GB2434760A

GB2434760A - Improvements in or relating to stand mixer arrangements

Info

Publication number: GB2434760A
Application number: GB0602151A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Seidler; Simon Clark
Original assignee: Kenwood Ltd
Current assignee: Kenwood Ltd
Priority date: 2006-02-03
Filing date: 2006-02-03
Publication date: 2007-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2026-02-03
Also published as: GB2434760B; GB0602151D0

Abstract

A stand mixer having a mixing bowl 60 supported on a pedestal which also supports an electric motor and a drive system including a drive outlet, overhead of the bowl, which permits a planetary mixing action to be imparted to tools suspended into the bowl from the overhead drive outlet is provided with a heater 71 affording capability for cooking or warming ingredients in the bowl. The heater may be integral with the bowl; or integral with the stand mixer itself; or it may be comprised in an intermediate product that is integral with neither the bowl nor the stand mixer. The heating capability finds particularly beneficial application when used during the mixing operation, but it can additionally be used, if desired, prior to and/or after a mixing stage.

Description

1 2434760

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO STAND MIXER

ARRANGEMENTS

This invention relates to arrangements including stand mixers, by which is meant the kind of kitchen machine in which a mixing bowl is supported on a pedestal which also supports an electric motor and a drive system including a drive outlet, overhead of the bowl, which permits a planetary mixing action to be imparted to tools suspended into the bowl from the overhead drive outlet.

Such stand mixers, such as the Kenwood Chef kitchen machine, are well known and have been well established in use for many years. Over the years, mixers of this kind have been adapted and developed so as to perform an ever broadening range of functions, and many such devices incorporate, for example, a plurality of drive outlets running at different speeds and with differing torque characteristics enabling them to perform a wide spread of operations.

An object of this invention is to provide stand mixers with a still broader operational capability and, in accordance with one aspect of this invention, there is provided a stand mixer arrangement including a pedestal for a mixing bowl; an electric motor and a drive system including a drive outlet disposed overhead of the bowl, capable of imparting a planetary mixing action to tools suspended into the bowl therefrom; and heating means provided to permit, in accordance with user selection, ingredients in the bowl to be heated whilst being subjected to the planetary mixing action.

It will be appreciated that the invention is intended to encompass the provision of any degree of heating; for example sufficient to completely cook, to partially cook, or to merely warm ingredients.

S In some preferred embodiments, at least one of the stand mixer and the bowl further comprise said heating means. In other preferred embodiments, the heating means is separate from, but may be temporarily associated with, the stand mixer and the bowl.

In one preferred embodiment, the heating means is integral with the mixing bowl. In such circumstances, it is preferred that the heating means comprises an element encased against fluid ingress, so that the mixing bowl assembly can readily be cleaned, for example in a dishwasher.

In another preferred embodiment, the heating means is incorporated in the stand mixer, and in still another preferred embodiment, the heating means is provided separately from both the bowl and the stand mixer, and is interposable between the two when heating operations are required.

The bowl may conveniently be made of metal, and may conform to existing stand mixer design and shape criteria, so as to be capable of using conventional mixing tools.

Preferably, the bowl is formed so as to provide, at least in certain areas thereof, thermal insulation utilised to create relatively cool areas for handling. In this respect, the bowl may be formed with one or more handles extending outwardly from its upstanding wall; the bowl may be formed with multiple skins with air or another thermally insulative material in the gap between the skins; andlor the bowl may be formed with one or more areas of thermally insulative material.

The surface of the bowl may be coated or otherwise treated with a thermochromic material, which adopts a particular colour when hot, or which otherwise renders visible a warning message or logo, so as to warn users of areas which should not be handled.

The bowl, or some part or parts thereof, may be constructed of a sandwich of materials in order to assist thermal transfer to the ingredients therein. For example, part at least of the bowl may be constructed with inner and outer stainless steel walls andlor base, with an interlayer of aluminium therebetween.

The bowl may be coated with non-stick material to guard against unwanted adherence of warmed or cooked ingredients thereto.

The stand mixer may be fitted with a scraping tool, attachable to its gearbox hub and constrained to revolve more slowly than the planetary-acting mixing tools; the scraping tool being configured to remove ingredients from the walls of the bowl in order to reduce the risk of burning or overheating of adherent materials.

The heating means may comprise a sheathed resistance element, a thick film heater or an inductive heater, for example, or combinations of these.

The heater means may be resiliently mounted to allow alignment with the base of the mixing bowl.

