CN116056612A - Tool, adapter, accessory and corresponding food processing appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

A tool (200) for a food processing appliance is disclosed, comprising an extendable shaft (210, 220) for extending to compensate for different distances between a drive outlet of the food processing appliance and a container in which the tool is used.

Description

Tool, adapter, accessory and corresponding food processing appliance

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tool, an adapter, an accessory and a corresponding food processing appliance.

Background

Food processing appliances typically have one or more attachment points to which one or more accessories may be interchangeably attached to perform food processing activities. These food processing activities may include heating, mechanical or even chemical treatments. For example, the accessory may be heated, cooled, or the tool may be driven to rotate therein for heating and/or mechanical treatment of the food product.

It is desirable that these accessories be adaptable to as many different appliances as possible. In this way, one accessory may be manufactured and sold for use with multiple food processing appliances having different power ratings and sizes, thereby avoiding duplication and inefficiency.

An example of an accessory that is a challenge to achieve compliance is an ice cream making accessory. The ice cream making attachment is used to simultaneously cool and agitate the food material to produce ice cream. The cooling is typically achieved using a pre-cooling bowl comprising Phase Change Material (PCM) or using a cooling bowl with integral cooling elements, such as described in applicant's patent publication No. WO2017125749A2 (W0' 749), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, especially where they relate to cooling in an accessory. Agitation is typically provided by a rotating tool that is shaped to repeatedly lift the food material and mix air (or another gas) therein.

The cooling bowl is typically provided as an additional bowl to the main bowl of the food processing appliance, having its own fitting for attachment to the food processing appliance. This makes it difficult to use the cooling bowl on appliances with different attachment fittings. In addition, the cooling bowl has difficulty accommodating variations in concentricity of the bowl base and the drive outlet of the appliance.

It is also difficult to adapt the connection of the stirring tool to the drive outlet of the food processing appliance. Ideally, the stirring tool should be close to (or even in contact with) the cooling bowl during use in order to prevent accumulation of frozen material in contact with the cooling bowl and thoroughly stir the contents of the cooling bowl. However, if the tool is provided with an accessory for use with a single appliance (e.g. a bayonet clamp connected to a drive socket), this cannot accommodate appliances of different sizes or with different attachment points.

The present invention aims to at least partially ameliorate the above problems of the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention includes a tool for a food processing appliance wherein the tool is adapted to fit at least two different sizes of food processing appliances. The tool is preferably adapted to cooperate with a first and a second food processing appliance, or a first and a second container for use with a food processing appliance, wherein the first and second food processing appliances/containers have different sized food processing appliances. In this way, the tool may be manufactured and sold for use with a plurality of food processing appliances having different power ratings and sizes, thereby avoiding duplication and inefficiency. The tool preferably remains the same size (i.e., the size of the tool does not change) while in situ (in the tool), as such, the adaptation of the tool is preferably used to adjust the tool for different situations, such as for different sized containers/tools. The tool is preferably adapted to fit at least two different sizes of food processing appliances and is operable (e.g. by rotation) when fitted in the at least two different sizes.

The tool may be resiliently biased, preferably so as to automatically adapt the tool to the larger of the at least two different sizes. In this way, the tool is automatically adapted to the dimensions of different appliances without requiring user adjustment. The bias may also enable intimate contact with a bowl, such as an insulated bowl for making ice cream.

The tool-adaptable food processing appliance may be dimensioned to extend parallel and/or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drive outlet of the food processing appliance. The size of the food processing appliance to which the tool is adaptable may be the distance between the drive outlet of the food processing appliance and (the inner surface of) the container in which the tool is driven, preferably the inner surface of the container, and/or the distance between the rotational axis of the drive outlet driving said tool and the container in which said tool is driven, preferably the inner surface of the container. In this way, the tool can be used with appliances having bowls of different sizes located at different distances from the drive outlet.

The tool may comprise an extendable shaft, preferably wherein the extendable shaft extends such that the tool is adapted to fit the larger of the at least two different sizes. As used herein, the term "extendable shaft" preferably means a shaft configured to change its length, for example by increasing and/or decreasing in length. The extendable shaft may extend between a position suitable for a smaller of the at least two different sizes and a position suitable for a larger of the at least two different sizes. The extendable shaft may carry the working member. In this way, the tool adapts to the dimensions of different appliances without substantially changing the form of the tool, so that the tool can treat food in appliances of different dimensions in the same way.

The first part of the tool may be slid relative to, preferably into, the second part of the tool, preferably so as to adapt the tool to fit smaller of at least two different sizes. In this way, the tool may extend in the axial direction while maintaining rigidity in a direction transverse to the axial direction. In addition, the second portion may be used to clean the outer surface of the first portion by wiping the outer portion of the first portion. The second part of the tool may be driven by the first part of the tool, preferably rotated by a rotational movement of the first part. In this way, the second portion may be wider and thus stronger, with greater support at its distal end against forces acting transverse to its main axis. The tool may include a travel limiter for limiting relative movement of the first and second portions. The travel limiter may prevent the first and second portions from separating when in use. The travel limiter may limit the insertion of one portion into another portion. Preferably, the travel limiter may comprise a blind slot on one part which mates with a rib on the other part, preferably wherein the blind end of the blind slot is removable. In this way, the tool can be removed so that the components can be cleaned individually. The relative rotation of the first and second parts may be prevented, preferably wherein the relative rotation of the first and second parts is prevented by a travel limiter. The relative rotation of the first and second parts may be prevented by the grooves in one part cooperating with the ribs on the other part. Alternatively or additionally, relative rotation of the first and second portions may be prevented by a partially or fully non-cylindrical cross-section of the first and second portions. The first and second portions may be removably attached such that they may be separated for cleaning.

