Patent Application
20240074616
The present invention relates to a food processing apparatus having a food processing chamber comprising a blade arrangement and a motor arranged to drive the blade arrangement.
Many food processors, e.g. blenders or smoothie makers, operate by the rotation of a blade arrangement in a food processing chamber such as a jug or the like. To this end, the blades typically outwardly extend from a central shaft, which central shaft may be mechanically driven by a motor in a base on which the food processing chamber can be mounted, or may be magnetically driven, such as for example disclosed in WO2018/104813, which discloses a processing device of food products and drinkables using a space-varying magnetic field for blade rotation.
In order to achieve the desired cutting action, e.g. to achieve a substantially homogenous cutting of the ingredients within the food processing chamber, the blade arrangement must be rotated at relatively high speed and with sufficient power to avoid large chunks of food jamming the blade arrangement. This means that the blade arrangement and the motor (and its gear box) typically are quite noisy. For instance, such high speed rotation of the blade arrangement typically introduces unwanted vibrations of the blades, which adds to the noise levels produced by the food processing apparatus. In addition, to prevent such motors from overheating, some form of ventilation to the base in which the motor is housed needs to be provided, e.g. a fan-driven air flow through the base, which further adds to the noise produced by the food processing apparatus. The resulting noise levels produced by such food processing apparatuses are generally perceived as being unpleasant or undesirable by most users.
In addition, the rotating blades generate a centrifugal force in the food medium that is being processed in the food processing chamber, which causes chunks of food to be thrown onto the walls of the food processing chamber, such chunks of food can stick to the walls for a prolonged period of time and be only released therefrom by collision with another chunk of food or by gravity. This can lead to the final processed food product or the food processing chamber still containing chunks of food upon completion of the food processing operation, both of which are undesirable and can lead to a user considering the food processing apparatus to be imperfect or even inadequate. In addition, during operation, the vortex created in the food by the blade rotation tends to take food chunks away from the cutting blades due to the cutting blades extending outwardly, which compromises cutting efficiency and increases cutting blade wear.
The present invention seeks to provide a food processing apparatus that can produce an improved food processing operation at reduced noise levels.
According to an aspect, there is provided a food processing apparatus having a food processing chamber comprising a blade arrangement and a motor arranged to drive the blade arrangement, wherein the blade arrangement comprises a body having a surface arrangement delimiting a cavity and a plurality of cutting blades extending from said surface arrangement into said cavity.
The provision of such a blade arrangement benefits from the fact that the blades are not attached to a central shaft but are distributed around a body, such that interferential amplification of vibration noise generated by blades attached to a common shaft is suppressed. Moreover, due to the blades extending inwardly into the cavity within the body of the blade arrangement, a more efficient cutting action is achieved in which the inward direction of the blades causes food to be pushed towards the centre of the food processing chamber rather than to its one or more walls as is the case with outwardly pointing blades, thereby avoiding the risk of chunks of food being thrown towards such walls. The more efficient cutting action further allows for the food processing apparatus to be operated at lower rotation speeds if so desired because by moving the blade arrangement more towards the periphery of the food processing chamber, a higher torque is generated with the blade arrangement such that a required torque can be achieved at lower rotation speeds. This further aids reduction of the noise levels produced by the food processing apparatus. In addition, because the blade arrangement is arranged around the rim of the food processing chamber, the food processing chamber may be widened without compromising cutting efficiency, thus allowing larger chunks of food to be processed.
In a particular embodiment, the body is a cylindrical body, which for instance is preferable for ease of operation and cleaning purposes. However, in alternative embodiments, the surface arrangement may be multi-faceted, e.g. have a polygonal cross-section.
In an embodiment, the cutting blades are offset to each other along a central axis of the body. This increases the cutting volume of the blade arrangement, thereby further improving its cutting efficiency, whilst the distribution of the blades over the inner surface of the body such that the blades lie in different horizontal planes when the central axis of the cylindrical body is an a vertical orientation furthermore provides a particularly quiet blade arrangement.
The body preferably is arranged proximal to the rim of the food processing chamber. For instance, the body may form an integral part of the food processing chamber or may be secured against a bottom portion of the food processing chamber. To this end, the food processing apparatus may further comprise a securing ring arranged to secure the blade arrangement on a bottom portion of the food processing chamber, which securing ring for instance may be screwed onto the bottom portion of the food processing chamber.
In a particular set of embodiments, the motor is mechanically coupled to food processing chamber such as to rotate the food processing chamber including the blade arrangement, e.g. to increase movement of ingredients within the food processing chamber using gravitational and centrifugal forces. Such a driving mechanism may be used when the blade arrangement is integral to the food processing chamber as well as when the blade arrangement is detachable from the food processing chamber, e.g. when the blade arrangement is secured against the food processing chamber with the securing ring. In this set of embodiments, the motor may be mechanically coupled to the food processing chamber in any suitable manner, e.g. to the blade arrangement through an aperture in the bottom portion of the food processing chamber, to the sealing ring if present or directly to the food processing chamber, e.g. in case of a food processing chamber that is closed at the bottom such that the motor may interface with a bottom portion of the food processing chamber.
