FR3065633A1 - ACCESSORY FOR HOUSEHOLD ROBOT - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a blender / mixer type food processor accessory comprising an engine base and a removable blade holder (2), characterized in that said accessory consists of at least one bell (1) temporarily fixing by means of a form-fitting interaction with the removable blade holder (2) so that the opening of the bell (1) is obstructed by the blade holder when positioning it on the motor base, and said bell is adapted to contain a cup (3) whose outer wall of the cup conforms to the inner wall of said bell.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to the field of accessories for a food processor, in particular a blender or mixer, and more particularly to accessories intended for the preparation of beverages from ingredients of which at least part is solid.

STATE OF THE PRIOR ART [0002], A blender or blender is a household rebot capable of mixing culinary preparations and ingredients to transform them into liquid or puree.

Generally, a blender consists of a base, comprising the engine block and the controls. On this base is positioned a removable blade holder which is at the bottom of a bowl in which the ingredients are introduced to be mixed.

This type of food processor is very effective in making drinks from ingredients, at least part of which is solid.

[0005] However, the transitional use of large and tall bowls as a mixing tank has certain disadvantages.

In fact, the bowls used, in order to resist the kinetic energy stored by the ingredients during mixing, are generally heavy and thick, making them difficult to handle.

In addition, when pouring from the bowl to the drinking cup, it is difficult to recover the entire mixture there, which can cause product losses of up to 20%.

In addition, after each use, it is essential to clean the different parts and in particular to separate the bowl from the blade holder in order to make the base of the blades accessible for effective cleaning.

Finally, the steps for transferring the mix and washing take time and lengthen the process for manufacturing the drink, which is to be avoided in points of sale.

To remedy some of its disadvantages, a giraffe-type mixer can be used to bring the blade holder down directly into the cup.

However, this type of machine is generally very large and does not allow the mixing of hard ingredients, in particular ice cubes. Indeed, the kinetic energy stored by such ingredients when they are rotated allows them at best to deform or at worst to pass through the wall of the cup, especially when the cup is made of disposable plastic (single use ) such as a takeaway cup.

There is therefore a need for a compact food processor, making it possible to mix hard ingredients, such as ice cubes, directly in their thin-walled drinking cup, while facilitating the washing of the blade holder.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is therefore to propose an accessory for a household robot, in particular a blender or mixer with a removable blade holder, making it possible to overcome at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art, by proposing a bell having a cup holder function in which mixing is carried out.

To this end, the invention relates to a food processor accessory of the blender / mixer type comprising a motor base and a removable blade holder, characterized in that said accessory consists of at least one bell which is fixed so temporary by means of form cooperation with the removable blade holder so that the opening of the bell is obstructed by the blade holder when positioning the latter on the motor base, and that said bell is suitable for contain a cup whose outer wall of the cup matches the inner wall of said bell.

Thus, such a bell marries the wall of the cup reinforcing it at the time of mixing. Such a configuration therefore allows the mixing of hard ingredients such as ice cubes, even with a very thin cup wall, avoiding deformation or perforation of the cup wall.

In addition, a first mixing of the ingredients is carried out during the inversion of the cup and the bell for the mixing step. In addition, with the blade holder at the bottom, and the blades in the direction of the top, there is a better mixing due to the use of gravity, the solid elements having a tendency to fall down and therefore in the blades.

According to another particular feature, the accessory comprises, in addition to said bell, a clamping ring which is inserted between said bell and said blade holder.

In another feature, said clamping ring has on either side of these openings a profile allowing for each of these sides a shape cooperation with the opening of said bell and a shape cooperation with said blade holder .

In another feature the form of cooperation between the clamping ring and the bell / blade holder, are carried out by means of screw threads, preferably an hourly screw pitch and a counterclockwise screw pitch.

In another feature, a seal is present in each form of cooperation.

In another feature the clamping ring is provided on its internal wall with a stopper configured to be brought into contact with the rim of the cup once it has been introduced into the bell and the bell mounted on the clamping ring .