The tool may comprise features configured to be located on corresponding components of the food processing appliance other than the drive outlet, and preferably the features and corresponding features are protrusions and recesses. In this way, the position of the tool can be limited when processing the food product. For example, a tool configured to rotate about a single axis may be located on a feature along the axis to support the rotating tool.

The tool may be configured to rotate about a single axis. The axis of rotation of the tool may be fixed/may not move during operation. The tool may be white (colour) as this is particularly suitable for processing frozen food products as the tool may absorb less heat than tools of a different (darker) colour. The tool may be an ice cream whisk.

The tool may be configured to be in use adjacent to or in contact with the container, preferably for manipulating the foodstuff in the container. The tool may be shaped to repeatedly lift the food material and mix air or another gas into the food material. The tool may comprise a portion having a central post and radially extending blades, the portion preferably being configured to be in close proximity to or in contact with the container in use and/or to extend substantially across the (bottom) surface of the container. The tool may comprise further blades extending from the radially extending blades, for example stirring wings extending from the radially extending blades (substantially or essentially) along the axis of the column, preferably wherein the further blades are configured to conform or follow the (side) wall of the container.

The tool may be configured to obtain rotational drive from the drive outlet via a non-attached drive transmission. The non-attached drive transmission includes a central portion supporting the tool on the drive outlet and an axially extending drive vane configured to be driven in rotation by an element of the drive outlet displaced from the center of the drive outlet. In this way, the need for attachment means that must match each other is avoided, allowing drive to be transferred from appliances having different drive accessories.

The invention also includes an adapter for supporting an accessory within an outer container. The outer container may be a container of a food processing appliance, preferably wherein the accessory is an inner container, such as a bowl. Such as an insulated bowl for making ice cream. The adapter may support the accessory by suspending the accessory within the outer container. In this way, the accessory is insulated from the outer container. All or at least a portion of the adapter may be placed between the fitment and the outer container.

The adapter may include at least one resilient element configured to support the accessory within the outer container. As used herein, the term "elastic" preferably means flexible and elastically deformable. The elastic element may for example be made of a flexible and elastically deformable material, such as TPE, rubber (natural or artificial), etc. The resilient element may be more resilient than the fitment and/or the inner container. The at least one resilient element may be configured to conform to at least a portion of an inner surface of the outer container and/or to at least a portion of an outer surface of the outer container to support an accessory within the outer container. In this way, the adapter can be elastically adapted to compensate for variations in the relative dimensions and/or concentricity between the accessory and the outer container.

The adapter may be used to support the accessory within at least two differently shaped and/or sized outer containers. The adapter may include at least one resilient element configured to resiliently adapt to support the accessory within an outer container of different shape and/or size. The at least one resilient element may be configured to resiliently adapt to conform to at least a portion of the inner surface of the outer container and/or at least a portion of the outer surface of the outer container to support the accessory within an outer container of different shape and/or size. The adapter may include at least one resilient element configured to resiliently adapt to conform to a first range of shapes and/or sizes of the inner surface of the outer container; and comprising at least one elastic element configured to elastically adapt to a second range of shapes and/or sizes conforming to the outer surface of the outer container, wherein the first range is different from the second range, preferably wherein the first range and the second range are cross-sectional sizes, preferably diameter ranges. In this way, the fitment may be used with appliances having outer containers of different sizes and/or shapes, and thus may be manufactured and sold for use with a plurality of food processing appliances of different sizes, thereby avoiding duplication and inefficiency.

The adapter comprising the elastic element may further comprise a frame having a relative rigidity as compared to the at least one elastic element, preferably a frame made of a relatively rigid material. The frame may be referred to as a base. At least one resilient element may be removably attached to the frame. At least one resilient element may be retained within a recess of the frame. The frame may include an annular groove and the at least one resilient element includes a ring configured to fit within the groove. The resilient element and the frame may be integrally formed, preferably by over-moulding. In this way, the abutment ring is prevented from being lost or fatigued due to repeated stretching caused by detachment/attachment.

The adapter may be configured to support the fitment within the outer container in a manner that prevents relative rotation between the fitment and the outer container.

The shape of the adapter, frame and/or resilient element may be non-circular, and preferably elliptical and/or rectangular, and still more preferably square-circular. These shapes can be implemented to accommodate large main bowls while still eliminating those bowl from the stand portion of the appliance that is in close proximity to the stand portion or another element of the appliance.

The invention also includes a food processor accessory comprising a tool and/or an adapter, preferably wherein the accessory is a bowl, and more preferably wherein the adapter ring is integrally formed. The bowl may be an insulated bowl suitable for ice cream making. The invention also includes a food processing appliance comprising an accessory and/or at least one tool as described herein.

Any apparatus features as described herein may also be provided as method features and vice versa. As used herein, means-plus-function features may alternatively be expressed in terms of their corresponding structures, such as a suitably programmed processor and associated memory.

Any feature of one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention in any suitable combination. In particular, method aspects may be applied to apparatus aspects and vice versa. Furthermore, any, some, and/or all features of one aspect may be applied to any, some, and/or all features of any other aspect in any suitable combination.

It should also be appreciated that the particular combinations of features described and defined in any aspect of the invention may be implemented and/or provided and/or used independently.

In this specification, the word "or" may be construed in an exclusive or inclusive sense unless otherwise indicated.

Furthermore, features implemented in hardware may typically be implemented in software and vice versa. Any reference herein to software and hardware features should be construed accordingly.

Although the invention has been described in the field of domestic food processing and preparation machines, the invention can be implemented in any field of use requiring efficient, effective and convenient material preparation and/or processing, whether on an industrial scale or in small amounts. The field of use includes preparation and/or processing: a chemical; a drug; painting; building materials; clothing material; agricultural and/or veterinary feeds and/or treatments, including fertilizers, cereals and other agricultural and/or veterinary products; an oil; a fuel; a dye; cosmetic products; a plastic; tar; a finishing agent; a wax; a varnish; a beverage; medical and/or biological research materials; solder; an alloy; sewage water; and/or other substances, and any reference herein to "food product" may be replaced by such working media.