Interlocks may be provided to prevent the heating means from operating unless the bowl is correctly positioned on its pedestal.

The bowl may engage with the pedestal by means of a conventional screw or bayonet fixing. Instead, or in addition, and especially in circumstances where the bowl contains a heating means, a centrally located, 360 degree electrical connection of the kind commonly used with "cordless" electric kettles can be employed.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, certain embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 shows, in perspective view, a stand mixer in accordance with one example of the invention; Figure 2 shows the stand mixer of Figure 1 from a frontal elevation; Figure 3 shows one example of a bowl for use with the stand mixer; the bowl being shown in elevation in Figure 3a and in cross-sectional view in Figure 3b; Figure 4 shows another example of a bowl for use with the stand mixer; the bowl being shown in elevation in Figure 4a and in cross-sectional view in Figure 4b; and Figure 5 shows a further example of a bowl for use with the stand mixer; the bowl being shown in elevation in Figure 5a and in cross-sectional view in Figure 5b.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, in which corresponding features carry the same reference numbers, a stand mixer 10 comprises a pedestal 20 which supports a bowl platform 30 and a housing 40. The housing 40 encloses, in conventional fashion, an electric drive motor (not shown) and gearing (not shown) which conveys the motive power supplied by the motor to a plurality of drive outlets to which various tools can be attached to perform a wide variety of tasks in the kitchen.

In this particular example, there is provided a high-speed blender drive outlet behind covers 41, a slow-speed mincer drive outlet behind cover 42 and a planetary drive, intended for food mixing, overhead of the bowl location, at 43, although it will readily be appreciated that more, fewer and/or different drive outlets can be provided in accordance with desired functionality of the stand mixer.

A shanked mixing tool, attached as is conventional, to a socket 44 of the outlet 43, will depend in use into a mixing bowl placed on the bowl platform 30, and is configured to rotate about both the axis of the socket 44 and the central axis 45 of the outlet 43, thus performing a planetary mixing action. The necessary relationships between the relative shapes and dimensions of the bowl and the mixing tool to ensure thorough and repeatable mixing of ingredients are well known and established in use over many years.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the stand mixer 10 is, in this example, provided with a pair of latches 31, 32 within a recess 33 provided in the bowl platform 30, which latches co-operate with components on the base of the bowl to form a bayonet latching system which ensures firm and ready location of the bowl on its platform. Other latching systems, such as screw-threading for example, can be used as an alternative to bayonet latching if preferred.

The upright part 46 of the housing 40 is configured with a break line 47, to permit the top part 48 of the stand mixer to be hinged away from the platform 30 end of the pedestal part 20, in order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the mixing tools and the bowl.

The stand mixer 10 also incorporates electrical and mechanical user controls 51, 52 in conventional fashion.

A first example of an arrangement in accordance with the present invention will now be described with additional reference to Figure 3, which shows a bowl 60 configured and dimensioned to be received in the stand mixer 10 with its base 61 located in the recess 33 of the bowl platform 30. The base 61 of the bowl 60 is formed with a diametrically opposed pair of shaped slots, such as 62, respectively disposed and configured to co-operate with the latching elements 31, 32 of the stand mixer 10 to perform the aforementioned bayonet latching function.

As can be seen best in the cross-sectional view of Figure 3b, a heating element 71 is integrated into the base of the bowl 60. The heating element may be of any convenient kind, for example a sheathed resistance element or a thick-film heater, and it is secured to the underside of the bowl 60, in good thermally conductive relationship therewith, by any convenient means. Such heating elements are currently used, for example, in electric kettles and in domestic deep-fat fryers and any of the techniques used to fabricate and secure heating elements to vessels in such contexts may be utilised for stand mixer bowls.

The integral heating element 71 also has associated therewith, in this example, a thermostat device 74, and a suitable electrical connector 75 by way of which the bowl can pick up electrical power from a suitable outlet provided in the recess 33 of the bowl support 30. A thermal fuse (not shown) may also be provided in the base of the bowl 60.

It is preferred that an interlock is provided to prevent the energisation of the power outlet in the recess 33 unless the bowl 60 is in place. Indeed, an interlock may also prevent operation of the electrical drive motor of the stand mixer 10 unless the bowl is in place. In any event, it is still further preferred that the outlet comprises a female (socket) arrangement, rather than a male (plug) device. Conveniently, the connector 75 comprises spring-loaded, pin-like plug members that are compressed between the base 61 of the bowl 60 and the floor of the recess 33 until the bowl has been turned to the correct orientation and firmly latched in place by the bayonet fixtures such as 31, 32 and 62, whereupon the plug members can spring out to engage with the socket.

