Patent Application
20240188758
The present invention relates generally to food processing devices and, more particularly, to a rotatable tool for a stand mixer having a vertical adjustment mechanism.
Stand mixers vary in size from small countertop models for home use to large capacity commercial machines. Such mixers typically food include a revolving planetary element that has a rotating beater shaft with which an attachment such as a wire whisk, dough hook or beater can be engaged, with the attachment revolving with the planetary element as well as rotating with the shaft. As the planetary element revolves and the attachment rotates, the attachment moves through food constituents in a bowl placed under the planetary element to mix, beat, or otherwise process the food constituents. Spiral-type stand mixers are similar, however, rather than creating the mixing action by rotating the attachment and/or planetary element, the bowl is rotated.
While existing stand mixers of the type described above are generally suitable for what may be regarded as ordinary performance and operation, certain operational issues may be encountered if the floor of the bowl and the bottom of the mixing attachment are not perfectly spaced. In particular, in certain cases, there may be either an undesirable gap between the bottom of the attachment and the bowl, or too much interference between the bottom of the attachment and the bowl to a degree where the attachment and bowl forcefully press into contact in a manner that may affect the operation thereof.
In view of the above, there is a need for an attachment for a food processing device, such as a stand mixer, that allows for vertical adjustment of the attachment in order to achieve an optimal spacing between the attachment and the bowl.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an attachment or tool for a food appliance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachment for a food mixer such as a stand mixer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachment for a stand mixer that allows for vertical adjustment of the attachment in order to achieve an optimal spacing between the attachment and the bowl.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a tool for a food appliance is provided. The tool includes a sleeve having an upper end configured for engagement with a drive shaft of the food processing appliance, and a lower end, and an attachment receivable on the lower end of the sleeve. A position of the attachment relative to the sleeve is adjustable.
The present invention will be better understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below:
With reference to
As best shown in
As further shown therein, the tool 10 further includes a collar 34 or nut that has a female threaded interior 36 having a plurality of female threads. The collar 34 and the female threads thereof are configured to threadedly engage the male threaded portion 32 (and male threads) of the sleeve 26 in the manner discussed hereinafter. In particular, as discussed below, below the collar 34 is configured to be received on the male threaded portion 32 of the sleeve 26. Importantly, the sleeve 26 can be threaded into the collar 34 so that the lower end of the sleeve 26 extends beyond the lower end of the collar 34. The collar 34 further includes a threaded aperture 38 in the side thereof for receiving a set screw 40. Finally, the tool 10 also includes a semi-annular or C-shaped ring 42 that is configured to be received about an upper end of the collar 34, the purpose of which is described hereinafter. In an embodiment, the C-shaped ring has opposed distal arm portions 44, 46 that are resilient and which define therebetween a clearance opening 48.
In use, the collar 34 is threaded onto the male threaded portion 32 of sleeve 26, so that a distal, lower end of the male threaded portion 32 protrudes beyond the lower end of the collar 34. The upper sleeve 26 is then engaged with the drive shaft of the stand mixer. Next, the hub 12 of the frame of the tool 10 is brought into alignment with the lower end of the sleeve 26, and the hub 12 and frame are rotated to threadedly receive the hub 12 on the male threaded portion 32 of the sleeve 26 to interconnect the sleeve 26 and hub 12. Alternatively, the hub 12 and frame may be threaded onto the male threaded portion 32 of the sleeve 26 prior to coupling the sleeve 26 to the drive shaft of the mixer. In either case, in this position, the tool 10 is connected to the drive shaft of the mixer and extends downwardly into the processing bowl (not shown).
A user can look into the bowl to see the spatial relationship between the bottom of the tool 10 and the floor of the bowl. If the space between the floor of the bowl and the bottom of the tool 10 is too large, a user can rotate the hub 12 and frame in a direction to cause the hub 12 and frame to move downwardly along the male threaded portion 32 of the sleeve 26, and towards the floor of the bowl until the desired spacing therebetween is achieved. At this point, the collar 34 is rotated in the same direction, so that it advances downwardly along the male threaded portion 32 of the sleeve 26 until the lower edge thereof contacts the upper end of the hub 12. In this position, the collar 34 functions as a stop, preventing the hub 12 and frame from being advanced upwardly along the sleeve 26. Set screw 40 is then inserted into the aperture 38 in the collar 34 and rotated until the distal end thereof bears against the sidewall of the sleeve 26, preventing rotation of the collar 34 and locking it in position along the sleeve 26.