The invention described herein may be used in any kitchen appliance and/or as a stand alone appliance. This includes any home food processing and/or preparation machine, including top drive machines (e.g., stand mixers) and bottom drive machines (e.g., agitators). It may be implemented in a heating and/or cooling machine. It may be used in a machine built into a work table or work surface, or in a stand alone appliance. The invention may also be provided as a stand alone appliance.

"food processing" as described herein should be considered to include slicing, whipping, stirring, kneading, shredding, grinding, shaping, shredding, grinding, cooking, freezing, making ice cream, juicing (centrifugation or vortexing) or other food processing activities involving physical and/or chemical conversion of food and/or beverage materials by mechanical, chemical and/or thermal means.

Drawings

One or more aspects will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of an exemplary stand mixer incorporating a bowl assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective exploded view of an exemplary tool according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective assembly view of the tool of FIG. 2 in a first configuration;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective assembly view of the tool of FIG. 2 in a second configuration;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the bowl assembly of FIG. 1 including the tool of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective exploded view of the bowl assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective exploded view of the engagement ring of the bowl assembly of FIG. 6 in an inverted orientation;

FIG. 8 shows a side cross-sectional view through the mating ring of FIG. 7; the method comprises the steps of,

Fig. 9 shows a top plan view of the adapter ring of fig. 7.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a food processing appliance 100 (in this case a stand mixer). The appliance 100 has a base 110 with a bowl seat 111, and a main bowl 310 of the bowl assembly 300 can be releasably attached to the bowl seat 111 by, for example, a bayonet securing means (e.g., a protrusion on the bowl seat 111 frictionally and fixedly locked into a bayonet recess 311). Base 110 is shaped to rest horizontally on a work surface along its major axis during use, supporting the remainder of appliance 100. The stand portion 120 extends from an end of the base 110 transversely to a principal axis of the base 110.

The head portion 130 is disposed to extend horizontally from the stand portion 120 above the base 110. Drive outlets 140, 150 and 160 are provided on the machine head for driving the tool to perform food processing tasks. In particular, a downwardly facing outlet 140 is provided on a lower surface of the hand piece opposite the bowl 111 of the base 110 for driving a tool to process food products within the bowl assembly 300 when the bowl assembly 300 is attached to the base 110.

The nose portion 130 is preferably pivotable relative to the stand portion 120, or alternatively, the stand portion 120 may be pivotable with the nose portion 130 relative to the base 110 such that the nose portion 130 may be lifted from the base 110. A handpiece lift latch 180 is provided on the bracket 120 that can be actuated by a user to release the handpiece 120 for lifting, potentially under the urging of a spring. This facilitates better access to the downwardly facing outlet 140.

The downwardly facing outlet 140 has an attachment point 141 provided thereon for attachment to a tool. The attachment point 141 may be a bayonet mount and is located on a disk 143 that is held on the drive outlet 140 by a center nut 142. The center nut 142 may be stationary relative to the appliance 100 or may rotate with the disk 143 of the downward facing outlet 140. In particular, if the center nut 142 remains stationary relative to the tool 100 during rotation of the disk 143, the center nut 142 preferably has a smooth, low friction exterior-e.g., it may present a dome-shaped lower outer surface so that the tool 200 may rotate in contact therewith. It is also possible to drive the attachment point 141 in rotation about its own axis, while the attachment point 141 is integrally driven by rotation of the disc 143 about the periphery of the downwardly facing outlet 140 by a planetary gear arrangement within the appliance 100 to achieve, for example, planetary mixing.

A user interface 170 is provided on the stand 120 for controlling the appliance 100. It may be a rotary dial, or any other form of user interface that allows for input of user instructions and optionally provides feedback to the user regarding the status of the appliance 100.

In fig. 1, a front drive outlet 150 and an upper drive outlet 160 are shown with their respective covers attached. The rotational drive output by outlets 150 and 160 may be at a higher or lower speed relative to downwardly facing outlet 140, which is accomplished by suitable gears within appliance 100. Preferably, the rotational drive for each outlet 140, 150 and 160 is provided by a single motor located in the handpiece 130, the bracket 120 or the base 110.

In fig. 2, a stirring tool 200 is shown. The lower portion 210 of the stirring tool 200 has a central column 213 and stirring wings 211, which stirring wings 211 extend from radially extending blades 212 along the axis of the column 213. In use, the lower portion 210 rotates with either or both of the wings 211 and vanes 212 in close proximity to the bowl assembly 300 or even in contact with the bowl assembly 300 to ensure that the food material is thoroughly processed and does not, for example, freeze on the bowl 300. Rubber wipers may be provided on either or both of wings 211 and blades 212 to ensure intimate contact with bowl 300.

The wings 211 are preferably shaped to have a leading edge 211a and a trailing edge 211b, the leading edge 211a contacting the bowl assembly 300 (e.g., the inner bowl 350) to scrape material frozen thereon, and the trailing edge 211b lifted from the bowl assembly 300 to pull unfrozen material upward and apply it to the bowl assembly 300 to freeze it. In this manner, during rotation, each wing 211 repeatedly scrapes off frozen material and applies thawed material to the bowl assembly 300 for freezing. To further improve the effect, the wing 211 may have a curved wing-like shape.