In an alternative embodiment, the recess 33 and the base of the bowl 60 are formed centrally and coaxially with the corresponding plug and socket elements of a 360 degree connector of the kind used with "cordless" electric kettles. In this embodiment, the bowl and the recess may be provided with screw attachment means or, if bayonet latches are provided, they may be located as shown in the drawing or alternatively they may be integrated with the coaxial plug and socket arrangement.

In the event that such a 360 degree connector as aforesaid is utilised, and in conjunction with a rotary latching system that provides at least a reasonable degree of rotation of the bowl 60 relative to the bowl support whilst retaining them in a suitably latched relationship, there can be advantage in utilising the technology described and claimed in our United Kingdom Patent No. GB 2328143-B 1, which permits different functionalities to be selected in dependence upon the relative orientation of the power base and the appliance. In the present context, for example, the bowl and the stand mixer can be configured to energise heaters of differing power when the bowl assumes selected orientations relative to the support 30, so that, for example, a very low wattage heater can be energised to provide a slow heating function when the bowl is in one orientation relative to the support 30, a substantially higher wattage heater can be energised for normal operation when the bowl assumes another angular orientation relative to the support 30, and the heaters are inoperative, providing conventional, cold mixing capability, when the bowl is in a third orientation relative to the support 30.

It will be appreciated that the low wattage heater may comprise a portion of the high wattage heater element, accessed via suitable tapping points.

It will also be appreciated that the lower wattage may be provided by cyclic interruption of the power to a single element.

In any event, the support 30 and the bowl 60 preferably carry co-operative graphics or other visual elements to assist a user in aligning them in their various locations.

In general, it is preferred that the bowl 60 is made of metal, and conforms to existing stand mixer design criteria, so as to be capable of using conventional mixing tools.

In this example, the bowl is formed so as to provide, at least in certain areas thereof, thermal insulation utilised to create relatively cool areas for handling. Optionally, the bowl may be formed with one or more insulated handles extending outwardly from its upstanding wall; the bowl may be formed with multiple skins with air or another thermally insulative material in the gap between the skins; and/or the bowl may be formed with one or more areas of thermally insulative material.

Alternatively, or in addition, the surface of the bowl, or at least such portions thereof as may be touched by a user, can usefully be coated or otherwise treated with a thermochromic material, which adopts a particular colour when hot, or which otherwise provides or renders visible a warning message or logo, so as to warn users of areas which should not be handled.

The bowl, or at least selected parts thereof, such as the base and lower wall area, may be constructed of a sandwich of materials in order to assist thermal transfer to the ingredients therein. For example, the whole or selected parts of the bowl may be multi-skinned, with inner and outer stainless steel walls and/or base, and an interlayer of aluminium therebetween.

The inner surface of the bowl is preferably coated, or otherwise provided, with non-stick material to guard against unwanted adherence of warmed or cooked ingredients thereto.

It is preferred that the bowl 60, once removed from the stand mixer 10, can be washed, for example in a dishwasher, without regard for the electrical components associated therewith, so it is preferred that the heating element is encased against liquid ingress; for example in a manner similar to that described (for the tank of a fryer) in our United Kingdom Patent No. GB 2255002-B 1.

A second example of the invention will now be described with reference to Figure 4, in association with Figures 1 and 2.

In the Figure 4 embodiment, a bowl 80 is provided in association with a heating pad arrangement 90 which is separate from both the bowl and the stand mixer 10. The pad arrangement features a base 91 which replicates the base of the bowl 60 described with reference to Figure 3, and which therefore can be fitted to the bowl support 30 in exactly the same way as a bowl would normally be fitted thereto. The pad arrangement comprises a heater 92, a thermostat 93 and a connector 94; effectively replicating all of the active components associated with the bowl 60 in Figure 3, 50 that all comments made above in relation to corresponding features of the bowl in Figure 3, and the fitment and connection of the bowl 60 to the support 30 of the stand mixer 10, are applicable to the pad arrangement 90.

In this example, the bowl 80 is a simple bowl, preferably made of metal as before, the base of which is configured to sit snugly within a well portion formed in the heater 91 of the pad arrangement 90. The bowl 80, of course, can incorporate any of the features referred to hereinbefore in relation to the bowl 60. However the bowl 80, being a simple bowl with no electrical attachments, is easier to wash and care for generally than the bowl 60 previously described.