In another feature, said bell is provided with a safety means which cooperates, once the bell - blade holder assembly installed on the engine base, with additional safety means located on the engine block of the robot , in order to authorize the activation of this one.

The invention relates to a process for producing a drink comprising:

a) A step of introducing a cup into a bell according to one of the claims above,

b) A step of fixing the bell to a removable blade holder of a blender / mixer

c) A step of placing the removable blade holder fitted with the bell on the motor base of the mixer / blender

d) A mixing step

e) A step of separating the removable blade holder from the blender / blender motor base

f) A step of dissociation of the removable blade holder and the bell

g) A step of extracting the cup from the bell.

According to another characteristic, step b) is replaced by a step b ’) for fixing the bell and the blade holder on either side of the clamping ring.

According to another characteristic, step g) of extraction of the cup is done by introducing at least one finger into a hole located at the bottom of the bell in order to push the bottom of the cup and reveal the walls of it. this.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Other characteristics, details and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description which follows with reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 represents several views of an embodiment of the invention comprising a bell mounted on a clamping ring which in turn is mounted on a removable blade holder of a blender / mixer,

- Figure 2 shows a section of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1,

- Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1,

- Figure 4 shows examples of different cups with grooves or negative profiles used in some embodiments of the invention, the bell has ribs or complementary positive profiles.

To facilitate reading of the figures, the blades of the blade holder have not been shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DIFFERENT EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Many combinations can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention; the person skilled in the art will choose one or the other according to the economic, ergonomic, dimensional or other constraints which he will have to respect.

More particularly, Figures 1 to 3 illustrate a preferred but not limiting embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention comprises a bell (1), for example of frustoconical shape, adapted to receive within it a cup (3). Preferably, the interior wall of the bell matches the wall of the cup. Thus said bell has a role of cup holder.

In one embodiment, the bell is temporarily secured by means of a form of cooperation (11 + 21) to a blade holder (2) (preferably removable) of the blender / mixer. This form of cooperation can be a thread, or any other means known to the skilled person for temporarily securing the bell to the blade holder.

Preferably, the shape cooperation can be done on the outer surface of the bell. In other words, if a thread is used this is found on the outside of the bell. Thus the mixing volume is not reduced and the opening of the bell is left free to introduce a cup.

Preferably, in this embodiment, a seal may be present in the form of cooperation in order to avoid leaks. This can then be sandwiched between the bell (1) and the blade holder (2).

In another embodiment, a clamping ring (4) is interposed between said bell (1) and said blade holder (2). Such a clamping ring has on either side of these openings a profile allowing for each of these sides a form of cooperation with the opening of said bell (11 + 41) and a form of cooperation with said blade holder ( 21 + 42). In a preferred embodiment, these form of cooperations can be achieved, using complementary threads. Preferably, these threads are reversed allowing the various elements to be secured. Indeed, by having an hourly screw pitch and a counterclockwise screw pitch, the user knows which parts will separate. However in some embodiment, the threads are all clockwise or counterclockwise in order to correspond to the thread pitch present on said blade holder (2).

The use of such a clamping ring has several advantages. In fact, by changing it, it is possible to use the same bell on a wide variety of blender / blender, the latter being easier and less costly to produce than the bell itself. presence of a clamping ring increases the mixing volume beyond the volume of the cup. Indeed, by directly mounting a blade holder on the bell, the blades are entirely in the volume formed by the cup. By using a clamping ring, it is possible to increase the mixing volume and thus to be able to add additional ingredients (such as ice cubes) which will exceed the volume of the cup without reducing the quantity of the other ingredients (ice cubes a crushed will end up inside the cup with the other ingredients). In addition, mixing is made easier by the presence of this additional volume.

Thus in certain embodiments, the clamping ring makes it possible to add a mixing volume of between 0 and 50% of the volume of the cup, preferably between 20 and 30% of the volume of the cup, even more advantageously 25% of the cup volume.