A flange 214 is provided on the lower portion 210 and extends radially from the lower portion 210. The flange 214 prevents food material processed by the tool 200 from climbing along the post 213. The flange 214 may also seal with a static splash guard 320 of the main bowl 310 of the bowl assembly 300 to prevent material from entering or exiting the bowl assembly 300 during use. For this purpose, a rubber sealing element 215 extending from the periphery of the flange 214 or a sealing element made of any other suitable substance may be provided. The flange 214 also axially abuts the splash guard 320 to center the tool 200 relative to the splash guard 320.

The lower portion 210 is rotated by an upper portion 220 of the tool 200, the upper portion 220 being slidably positioned within an upper bore 216 of the lower portion 210, the upper bore 216 extending axially within the post 213. To ensure that the lower portion 210 and the upper portion 220 rotate together, the exterior of the upper portion 220 has ribs 221 extending axially along the upper portion 220, the ribs 221 fitting within axially extending grooves 217 on the inner surface of the bore 216. In this way, the upper portion 220 may slide axially within the lower portion 210, but is prevented from rotating relative to the lower portion 210, thereby ensuring that rotational drive is transferred from the lower portion 210 to the lower portion 220.

Although a male-female relationship between the upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210, respectively, has been described above, the relationship may alternatively be female-male (i.e., the lower portion 210 extends within an axially extending bore in the upper portion 220) without significantly altering the principle of operation. However, the male-female relationship shown in FIG. 2 is preferred because it makes the post 213 wider and thus stronger, which is important because it is subjected to forces acting transversely to its main axis at the unsupported distal end where it meets the blade 212.

Similarly, the ribs 221 may be provided on the lower portion 210 and the grooves 217 provided on the upper portion 220, again without changing the principle of operation. However, since the groove 217 tends to resist lateral forces more strongly than the rib 221, it is preferable that the groove is provided on the lower portion 210 for the reasons already discussed above.

The upper portion 220 receives rotational drive from the downwardly facing drive outlet 140. This is achieved by bearing holes 222 at the end of the upper part 220 corresponding to the lower part 210 pressing against the nut 142, and driving blades 223 extending radially from the upper part 220 are pushed to rotate by the attachment point 141. To achieve this, the drive blade 223 should extend radially at least as far from the nut 142 as the attachment point 141.

A reinforcing flange 224 is provided to extend from the upper portion 220 along the lower edge of the blade 223 to provide greater strength to the driving blade 223 in the rotational direction. In addition, the driving blade 223 is shaped away from the rotation direction of the attachment point 141 in the extending direction thereof for greater strength and prevention of slippage. Preferably, the drive blade 223 is shaped as a concave, wherein the open end of the concave shape faces the attachment point 141 when it abuts the drive blade 223 so as to partially surround the drive blade 223. This concave, partially enclosed shape is particularly advantageous in strengthening the drive blade 223 and preventing the attachment point from sliding along the length of the drive blade 223, particularly in combination with the cylindrical attachment point 141.

The drive blade 223 may be extendable. The drive vane may also be changeable. For example, the upper portion may comprise a detachable drive section for receiving drive from the drive outlet. The tool may comprise a plurality of drive portions attachable to the upper portion, each drive portion being adapted to receive drive from a different drive outlet. In other embodiments, the upper portion may be separate from the upper portion, and the tool may include a plurality of upper portions, each upper portion adapted to receive drive from a different drive outlet.

When the drive blade 223 receives drive directly from the attachment point 141 without being physically attached to it (whether releasable or permanent) and without force urging it toward the attachment point 141 (or vice versa), it will be free to separate, which is an example of a non-attached drive transmission. The non-attached drive transmission is advantageous in that it avoids the need for attachment means that must mate with each other, thereby allowing drive to be transferred from appliances having different drive accessories.

In order to maintain the bearing bore 222 in contact with the nut 142, a compression spring 230 is provided between the upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210, the compression spring 230 biasing the upper portion 220 towards the nut 142 and the lower portion 210 downwardly in use.

In order to prevent the lower part 210 and the upper part 220 from being forcibly separated by the spring 230, a locking nut 240 is provided at an end of the lower part 210, and the upper part 220 is inserted through the locking nut 240. The lock nut 240 covers the end of the groove 217, preventing the rib 221 from exiting the groove 217, but has a central hole 241 through which the remainder of the upper portion 220 can slide. Since the rib 221 extends along only a portion of the axial extent of the upper portion 220, only that portion of the rib 217 that extends along the axial extent of the upper portion 220 remains in the lower portion 210. Similarly, the stiffening flange 224 helps prevent the upper portion 220 from being fully inserted into the lower portion 210 by blocking the locking nut 240.

Thus, the lock nut 240 acts as a travel limiter, closing the end of the groove 217 to form a blind groove, the rib 221 being unable to leave the blind groove when the rib 221 is attached to the tool 200. Thus, the lock nut 240 limits travel of the upper portion 220 relative to the lower portion 210 between a point of maximum extent away from the lower portion 210 (as shown in fig. 3) and a point of maximum compression of the spring 230 and a point of minimum extent of the upper portion 220 away from the lower portion 210 (as shown in fig. 4). The lock nut 240 is preferably removably attached to the lower portion 210, for example using a bayonet fitting, a snap fit, or a screw attachment, turning the lock nut 240 in the direction indicated by the arrow seen in fig. 3. The removable attachment of the lock nut 240 allows the tool 200 to be disassembled so that the components can be cleaned individually. A rubber seal may optionally be included between the upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210 to prevent liquid from entering therebetween.

In order to enable the lock nut 240 to be inserted through the central hole 241, a cutout 242 is provided for the rib 221 to pass therethrough. The cutout 242 is positioned such that once the rib 221 is seated in the groove 217 and the lock nut 240 is attached to the lower portion 210, the cutout 242 is not positioned to correspond to the rib 221, thereby blocking the rib 221 within the bore 216.

The upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210, and in particular the ribs 221 and the grooves 217, are preferably made of a relatively low friction material (e.g., nylon or similar plastic) to facilitate relative sliding/telescoping therebetween. The use of lubricating oil is preferably avoided to avoid contamination of the food product processed by the tool 200 with oil leaking from the tool 200. The tool 200 is preferably made of a dishwasher safe and/or food safe material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, nylon, HDPE or similar plastic.

Although the tool 200 is described as having two relatively telescoping elements (upper 220, lower 210), it may alternatively have three or more, each interconnected in the manner described for upper 220 and lower 210. The relatively telescopic member has the advantage of allowing telescoping in the axial direction while maintaining rigidity in a direction transverse to the axial direction. In addition, the telescoping process may be used to clean the outer surface of the telescoping member when one telescoping member wipes the exterior of the member through which it telescopes.

To further ensure that relative rotation between the upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210 is prevented, the upper portion 220 may be cylindrical along a majority of its exterior, except for a flat non-cylindrical portion 225 that mates with a corresponding flat non-cylindrical portion inside the lower portion 210. Alternatively, the upper portion 220 may be, for example, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, or another non-cylindrical shape, wherein the cross-section of the aperture 216 is similarly non-cylindrical and conforms to the exterior of the upper portion 220.

If the nut 142 is co-rotated with the attachment point 141 and the disk 143, the bearing hole 222 may be shaped to conform to the non-cylindrical outer shape of the nut 142 (or another rotating component on the drive outlet 140) to better transmit rotational power therebetween. In this case, if the connection between them is sufficiently strong, the drive blade 223 may be discarded and drive taken directly from the feature of the drive outlet 140 supported by the support hole 222. However, an arrangement in which the tool 200 is only against the nut 142 and does not receive drive directly therefrom is preferred, as a nut similar to the nut 142 is a common feature of planetary vertical mixers, meaning that the tool 200 can be used with a number of different vertical mixers.

Thus, the adaptation of the tool 200 to different appliances 100 having different distances between their driver outlets and bowls is achieved by allowing the tool 200 to vary in length. In particular, the use of the elastic element (spring 230) means that the tool 200 is automatically adapted to different sizes of different appliances without requiring user adjustment. It will be appreciated that the tool may be configured to accommodate appliances having different distances between components of the appliance other than the drive outlet and bowl-for example, different distances between the axis of rotation of the tool and the inner surface of the container in which the tool is driven.

In alternative embodiments, the upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210 may be rigidly connected, and one or more additional shaft elements may be rigidly connected therebetween to adjust the length of the tool 200. However, this does not enable automatic adaptation.

In another alternative embodiment, the upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210 may be relatively expanded and contracted in the manner described above, but the resilient member (spring 230) is omitted. In this case, an attached driver may be used to maintain the tool 200 in driving connection with the drive outlet 140, or the relative telescoping between the upper portion 220 and the lower portion 210 may be locked at a desired height by using a locking element (e.g., a locking nut abutting portions 220 and 210) to prevent telescoping therebetween.

Fig. 5 shows the tool 200 assembled to the bowl assembly 300. As can be seen in fig. 5, the flange 214 of the tool 200 abuts and partially surrounds the lip of the inner bore 321 of the splash guard 230 to prevent food material from flowing therebetween.

The lower portion 210 of the tool 200 has a protrusion 218 formed at a lower end, the protrusion 218 bearing in a corresponding recess in the bottom 351 of the inner bowl 350 received within the cooling bowl 340 to help maintain the tool 200 in a centered position in the cooling bowl 340. Alternatively, the protrusion on the inner bowl 350 may generally correspond to the recess on the tool 200. Notably, the combination of the flange 214 abutting the splash guard 230 and the protrusion 218 abutting the recess 35 generally positions the tool 200 within the bowl assembly 300 such that the tool 200 may rotate relative to the bowl assembly 300 but does not substantially move relative to the bowl assembly 300.

The wings 211 rotate in close contact with the inner bowl 350 sidewall to help scrape material off and prevent material from collecting on them. Scraping the side walls in this manner may help prevent ice from accumulating as ice cream is made.

The cooling in the cooling bowl 340 shown in fig. 5 is provided by pre-cooled PCM (phase change material) 341. PCM341 is preferably a material with a phase transition temperature in the range of-25 ℃ to 25 ℃. More preferably, PCM341 has a phase transition temperature equal to or below 0 ℃ (i.e., the freezing point of water) and above-25 ℃ (i.e., the lowest temperature achievable in a standard household freezer). More preferably, the phase transition temperature is in the range of 0 ℃ to-18 ℃ (i.e., the typical minimum temperature of modern freezers). Still more preferably, the phase transition temperature is in the range of 0 ℃ to-12 ℃ (i.e., the lowest temperature of the older freezer). More preferably, the PCM is E-11, available from Phase ChangeMaterial Products Limited Unit 32,Mere View Industrial Estate,Yaxley,Cambridgeshire PE7 3HS,UnitedKingdom. Examples of other suitable PCMs include water, brine, and plant-based PCMs. PCM341 may be food safe so that it does not poison food in contact with it when it comes into contact with it. If the PCM341 is transparent in its natural/liquid state, the PCM341 may be colored, for example, by adding a food-safe dye, so that a user may easily find the PCM341 to leak. PCM341 is preferably odorless under normal operating conditions. PCM341 may be non-corrosive so that, for example, ordinary steel, does not rust when in contact therewith.

PCM 341 is preferably surrounded by insulating material on all sides except the side facing inward toward bowl 350. For example, as shown in fig. 5, PCM 341 is surrounded below and laterally by a relatively thicker portion 340a of the side wall of cooling bowl 340. This helps to prevent the PCM from warming up from any direction other than the inner bowl 350, thereby enhancing cooling of the inner bowl 350. To further enhance this cooling effect, the bottom surface 351 of the inner bowl 350 may be made of a relatively thermally conductive material, such as stainless steel.