In this set of embodiments, the food processing apparatus may further comprise a protective cover at least partially covering the food processing chamber to prevent a user from being able to touch or otherwise access the rotating food processing chamber, which for instance may assist in preventing the user from accidental injury.
Where the blade arrangement is rotated together with the food processing chamber, the blade arrangement itself may not be rotatable. However, where the blade arrangement is to be rotated independent of the food processing chamber, or the food processing chamber is to be rotated independent of the blade arrangement, the blade arrangement may further comprise a further body, and the body may be rotatably mounted on said further body, in which case the body typically comprises a cylindrical outer surface to facilitate such rotation. To this end, the motor may be mechanically coupled to the body such as to rotate the body within the food processing chamber. Alternatively, the motor may be mechanically coupled to the food processing chamber such as to rotate the food processing chamber (and the further body) around the stationary body.
The mechanical coupling in any of these embodiments may comprise a central shaft driven by the motor and at least one engagement member coupled to the central shaft arranged to engage with the securing ring or the body. Such a drive mechanism may simply comprise a central shaft or alternatively the at least one engagement member may be mounted on a further cylindrical body attached to said central shaft or may comprise a plurality of engagement members individually mounted on respective arms that extend from said central shaft in a radial arrangement.
In the above embodiments, the blade arrangement is mechanically driven by the motor. However, in an alternative set of embodiments, the blade arrangement may be magnetically driven. To this end, the motor may comprise a stator arranged to create a rotating magnetic field, wherein the body is responsive to said rotating magnetic field. For instance, the body may be made of a paramagnetic material, e.g. a paramagnetic metal such as iron or the like, and comprise an arrangement of magnets or poles arranged around the body to make the body responsive to the rotating magnetic field having a direction of rotation perpendicular to the central axis of the body such as to induce rotation of the body around its central axis. The stator preferably is arranged around the body to optimize the coupling between the induced rotating magnetic field and the body.
In a particular embodiment, the food processing apparatus further comprises a docking station for the food processing chamber, said docking station including a base including the motor for engaging with a bottom portion of the food processing chamber including the blade arrangement, and a holder opposing the base for engaging with a top portion of the food processing chamber. Docking the food processing chamber in such a docking station further reduces operation noise of the food processing apparatus. Preferably, the food processing chamber is in a tilted orientation when docked in said docking station such that an orientation of the central axis of the body lies in between a vertical plane and a horizontal plane. This creates a tumbling effect of the food chunks within the food processing chamber, which aids cutting efficiency and reduces load force exerted on the cutting blades by food chunks.
The tilted orientation may be adjustable during operation of the food processing apparatus such that the tilt angle of the food processing chamber may be optimized as a function of progress of the food processing operation, e.g. to change the direction in which the ingredients move and alter movement speed of the ingredients such as to reduce the potential accumulation of ingredients in a particular location and consequently improve cutting efficiency.
The food processing apparatus may take any suitable shape. In particular embodiments, the food processing apparatus is a blender or a smoothie maker but other types of food processing apparatuses that implement a cutting function with blades, e.g. grinders, choppers or the like, may also be contemplated.
Embodiments of the invention are described in more detail and by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It should be understood that the Figures are merely schematic and are not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same reference numerals are used throughout the Figures to indicate the same or similar parts.
The mounting of the cutting blades 24 in this manner means that each cutting blade 24 is individually mounted on a separate part of the surface arrangement 25 of the body 22 rather than having a blade arrangement in which outwardly directed cutting blades share a central shaft as is the case in prior art arrangements. This has the advantage that vibrations experienced by individual cutting blades 24 are transferred to other cutting blades 24 of the blade arrangement 20 to a far lesser degree than is the case with cutting blades sharing a central shaft. Consequently, there is less positive interference between the vibrations of individual cutting blades 24. In addition, as each cutting blade 24 is individually mounted, this mounting mechanism can be made more robust or rigid compared to cutting blades sharing a central shaft, which further reduces the vibration of the cutting blades 24 during operation. Consequently, the blade arrangement 20 can be operated more quietly than blade arrangements having cutting blades sharing a central shaft.