Furthermore, cleaning a ring is extremely quick and easy.

Finally, in certain embodiments, the clamping ring may have a stop (43) on which the upper edge of the cup comes into contact, thus making it possible to avoid any movement of the cup, in particular during the mixing phases. . Indeed the cup is then wedged between the bottom of the bell and the stop of the clamping ring.

In a particular embodiment, said stop may be provided with a seal (5) making it possible to avoid leaks and / or infiltration between the walls of the bell and the cup. Preferably, the seal can be sandwiched between the bell (1) and the clamping ring (4).

In one embodiment, a seal (6) may be present in the form of cooperation between the clamping ring (4) and the blade holder (2) in order to avoid leaks. This can then be sandwiched between the clamping ring and the blade holder.

In one embodiment, the bell (1) may have an opening (12) in the bottom of sufficient size to allow at least one finger to pass through it. Such a characteristic improves hygiene. Indeed, with such an opening, the user can push the bottom of the cup contained in the bell, thus making it possible to catch the cup without touching the internal wall with one or more fingers but on the contrary to grasp the outer edges with one hand .

In one embodiment, the bell is provided with a safety means (13) which cooperates, once the bell is installed on the blender / mixer, with additional safety means located in the engine block of the blender / mixer to allow the blender / mixer to operate. Such a safety means can be the presence of a switch on the motor supply circuit, which is closed only when the bell is properly installed for use on the blender / mixer. Such security means (131) can also be the use of switches, for example of the ILS type, or a tag / detector pair of RFID / NFC type (the label is present on the bell and the detector on the engine block ) which closes the motor supply circuit or any other device known to those skilled in the art which makes it possible to prevent the blades of the blender / mixer from operating if the bell is not or badly positioned for a secure use of said blender / mixer as a polarizer. In a preferred embodiment, the bell is provided with at least one arm (13) which at its end has a switch, for example of the ILS type, or an RFID / NFC type label (131), configured to close the circuit present in the base of the blender / mixer. In a more preferred embodiment, the bell is provided with at least two arms (13) having at their ends a switch for example of the ILS type, or a RFID / NFC type label (131), more advantageously, said arms do not are not arranged symmetrically around the bell. Such a configuration makes it possible to prevent an assembly error and the launching of the blades in the absence of the bell or of its bad positioning. In an alternative or complementary embodiment, identical or similar safety means may be present on the clamping ring.

In one embodiment, the bell (1) can on its outer wall be provided with grooves and / or ribs (14) thus improving the grip of said bell (1), in particular during the assembly phases and disassembly, before and after use.

In one embodiment, the bell (1) can on its inner wall be provided with ribs or any other positive profiles with respect to the plane formed by the wall, the ribs or any other positive profiles having cooperation shaped with the wall of the cup provided with grooves or other complementary negative profiles (31), that is to say that the cup has a wall which perfectly matches the internal wall of the bell. Such profiles can be illustrated by way of example in FIG. 4. These profiles make it possible to disturb the vortex which forms during mixing, improving the quality and speed of mixing. In addition, this allows to have a so-called "owner" form for the cups, and create another source of income or identify a particular brand.

In one embodiment, the bell and the clamping ring are made of a plastic type material such as ABS, PE, PS, PC, PMMA or any mixture of these. Such a material makes it possible to obtain a bell and a clamping ring, light and solid, facilitating their handling and in particular their cleaning.

Another object of the present application is a process for producing a drink comprising:

a) A step of introducing a cup (3) into a bell (1) according to the invention

b) A step of fixing the bell (1) to a removable blade holder (2) of a blender / mixer

c) A step of fitting the removable blade holder (2) fitted with the bell (1) on the motor base of the mixer / blender

d) A mixing stage

e) A step of separating the removable blade holder (2) from the blender / blender motor base

f) A step of dissociation of the removable blade holder (2) and the bell (1)

g) A step of extracting the cup (3) from the bell (1).