PCM 341 may surround the inner bowl 350 on only one side or it may extend up the inner bowl side to the level of the upper portion of the cooling bowl side wall 340B. Ribs 347 may be provided between the cooling bowl 340 and the inner bowl 350 to maintain a spacing therebetween.

Although the cooling described above is achieved using PCM 341, the cooling bowl 340 may additionally or alternatively include active (i.e., powered, such as electrical or chemical) cooling elements. For example, it may comprise a cooling jacket as described in WO'749 of the applicant discussed above. Also alternatively or additionally, it may include a passive (i.e., pre-cooling) cooling element, such as a cooled thermal mass, that is different from PCM 341.

The side walls of the cooling bowl 340 are preferably made of a relatively thermally insulating material, such as polystyrene or glass filled polypropylene. It may contain air-filled voids, foam-filled voids, or even vacuum-filled voids in order to enhance its insulating properties. A metallic conductive path (e.g., a metallic rivet) is preferably avoided in the construction of the walls of the cooling bowl 340. In contrast, the inner bowl 350 may be made of a more durable, scratch-off substance (e.g., a food-safe metal such as stainless steel, a durable hard plastic, or preferably aluminum because it is inexpensive and easily malleable) because it may be in contact with the tool 200, and these substances tend to be more conductive. Using the inner bowl 350 and the outer cooling bowl 340 in this manner, permanently attached to each other or removably attached to each other, combines the best of their respective characteristics.

Although PCM341 has been described above as being integral with cooling bowl 340, it may alternatively be provided as a separate component (e.g., PCM liquid tank) removably attached to the cooling bowl 340 or inner bowl 350 so that it may be placed separately in a refrigerator, thereby avoiding the need to cool the entire bowl. In this case, the PCM341 and its surrounding side walls 340A and bowl base 342 may be separated from the rest of the cooling bowl 340 as a unit for placement in a refrigerator by, for example, a threaded attachment or other removable attachment. Alternatively, the PCM341 and bowl 351 may be separated from the cooling bowl 340 as a unit. In another alternative, the PCM341 may be separately removable and placed in the space between the cooling bowl 340 and the inner bowl 350. In yet another alternative, the PCM341 may be permanently attached or removably attached to the inner bowl 350.

In order to keep the cooling bowl 340 within the main bowl 310 so that it does not rotate during use, and preferably above the bottom of the main bowl 310, and spaced air-apart from the main bowl 310 over most of its surface, to further prevent heat conduction to the cooling bowl 340, an engagement ring 330 is used. An engagement ring 330 in use is located between the upper edge 313 of the main bowl 310 and the cooling bowl 340.

The engagement ring 330 has a recess 331, and the protrusion of the cooling bowl 340 is positioned in the recess 331 to prevent relative rotation therebetween. A seal 344 in a groove 345 along the upper edge of the opening of the cooling bowl 340 is disposed between the cooling bowl 340 and the inner bowl 350 to seal the gap therebetween.

The splash guard 320 is preferably made of a transparent material (e.g., a transparent plastic such as a copolyester of Tritan ™) so that a user can see the status of the food product being processed within the cooling bowl 340. A supply pipe 323 communicating with the inner bowl 350 is provided in the splash guard 320 so that ingredients can be poured therein from the outside during use. The supply tube 322 may optionally include a closable lid, preferably a lid biased to a closed position by a resilient element, to prevent accidental ingress/egress of food material.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, to accommodate different sized main bowls 310, the engagement ring 330 has different diameters at its upper edge 313, the engagement ring 330 comprising two portions-a ring base 330a and a flexible abutment ring 330b. As shown in fig. 7, the flexible abutment ring 330b can flex inwardly and outwardly to accommodate bowls of different diameters (310 a, 310b, 330 c). In particular, the abutment ring 330b has outwardly extending tabs 332 and abutment flanges 333, the tabs 332 resiliently contacting the main bowl 310 at different distances, the abutment flanges 333 extending on the edge of the main bowl 313 to abut the larger main bowl 310c from opposite sides of the tabs 332 (i.e., on the outer surface of the main bowl 310 c). The elastic force/friction of the abutment ring 330b against the main bowl 310 is sufficient to secure the main bowl 310 against relative rotation under normal use. The engagement ring may include a plurality of flexible abutment rings, which may be of different sizes.

The flexibility of the abutment ring 330b makes it possible to adapt to the variation in concentricity between the drive outlet 140 and the main bowl 310/bowl seat 111. These changes may be inherent to device 100 or may occur spontaneously due to bending/movement of handpiece 130 relative to base 110. The abutment ring 330b simply flexes to allow the cooling bowl 340 and the inner bowl 350 to be positioned concentric with the drive outlet 140.

The wedge portion 334 extends from the annular seal 330b through a cutout 335 in the annular base 330 a. In this way, relative rotation of the abutment ring 330b and the base 330a is prevented. The wedge portion 334 may also be shaped to resiliently abut the main bowl 310 to further secure the ring 330 against relative rotation with respect to the main bowl 310, and when the engagement ring 330 is used with smaller bowls, the wedge portion 334 acts as a spacer as the tabs 332 flex inwardly. The wedge-shaped portion 334 also serves to divide the tab 332 into at least two portions, thereby preventing the entire tab 332 from deflecting upward (and out of contact with the main bowl 310) due to forces acting at a single point. In addition, the wedge-shaped portion 334 forms an air flow channel that allows air to flow through the abutment ring 330b in order to insert the engagement ring 330 into the main bowl 310 and remove the engagement ring 330 from the main bowl 310 by preventing compression/suction of air thereunder during attachment/removal. However, because air flow around a majority of the circumference of the engagement ring 330 is blocked by the abutment ring 330b, heating of the cooling bowl 340 by air flow is reduced.

