim 1 or claim 2 container, wherein, said container comprises roughly transparent handle, and is provided with the path that roughly is shaped in the said roughly transparent handle.

5. container as claimed in claim 4, said roughly opaque path is a C shape.

6. like each described container in the claim 1 to 5, wherein, said safety mutually-locking device comprises bias device, and said bias device urges said mechanical linkage to said primary importance.

7. like each described container in the claim 1 to 6, wherein

Said mechanical linkage comprises axle and actuation device, and said axle is held by said roughly opaque path, and

When said lid is positioned at the appropriate location, the first end effect of said axle, thus cause said actuation device to make said switching device shifter present said second state.

8. container as claimed in claim 7, wherein, said mechanical linkage also comprises bar, said bar extends between the said actuation device at said axle.

9. container as claimed in claim 8, wherein, said bar is approximately perpendicular to said axle and/or said actuation device.

10. like each described container in the claim 1 to 9, also comprise one or more seals, said seal is between the wall of said mechanical linkage and said roughly opaque path.

11. a manufacturing is used for the method for the container of food-handling equipment, said method comprises:

The two ends that seal opaque path are to form seal path;

At the said container of said seal path molded about;

Open the two ends of said seal path; With

Interlock or its part are assembled in the said opaque path of unlatching.

12. method as claimed in claim 11, wherein, the two ends of the said opaque path of said sealing comprise inserts each in the said two ends with pin.

13. method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, the two ends of the said seal path of said unlatching comprise that each removes said pin from said two ends.

14. like each described method in the claim 11 to 13, wherein, said at least a portion that is included in the handle of the said container of said seal path molded about at the said container of said seal path molded about.

15. like each described method in the claim 11 to 13, wherein, a said part that is included in the said wall of a container of said seal path molded about at the said container of said seal path molded about.

16., wherein, comprise in the said said opaque path that said interlock is assembled to unlatching making the said mechanical linkage of said interlock slide into the step in the said path like each described method in the claim 11 to 15.

17. a food-handling equipment, said food-handling equipment comprise like each described container in the claim 1 to 10.

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