Patent Application
20210259471
This invention relates to a blade hub assembly for a kitchen device.
Presently available kitchen devices often use a construction having a vessel assembly comprising a bowl and a blade hub assembly inserted therein. This construction allows the blade hub assembly to be removed from the vessel, which is advantageous for cleaning of the vessel and the blade hub assembly, for example in a dishwasher.
Due to the forces exerted on the blades, the blade hub assembly is often constructed from robust engineering materials, such as stainless steel, which cause the blade hub assembly to have significant weight. The design of presently available vessel assemblies often requires a locking part that retains the blade hub assembly in its position in the bowl. A common problem is that unlocking of the locking part leads to the blade hub assembly falling from its position in the bowl. As users frequently perform the unlocking operation with an open end of the bowl facing downwards, the falling blade hub assembly can damage a surface on which the bowl rests, or severely injure a user's foot.
It is an object of the present invention to at least substantially address one or more of the above disadvantages, or at least provide a useful alternative to the above described devices.
In a first aspect the present invention provides a blade hub assembly for a kitchen device having a receiving aperture with a profile, the assembly having a rotational axis about which the assembly is driven, the assembly comprising:
Preferably, the second profile is angularly offset from the first profile about the insertion direction such that, when the first profile is aligned with the aperture profile, the second profile interferes with the aperture profile.
Preferably, the aperture profile includes at least one recess, and wherein the first profile and/or the second profile includes at least one protrusion to be received in the recess.
Preferably, the number of recesses and the number of protrusions in one of the first and second profile is the same.
Preferably, the protrusion is tapered in the insertion direction with respect to the recess.
Preferably, the first profile includes at least one protrusion, and the protrusion is adapted to resist a torque applied by the recess.
Preferably, the aperture profile includes six recesses and the first profile includes six protrusions.
Preferably, the second profile has fewer protrusions than the first profile.
Preferably, the number of protrusions in the second profile is a multiplicative factor of the number of protrusions in the first profile.
Preferably, the first profile and the second profile include protrusions to be received in the recess, and wherein the protrusions of the first profile are spaced from the protrusions of the second profile by a distance of between 10 mm to 35 mm.
Preferably, the second profile includes at least one protrusion, the protrusion of the second profile being adapted to support the blade hub assembly.
In a second aspect the present invention provides a blade hub assembly for a kitchen device having a receiving aperture, the assembly having a rotational axis about which the assembly is driven, the assembly comprising:
Preferably, the first protrusions are angularly equally distributed about the axis; and
Preferably, an angular distance between the second protrusions is twice an angular distance between the first protrusions.
In a third aspect the present invention provides a vessel assembly for a kitchen device, the assembly comprising
Preferably, the locking member is movable between a secure position and a first free position, and wherein the locking member has a locking profile adapted to engage the second profile of the blade hub assembly such that:
in the secure position, the locking profile engages the second profile and secures the blade hub assembly to the vessel; and
Preferably, the locking member is in the first free position, the blade hub assembly is angularly movable about the insertion direction to a second free position, wherein, in the second free position, the blade hub assembly is removable from the receiving aperture.
Preferably, when the locking member is moved from the secure position to the first free position, the blade hub assembly is supported by the aperture profile contacting the second profile.
In a fourth aspect the present invention provides a kitchen device having the vessel according to the third aspect.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings:
According to the present disclosure, as seen in
As best shown in
The blade hub assembly 10 is adapted to be inserted into a bowl 70, shown in
As shown in
Use of the blade hub assembly 10 will now be discussed.
The blade hub assembly 10 is inserted into the bowl 70 by positioning the blade hub assembly 10 at a distance opposite the insertion direction 50 away from the bowl 70. The blade hub assembly 10 is rotated about the insertion direction 50 until the second protrusions 45 of the second profile 40 are each aligned with a recess 95 of the aperture profile 90. Once aligned, the blade hub assembly 10 is advanced in the insertion direction 50 until the second protrusions 45 of the second profile 40 have advanced beyond the floor 75 of the bowl 70. This relative rotational position between the blade hub assembly 10 and the receiving aperture 80 is a second free position.