Conversely, if the space between the floor of the bowl and the bottom of the tool 10 is too small, or there is an interference between the floor of the bowl and the bottom of the tool, a user can rotate the hub 12 and frame in a direction to cause the hub 12 and frame to move upwardly along the male threaded portion 32 of the sleeve 26, and away the floor of the bowl until a desired spacing therebetween is achieved. At this point, the collar 34 is rotated in a direction sufficient to move the collar 34 downwardly along the male threaded portion 32 of the sleeve 26 until the lower edge thereof contacts the upper end of the hub 12. In this position, the collar 34 functions as a stop, preventing the hub 12 and frame from being advanced further upward along the sleeve 26. Set screw 40 is then inserted into the aperture 38 in the collar 34 and rotated until the distal end thereof bears against the sidewall of the sleeve 26, preventing rotation of the collar 34 and locking it in position along the sleeve 26.
In either case, the collar 34 functions to restrain upward movement of hub 12 and frame when the collar 34 is moved to a position where the lower edge thereof is in contact with the upper end of the hub 12. Inadvertent downward movement of the hub 12 along the male threaded portion 32 is not a concern as, in an embodiment, the direction of threads may be such that during operation, rotation of the tool 10 is in a direction that urges the hub 12 upwardly (not downwardly), and the collar 34 prevents any such further upward movement.
After the tool 10 has been adjusted so that the desired spacing between the bottom of the tool 10 and the floor of the bowl is achieved, and is locked in place in the manner described above, the C-shaped ring 42 is placed over the upper end of the collar 34 by aligning the opening 48 with the collar 34 and urging the ring 42 toward the collar to momentarily displace the arms 44, 46 and allow the ring 42 to be closely received around the collar 34. The ring 42 is then rotated so that is covers the set screw 40 and aperture 38. In this manner, the ring 42 inhibits or prevents food and debris from fouling the set screw 40 and aperture 38 during use.
The present invention therefore provides a mechanism for quickly and easily adjusting the vertical position of an attachment or tool for a stand mixer relative to a processing bowl. While the tool 10 has been described above as employing a threaded means (i.e., a threaded connection between the hub 12 and sleeve 26) that allows for vertical adjustment, it is not intended that the present invention be so limited in this regard. In particular, it is contemplated that other connection means between the hub 12 and sleeve 26 may be utilized to provide for vertical adjustability of the tool, such as for, example, a spring biased pin that is receivable in one of a series of vertically-spaced apertures corresponding to different vertical positions of the tool, a ratchet mechanism, a simple pin that is received in one of a series of vertically-spaced apertures corresponding to different vertical positions of the tool, etc.
Moreover, it is contemplated that the sleeve 26, collar 34, set screw 40 and ring 42 may, together define a universal adjustment mechanism or adapter that can be utilized with a variety of dedicated tools each having a hub configured to engage with the sleeve in the manner hereinbefore described. In this sense, the sleeve 26, collar 34, set screw 40 and ring 42 may define the adapter, and the hub 12 and components that extends therefrom (i.e., the frame) may be considered the food processing/mixing attachment or tool. In this manner, a single adapter can be purchased by a consumer, which can be utilized with a variety of attachments.
While the present invention has been described in connection with attachments or tools for stand mixers, it is not intended that the present invention be so limited in this regard. In particular, it is contemplated that the tool and adapter disclosed herein can be utilized in connection with an attachment for any type of mixing or food processing device where control over the relative position of an attachment may be desired. Lastly, as discussed above, the specific configuration of the attachment is not intended to be limited to a beater, but rather any type of attachment known in the art is contemplated.
Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed in the above detailed description, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of this disclosure.