As shown in fig. 8, the radially outwardly extending upper lip 346 of the cooling bowl 340 rests on the ring base 330a. Thus, the cooling bowl 340 is fixed vertically/axially and rotationally with respect to the mating ring 330 and thus to the main bowl 310.

Fig. 9 shows the ring base 330a assembled to the abutment ring 330 b. To attach the abutment ring 330b to the base 330a, the abutment ring 330b is stretched and positioned in tension within the peripheral groove 336 of the base 330a, with the wedge portion 334 positioned to correspond to the cutout 335 of the base 330a. Providing the abutment ring 330b and the base 330a to be separable allows easier cleaning, in particular of the material located therebetween. Alternatively, the abutment rings 330b may be provided as over-molded on the base 330a such that they are permanently attached, which is advantageous because it will prevent the abutment rings 330b from being lost or fatigued due to repeated stretching for disassembly/attachment.

In order to retain the flexible abutment ring 330b against the main bowl 310, the ring base 330a should be a relatively rigid material as compared to the material of the abutment ring 330 b. For example, the ring base may be a hard plastic, such as HDPE, nylon, polypropylene or another hard plastic, preferably a food and dishwasher safe hard plastic, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. Alternatively, it may be a durable, non-corrosive metal, such as stainless steel. Instead, the flexible abutment ring 330b should be made of a flexible, elastically deformable material, such as TPE, (natural or synthetic) rubber, etc.

Fig. 9 shows a non-circular (e.g., oval/rectangular) shaped engagement ring 330, colloquially referred to as a "square circle". This allows the ring 330 to be mounted on the lip of a larger main bowl with the abutment flange 333 located on a portion of the ring 330 extending from the circular portion of the engagement ring 330 above the handle 313 of the main bowl 310. This "square-round" shape enables adaptation to a large main bowl 310 while still eliminating the stand portion 120 of those appliances where the bowl is in close proximity to the stand portion 120 or another element of the appliance 100. The cross-section of the adapter may be considered to have such a non-circular profile with an internal circular void.

While the above described engagement ring 330 is provided separately from the cooling bowl 340 so that it may be used with different accessories, it may instead be integrally formed with the cooling bowl 340 (or a different accessory, such as a screening accessory). This may be accomplished by simply over-molding the flexible abutment ring 330b onto a suitable structure on the outer wall that is an attachment to the base 330a, or by using the abutment ring 330b as a separate component for a suitable attachment outer wall structure.

As used herein, the term "removable attachment" (such as a similar term of "removable attachment") in reference to an attachment between a first object and a second object preferably means that the first object is attached to the second object and can be detached (and preferably reattached, etc., repeatedly), and/or the first object can be removed from the second object without damaging the first object or the second object; more preferably, the term means that a first object may be reattached to a second object without damaging the first object or the second object, and/or that the first object may be removed from (and optionally also reattached to) the second object by hand and/or without the use of tools (e.g., screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.). In this regard, mechanisms such as snap-fit, bayonet attachment, and manually rotatable lock nuts may be used.

Herein, "food safety" refers to any substance that, if ingested, does not expel substances harmful to human health in clinically significant amounts. For example, it should be BPA-free.

"dishwasher safe" means that it should be physically and chemically stable during prolonged exposure to prolonged exposure within the dishwasher. For example, it should be able to withstand exposure to a mixture of water and typical dishwasher substances (e.g., washing with a Fairy ™ or Finish ™ dishwasher tablet and water at a temperature of 82 ℃ for up to 8 hours without significant degradation (e.g., cracking)).

It will be appreciated that the invention has been described above by way of example only and that modifications of detail may be made within the scope of the invention.

Each feature disclosed in the description and (where appropriate) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination.

The reference signs appearing in the claims are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims.

The following is a list of embodiments of the invention:

1. a tool for a food processing appliance comprising an extendable shaft configured to be extendable, preferably elastically and/or telescopically, to compensate for different distances between a drive outlet of the food processing appliance and a container in which the tool is used.

2. The tool of embodiment 1, wherein the tool is configured to obtain rotational drive from the drive outlet via a non-attached drive transmission.

3. The tool of embodiment 2, wherein the unattached drive transmission includes a bearing configured to bear against a center of the drive outlet and a drive blade configured to receive drive from an element of the drive outlet displaced from the center of the drive outlet.

4. The tool of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the extendable shaft is a resiliently extendable shaft and comprises two or more relatively telescoping shaft elements.

5. The tool of embodiment 4, comprising a travel limiter configured to prevent one shaft element from moving away from the other shaft element in use.

6. The tool of embodiment 5, wherein the travel limiter is further configured to limit, in use, insertion of one shaft element into another shaft element.

7. The tool of embodiments 5 or 6, wherein the travel limiter is further configured to prevent relative rotation of the shaft element.

8. The tool of embodiment 7 wherein the travel limiter comprises a blind slot on one shaft element that mates with a rib on the other shaft element.

9. The tool of any one of embodiments 4-7, wherein the relatively telescoping shaft elements are removably attached to one another for disassembly for cleaning.

10. The tool of embodiment 9, which is dependent on embodiment 8, wherein the blind end of the blind slot comprises a locking nut that is removably attached to its respective shaft element so that once the nut is removed, the shaft element can be separated for cleaning.

11. The tool of any one of embodiments 4-10, wherein the cross-section of the relatively telescoping shaft element is partially or completely non-cylindrical to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

12. A tool according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the tool is configured to rotate about a single axis.

13. A tool according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the tool comprises a feature configured to be located on a corresponding feature of the container, wherein the tool is for constraining the tool to rotate in a single position, and preferably wherein the feature and corresponding feature are a protrusion and a recess.

