Patent Application
20160316972
The invention relates to food preparation devices. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved blending appliance with an agitator assembly having both conventional blending blades and a blending implement for causing food contents to be stirred and forced down into the conventional blending blades.
Blending appliances used to blend beverages from solid and liquid ingredients are known. These blending appliances typically use agitators formed from blade sets that perform different functions. Known problems include cavitation and solidification of blending ingredients in areas of the blending jar remote from the agitator configuration typically disposed at the bottom of the blending jar.
In an embodiment, there is provided a blending appliance including a motorized base, a blending container, and an agitator configuration fitted into an opening of the blending container and rotatably coupled to the motorized base when the blending container is mounted on the motorized base. The agitator configuration includes at least a first blade form performing a blending operation on ingredients at a lower end of the blending container and at least a second blade form extending vertically upward from the first blade form and performing a processing operation on the ingredients in the blending container above the first blade form. The at least second blade form includes a pair of opposing elongated spiral shaped blades that spiral in a direction of rotation of the agitator configuration when the motorized base is energized and configured to stir ingredients and force ingredients down into the first blade form.
In an embodiment, there is provided an agitator configuration including at least a first blade form performing a blending operation on ingredients at a lower end of a blending container and at least a second blade form extending vertically upward from the first blade form and performing a processing operation on the ingredients in the blending container above the first blade form. The at least second blade form includes a pair of opposing elongated spiral shaped blades that spiral in a direction of rotation of the agitator configuration when rotated and configured to stir ingredients and force ingredients down into the first blade form.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
While the present invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, embodiments with the understanding that the present description is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described herein. Instead, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications and equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Referring now to
The agitator blade configuration 130 is inserted into an open end of the blending jar 120 and secured therein with an agitator nut 150 having internal threads 151 that engage complementary threads 121 on the bottom end of the blending container 120. The agitator configuration 130 includes a spindle 132 that fits into a bearing assembly 154 that further fits into a hub 152 (
In use, ingredients are placed into the blending jar 120 prior to the agitator blade configuration 130 being inserted into an open end of the blending jar 120 and secured with the agitator nut 150. After blending, the agitator nut 150 and the agitator configuration 130 may be removed and the blended contents poured into another receptacle for further disposition. Alternately, a specially formed threaded drinking cap (not shown) with a drinking hole (not shown) may be threaded onto threads 121 of the blending jar 120. Blended contents may be drank directly from the blending jar 120 through the drinking hole (not shown) in the drinking cap (not shown).
Referring now particularly to
The lower blade form 134 and upper blade form 136 are preferably similar to a conventional blender blade design (one or more generally U-shaped blades). In particular, the lower blade form 134 includes a central, substantially flat base 134a that extends radially with respect to the rotational axis R-R of the agitator configuration 130. A first wing portion 134b extends at a first angle downward from the base 134a and an opposing second wing portion 134c extends at a second angle downward from an opposing end of the base 134a. While it is preferred that first and second wing portion's 134b and 134c respective angles are not equal so as to provide enhanced blending and processing, it should be noted that such angles may be identical. In this manner, solid ingredients are grinded and prevented from building up at the bottom of the jar 120 by the lower blade form 134. The leading edges of the first and second wing portion's 134b and 134c are sharpened facing the direction of rotation of the agitator configuration 130. In the example illustrated, the leading edges of the first and second wing portion's 134b and 134c are sharpened for a clockwise rotation of the agitator configuration 130. In an alternate embodiment, the opposite edges of the first and second wing portion's 134b and 134c may be sharpened for a counter-clockwise rotation of the agitator configuration 130.
As with the lower blade form 134, upper blade form 136 includes a central, substantially flat base 136a extending radially with respect to the rotational axis R-R of the agitator configuration 130. A first wing portion 136b extends at a first angle upward from the base 136a and a second wing portion 136c extends at a second angle upward from an opposing end of the base 136a. While it is preferred that first and second wing portion's 136b and 136c respective angles are not equal so as to provide enhanced blending and processing, it should be noted that such angles may be identical. The leading edges of the first and second wing portion's 136b and 136c are sharpened facing the direction of rotation of the agitator configuration 130. In the example illustrated, the leading edges of the first and second wing portion's 136b and 136c are sharpened for a clockwise rotation of the agitator configuration 130. In an alternate embodiment, the opposite edges of the first and second wing portion's 136b and 136c may be sharpened for a counter-clockwise rotation of the agitator configuration 130.
In an embodiment, there is sandwiched between the lower blade form 134 and the upper blade form 136 the middle blade form 138. The middle blade form 138 is comprised of the base 136a and opposing first 138b and second 138c elongated blades that curve or spiral as they extend upwardly into the interior of the blending jar 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the first 138b and second 138c spiral blades spiral clock-wise from the base 136a to their distal tips for a clockwise rotation of the agitator configuration 130. In another embodiment, the first 138b and second 138c spiral blades spiral counter clock-wise from the base 136a to their distal tips. It should be noted that the middle blade form 138 comprised of the first 138b and second 138c spiral blades may be added to any existing or future agitator blade configuration. The first 138b and second 138c spiral blades are formed from suitable material formed into a flat bar shape and spiral or curve in the direction of rotation in a range from greater than zero degrees 0° to less than ninety-degrees 90°. The distal tips of the first 138b and second 138c spiral blades may be rounded but this is not meant to be limiting. The first 138b and second 138c spiral blades prevent cavitation of solid or frozen ingredients that will solidify during blending and create a cavity or air pocket around the agitator blade configuration 130. The first 138b and second 138c spiral blades create turbulence preventing solidification of the solid or frozen ingredients and a suction that forces the ingredients into the upper and lower blade forms 136, 134 below. The width (w) and height (h) are dependent upon the diameter and height of the blending jar 120 and optimized to stir blended contents and force ingredients down into the blade forms 136 and 134, particularly at low blending speeds required for blending protein drinks and the like. In a non-limiting example, the height (h) of the first 138b and second 138c spiral blades may be in the range of thirty millimeters (35 mm) to seventy millimeters (70 mm). In a non-limiting example, the width (w) of the first 138b and second 138c spiral blades may be in the range of five millimeters (5 mm) to twenty millimeters (20 mm).
In an embodiment, the first and second wing portion's 134b and 134c are arranged ninety-degrees (90°) to the first and second wing portion's 136b and 136c. The first 138b and second 138c spiral blades are arranged ninety-degrees (90°) to the first and second wing portion's 136b and 136c.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.
The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/155,890 filed May 1, 2015, entitled “Blender Dancing Blades”.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62155890 | May 2015 | US |