The particular configuration of the cutting blades 24 on the surface arrangement 25 of the body 22 further improves the cutting efficiency of the blade arrangement 20. Because of this configuration, the cutting action of the cutting blades 24 is inwardly directed, thus forcing food towards the center of the body 22, i.e. into the cavity 3, rather than to the periphery of a food processing chamber as is the case with cutting blades extending from a central shaft. This is further enhanced by the rotating cutting blades 24 creating a vortex that sucks the food into the center of the body 22 rather than pushing it towards the periphery of the food processing chamber. Moreover, because the loading force exerted by the food interacting with the cutting blades 24 is distributed across the surface arrangement 25 of the body 22, this further enhances cutting efficiency and reduces noise.
In a particular embodiment, which is schematically depicted in
In
The blade arrangement 20 may be mounted in a food processing chamber 10 of a food processing apparatus 1 in any suitable manner. For example, as schematically depicted in
The food processing chamber 10 typically is mounted on a base 40 housing the motor 50 of the food processing apparatus 1, together with any suitable cooling arrangement (not shown) for the motor 50 if required, e.g. a fan, a water cooling mechanism, a semi-conductive cooling mechanism or the like. Any suitable mounting mechanism may be used for this purpose. As such mounting mechanisms are well-known per se, they will not be discussed in further detail for the sake of brevity. A central shaft 52 typically extends from the motor 50 for driving the blade arrangement 20 as will be explained in more detail below.
In a first set of embodiments, the body 22 of the blade arrangement 20 is arranged to rotate within a stationary food processing chamber 10, or alternatively to allow for rotation of the food processing chamber 10 around a static body 22. An example embodiment of such a blade arrangement 20 is schematically depicted in
The engagement of the drive mechanism between the motor 50 and the cylindrical body 22 may take any suitable shape or form, as will be readily understood by the skilled person. For example, as schematically depicted in
In another set of embodiments, an example embodiment of which is schematically depicted in
In order to protect a user from touching the rotating food processing chamber 10 during operation of the food processing apparatus 1, the food processing apparatus 1 may further comprise a protective cover or housing 60 as schematically depicted in
In the foregoing embodiments, the motor 50 is arranged to mechanically invoke rotation of the blade arrangement 20, either within the food processing chamber 10 or with the food processing chamber 10.
In this embodiment, the body 22, is made of a magnetizable material, e.g. a metal such as iron or the like, with a magnet arrangement 75 distributed on the further surface arrangement 26 of the body 22 such that the rotating magnetic field created by the stator 70 can induce rotation of the blade arrangement 20 by magnetizing the magnetizable material and causing the magnet arrangement 75 to follow the rotating magnetic field, as is well-known per se. The optional protective cover 60 may be placed around the stator 70, e.g. in case the food processing chamber 10 is arranged to rotate together with the blade arrangement 20 as explained in more detail above. As shown in
The food processing chamber 10 may be vertically mounted on the base 40, as shown in the foregoing embodiments. However, in an alternative embodiment schematically depicted in
The food processing chamber 10 may be mounted in any suitable fashion within the docking station 20. For example, a mounting post 36 or the like may extend from the bottom portion 14 of the food processing chamber 10 to the base portion 32 of the docking station 30, where the mounting post 36 may be secured in the base portion 32 of the docking station in any suitable manner. In case the blade arrangement 20 is mechanically driven, the mounting post 36 may form any of the previously described drive mechanisms between the motor 50 and the food processing chamber 10. A further mounting post 38 or the like may extend from the lid 11 of the food processing chamber 10 and be secured in the cap portion 34 of the docking station in any suitable manner. Many other suitable docking mechanisms will be immediately apparent to the skilled person.
The food processing chamber 10 may be stationary in the docking station 30 may be rotatably mounted therein, e.g. in case the food processing chamber 10 is designed to rotate together with the blade arrangement 20 or rotate around a stationary body 22 of the blade arrangement 20 as previously explained. In the latter case, the protective cover 60 may extend between the base portion 32 and the cap portion 34 of the docking station 30 to prevent access to the rotating food processing chamber 10 during operation of the food processing apparatus 1.
In some embodiments, the tilt angle of the food processing chamber 10 within the docking station 30 is fixed. However, in an alternative set of embodiments, the tilt angle of the food processing chamber 30 may be adjustable. To this end, the docking station 30 may comprise an adjustment mechanism that may be user-operated, e.g. prior to operation of the food processing apparatus 1, or may be automatically adjusted during operation of the food processing apparatus 1. For example, the base portion 32 and the cap portion 34 may form part of a bracket on an adjustable pivot (not shown), which pivot is adjusted in order to change the orientation of the bracket on the pivot such as to change the tilt angle of the food processing chamber 10. The pivot may be motorized in order to facilitate automatic adjustment of this tilt angle. Of course, many other implementations of such as adjustable tilt mechanism for the food processing chamber 10 may be contemplated.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these means can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2020/137657 | Dec 2020 | WO | international |
| 21155661.8 | Feb 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/085733 | 12/14/2021 | WO |