14. A tool according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the tool is an ice cream whisk.

15. A ring adapter configured to be placed between a smaller inner container and a larger outer container to position the inner container at a desired height relative to the outer container when the inner container is located within the outer container.

16. The ring binder of embodiment 15, further comprising a resilient element configured to resiliently adapt to compensate for changes in relative size and/or concentricity between the outer container and the inner container.

17. The ring adapter of embodiment 16, wherein the resilient element is configured to frictionally prevent relative rotation between the inner container and the outer container under normal use conditions.

18. The ring binder of embodiment 16 or embodiment 17, further comprising a rigid support ring.

19. The ring binder of embodiment 18, wherein the resilient element is removably attached to the rigid support ring.

20. The ring adapter of embodiment 19, wherein the resilient element is resiliently retained within a groove of the rigid support ring.

21. The ring adapter of embodiment 18, wherein the rigid support ring and the elastic element are integrally formed, preferably by overmolding.

22. The ring binder of any of embodiments 16-21, wherein the resilient element comprises an inner abutment element configured to conform to an inner surface of a smaller outer bowl and an outer abutment element configured to conform to an outer surface of a larger bowl.

23. The ring binder of any of embodiments 16-22, wherein the shape of the ring binder is non-circular, and preferably elliptical and/or rectangular, and still more preferably square-circular.

24. A food processor accessory comprising the tool of any one of embodiments 1-14 and/or the engaging ring of any one of embodiments 15-23, preferably wherein the accessory is a bowl, the engaging ring of any one of embodiments 15-23 being integrally formed with the bowl.

25. A food processing appliance comprising the accessory of embodiment 24.

Claims (25)

1. A tool for a food processing appliance, the tool being adapted to fit at least two different sizes of food processing appliances.

2. A tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the tool is spring biased, preferably so as to automatically adapt the tool to fit the larger of the at least two different sizes.

3. A tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tool is adapted to a food processing appliance size that can extend parallel and/or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drive outlet of the food processing appliance.

4. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tool-adapted food processing appliance size is the distance between the drive outlet of the food processing appliance and the container in which the tool is driven, preferably the inner surface of the container, and/or wherein the tool-adapted food processing appliance size is the distance between the axis of rotation of the drive outlet driving the tool and the container in which the tool is driven, preferably the inner surface of the container.

5. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tool comprises an extendable shaft, preferably wherein the extendable shaft extends to adapt the tool to fit a larger of the at least two different sizes.

6. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first part of the tool is slid relative to the second part of the tool, preferably into the second part of the tool, preferably so as to adapt the tool to fit the smaller of the at least two different sizes.

7. A tool according to claim 6, wherein the second part of the tool is driven by the first part of the tool, preferably rotated by a rotational movement of the first part.

8. A tool according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the tool comprises a travel limiter for limiting the relative movement of the first and second parts, preferably wherein the travel limiter comprises a blind slot on one part which mates with a rib on the other part, preferably wherein the blind end of the blind slot is removable.

9. A tool according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein relative rotation of the first and second parts is prevented, preferably wherein relative rotation of the first and second parts is prevented by a travel limiter.

10. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tool is a white and/or ice cream whisk.

11. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tool is configured to obtain rotational drive from a drive outlet via a non-attached drive transmission.

12. An adapter, wherein the adapter is configured to support an accessory within an outer container.

13. The adapter according to claim 12, wherein the outer container is a container of a food processing appliance, preferably wherein the accessory is an inner container such as a bowl.

14. The adapter of claim 12 or 13 wherein the adapter comprises at least one resilient element configured to support the accessory within the outer container.

15. The adapter of claim 14 wherein said at least one resilient element is configured to conform to at least a portion of an inner surface of said outer container and at least a portion of an outer surface of said outer container so as to support said accessory within said outer container.

16. The adapter of any one of claims 12 to 15 wherein the adapter is configured to support the accessory within an outer container of at least two different shapes and/or sizes.

17. The adapter of claim 16 comprising at least one resilient element configured to resiliently adapt to support the accessory within an outer container of different shape and/or size.

18. The adapter according to claim 16 or 17 wherein the at least one resilient element is configured to resiliently adapt to conform to at least a portion of the inner surface of the outer container and/or at least a portion of the outer surface of the outer container to indicate the accessory within the outer container of different shape and/or size.

19. The adapter according to any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein the adapter comprises at least one resilient element configured to resiliently adapt to conform to a first range of shapes and/or sizes of the inner surface of the outer container; wherein the adapter further comprises at least one resilient element configured to resiliently adapt to a second range shape and/or size conforming to the outer surface of the outer container, wherein the first range is different from the second range, preferably wherein the first range and the second range are cross-sectional dimensions, preferably diameter ranges.

20. The adapter according to any of claims 14, 15 and 17 to 19, characterized in that the adapter further comprises a relatively rigid frame, preferably a frame made of a relatively rigid material, compared to the at least one elastic element.

21. The adapter according to claim 20, characterized in that the elastic element and the frame are integrally formed, preferably by overmoulding.

22. The adapter of any one of claims 12 to 21 wherein the adapter is configured to support the accessory within the outer container in a manner that prevents relative rotation between the accessory and the outer container.

23. The adapter according to any of claims 12 to 22, wherein the shape of the adapter, the frame and/or the elastic element is non-circular, and preferably elliptical and/or rectangular, and still more preferably square-circular.

24. A food processor accessory comprising a tool according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and/or an adapter according to any one of claims 12 to 23, preferably wherein the accessory is a bowl, such as an insulated bowl, and more preferably wherein the adapter ring is integrally formed with the bowl.

25. A food processing appliance comprising the accessory of claim 24.

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