The blade hub assembly 10 is now rotated yet again about the insertion direction 50 until each of the first protrusions 35 of the first profile 30 is aligned with a recess 95 of the aperture profile 90. The blade hub assembly 10 is then advanced in the insertion direction 50 until the first protrusions 35 of the first profile 30 are engaged in the recesses 95 of the aperture profile 90 thereby preventing rotation of the blade hub assembly 10 about the insertion direction 50. Typically, the ledge 15 abuts the floor 75 in this position. The first protrusions 35 are now able to resist a torque applied by the recesses 95.
To complete the vessel assembly 60, the locking member 100 is now positioned at a distance along the insertion direction 50 away from the bowl 70. The locking member 100 is rotated until each projection 115 is not aligned with a second protrusion of the second profile 40. The locking member 100 is then advanced against the insertion direction 50 until the upper portion 105 abuts the bowl 70. This relative position between the receiving aperture 80, the blade hub assembly 10, and the locking member 100 is a first free position.
The locking member 100 is now rotated about the insertion direction 50 until each projection 115 engages a second protrusion 45 of the second profile 40, thereby securing the blade hub assembly 10 against movement along the insertion direction 50. This position is a secure position. In the secure position, the drive gear 14 may be engaged by an appropriate drive (not shown) of a kitchen device 120, shown in
Advantages of the blade hub assembly 10 will now be discussed.
As the second protrusions 45 are angularly offset from the first protrusions 35, when the locking member 100 is moved from the secure position to the first free position, the blade hub assembly 10 may move under the influence of gravity against the insertion direction 50. However, as the second protrusions 45 are not aligned with the recesses 95, the blade assembly 10 comes to a rest when the second protrusions 45 abut the bowl 70. This substantially reduces the likelihood that the blade hub assembly 10 will uncontrollably fall out of the vessel assembly 60 and injure users or damage items below the vessel assembly 60.
The number of recesses 95, and correspondingly the number of first protrusions 35, is chosen based on two driving behaviours. Firstly, a larger number of recesses 95 would increase the probability that a random positioning of the blade hub assembly 10 would result in the first protrusions 35 being aligned with the recesses 95. This simplifies the insertion process for the user. Secondly, however, a larger number of recesses 95 reduces the linear extent of material between recesses 95. This increases the probability that when the locking member 100 is rotated from the secure position to the first free position and the blade hub assembly 10 drops, subject to disturbances or movement of the bowl 70, the second protrusions 45 may not engage the bowl 70, but, due to the higher probability of the second protrusions 45 aligning with the recesses 95, the blade hub assembly 10 drops from the bowl 70 altogether. Six recesses 95, as present in the preferred embodiment, satisfies both of these design criteria, enabling easy and safe insertion and disconnection of the blade hub assembly 10 with the vessel assembly 60.
It is preferred that the number of recesses 95 and first protrusions 35 are the same, to distribute the torque applied by the recesses 95 to the same number of first protrusions 35 and avoid shearing failure of the receiving aperture 90.
It is preferred that the number of second protrusions 45 is lower than the number of first protrusions 35 to save weight and cost. However, it is even more preferred that the number of second protrusions 45 is a multiplicative factor of the number of first protrusions 35, such that a plurality of possible alignment positions exist between the second profile 40 and the aperture profile 90. It is also advantageous if the number of second protrusions 45 is at least 3, so that the blade hub assembly 10 is balanced when supported on the second protrusions 45 by the bowl 70.
Because the first protrusions 35 and the second protrusions 45 are spaced by 10 mm to 35 mm, it is easy to accommodate the width of a typical human finger between the first and second protrusions 35, 45. This assists in preventing injuries that users may be exposed to when attempting to grip the blade hub assembly 10 by the set of blades 12.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.
For example, the second protrusions 45 could be equal in size to the first protrusions 35.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018902276 | Jun 2018 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2019/050649 | 6/24/2019 | WO | 00 |