This process is particularly effective for making drinks from ingredients, at least part of which is in solid form.

In one embodiment, a clamping ring according to the invention is used. Step b) is then replaced by a step bj of fixing the bell (1) and the blade holder (2), on either side of the clamping ring (4).

In one embodiment, step g) of extraction of the cup (3) is done by introducing at least one finger into a hole (12) located at the bottom of the bell (1) in order to push the bottom of the cup (3) and reveal the walls thereof, thus making it possible to grasp the cup from the outside.

In one embodiment, the user introduces the ingredients or a part of them before fixing the blade holder (2) closing the mixing volume.

In another embodiment, the cup (3), prior to its installation comprises the ingredients of the drink. Preferably, the cup comprising part of the ingredients is sealed to preserve them. An uncapping step is then necessary before closing the mixing volume, this step can be carried out before or after the introduction of the cup into the bell.

It will be readily understood on reading the present application that the features of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged and designed according to a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the description of the present invention and the accompanying figures are not intended to limit the scope of the invention but simply represent selected embodiments.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the technical characteristics of a given embodiment can in fact be combined with characteristics of another embodiment unless the reverse is explicitly mentioned or it does not it is obvious that these characteristics are incompatible. In addition, the technical characteristics described in a given embodiment can be isolated from the other characteristics of this mode unless the reverse is explicitly mentioned.

It should be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention allows embodiments in many other specific forms without departing from the field defined by the protection requested, they must be considered as illustration and the invention should not be limited to the details given above.

Claims (10)

1. Blender / mixer type household robot accessory comprising a motor base and a removable blade holder (2), characterized in that said accessory consists of at least: a bell (1) temporarily fixed by means of form cooperation to the removable blade holder (2) so that the opening of the bell (1) is obstructed by the blade holder (2) during positioning thereof on the motor base, and that said bell (1) is adapted to contain a cup (3) whose external wall of the cup (3) matches the internal wall of said bell (1). 2. Accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises in addition to said bell (1) a clamping ring (4) which is interposed between said bell (1) and said blade holder (2). 3. Accessory according to claim 2, characterized in that said clamping ring (4) has on either side of these openings a profile allowing for each of these sides a form cooperation with the opening of said bell (1 ) and form cooperation with said blade holder (2). 4. Accessory according to claim 3, characterized in that the form cooperation between the clamping ring (4) and the bell (1) / blade holder (2), are carried out, by means of screw thread (11,21, 41.42). 5. Accessory according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a seal (5, 6) is present in each form of cooperation. 6. Accessory according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the clamping ring (4) is provided on its internal wall with a stop (43) configured to be brought into contact with the rim of the cup (3 ) once it has been inserted into the bell (1) and the bell (1) mounted on the clamping ring (4). 7. Accessory according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said bell (1) is provided with a safety means (13, 131) which cooperates, once the bell - blade holder assembly installed on the base motor, with additional safety means located on the robot's engine block, in order to authorize its activation. 8. Method for producing a drink from ingredients and using a blender / mixer type food processor accessory according to one of the claims above and comprising: a) A step of introducing a cup (3) into a bell (1), b) A step of fixing the bell (1) to a removable blade holder (2) of a blender / mixer c) A step of placing the removable blade holder (2) fitted with the bell (1) on the motor base of the mixer / blender d) A mixing step e) A step of separating the removable blade holder (2) from the blender / blender motor base f) A step of dissociation of the removable blade holder (2) and the bell (D, g) A step of extracting the cup (3) from the bell (1). 9. Method according to claim above characterized in that step b) is replaced by a step b ') of fixing the bell (1) and the blade holder (2) on either side of the ring. tightening (4). 10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that step g) of extraction of the cup (3) is done by introducing at least one finger into a hole (12) located at the bottom of the bell (1) to push the bottom of the cup (3) and reveal the walls of it. 3065 (