The external surface of the pad arrangement 90, in the region 95 thereof which underlies the bowl, is preferably clad with a non-metallic, heat resistant substance. The pad arrangement 90 may be bayonet-fitted into the recess 33 using slots such as 96, in the same way as was bowl 60, or it may be screw-fitted or otherwise secured therein. The bowl 80 may be provided with a convenient means (not shown) for latching it into the well portion of the pad arrangement 90 if desired. Moreover, interlocks may be provided, as before, and these may sense operational association of the bowl 80 to the pad arrangement 90 as well as operational association of the pad arrangement 90 with the support 30 of the stand mixer 10. In some embodiments, magnetic sensors are used to detect the desired operational associations.

Another embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figure 5 in association with Figures 1 and 2.

In the embodiment of Figure 5, a heating arrangement 100 is incorporated into the stand mixer itself, and the bowl-supporting surface of the recess 33 formed in the bowl support of the stand mixer 10 is thus a heatable surface.

The heater is shown at 101, and an associated thermostat at 102; these components being resiliently mounted to enable the heatable surface to accommodate to the base of the bowl 110 which, in this instance, is a bowl of conventional shape, though it is made of metal and, if desired, can incorporate any of the features referred to hereinbefore in relation to the bowl 60. However the bowl 110, being a simple bowl with no electrical attachments, is easier to wash and care for generally than the bowl 60 previously described.

In this embodiment, interlocking can sense merely the presence of the bowl 110, properly fitted to the heated base. All wiring, of course, is internal of the stand mixer 10, since the heater 101 is effectively an integral part of the mixer.

Associated with all embodiments may usefully be an "anti-bum" tool which is fitted to the gearbox hub of the stand mixer 10, depends into the bowl 60, 80 or 110 just inside the wall thereof, and is rotated slowly scrape ingredients from the wall of the bowl during mixing and heating, to reduce the likelihood of ingredients adhering to, and becoming burnt on to, the wall of the bowl.

It will be appreciated that described herein is a novel appliance, comprising a stand mixer with planetary action and a heating capability.

The heater may be integral with a bowl used with the stand mixer; or integral with the stand mixer itself; or it may be comprised in an intermediate product that is integral with neither the bowl nor the stand mixer. The heating capability finds particularly beneficial application when used during the mixing operation, but it can additionally be used, if desired, prior to and/or after a mixing stage.

Claims

Claims: 1. A stand mixer arrangement including a pedestal for a mixing

bowl; an electric motor and a drive system including a drive outlet disposed overhead of the bowl, capable of imparting a planetary mixing action to tools suspended into the bowl therefrom; and heating means provided to permit, in accordance with user selection, ingredients in the bowl to be heated whilst being subjected to the planetary mixing action.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for energising said heating means before and/or after a mixing process.

3. An arrangement according to claim I or claim 2, wherein said heating means is integral with said bowl.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the heating means comprises an element encased against fluid ingress, so that the mixing bowl and its heating means can be cleaned, for example in a dishwasher.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said heating means is integral with said stand mixer.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said heating means is separate from, but temporarily associatable with, the stand mixer and the bowl.

7. An arrangement according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the heater means is resiliently mounted to allow alignment with the base of the mixing bowl.

8. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the bowl is made of metal, and conforms to existing stand mixer design criteria, so as to be capable of using conventional mixing tools.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the bowl is formed so as to provide, at least in certain areas thereof, thermal insulation utilised to create relatively cool areas for handling.

10. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the bowl is formed with one or more handles extending outwardly from its upstanding wall.

11. An arrangement according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the bowl is formed with multiple skins with a gap between the skins and with air or another thermally insulative material in the gap.

12. An arrangement according to any of claims 9, 10 and 11, wherein the bowl is formed with one or more areas of thermally insulative material.

13. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein a surface of the bowl is coated or otherwise treated with a thermochromic material so as to warn users of areas which should not be handled.

14. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein part at least of the bowl is constructed of a sandwich of materials in order to assist thermal transfer to the ingredients therein.

15. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the bowl is coated with non-stick material to guard against unwanted adherence of warmed or cooked ingredients thereto.

16. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, including a tool, attachable to a gearbox hub of the mixer and constrained to scrape ingredients from the walls of the bowl in order to reduce the risk of burning or overheating of adherent materials.

17. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein said heating means comprises one or more of: a sheathed resistance element; a thick film heater; and an inductive heater.

18. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, including interlock means to prevent the heating means from operating unless the bowl is correctly positioned for mixing.

19. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the bowl engages with a pedestal of the stand mixer by means of a conventional screw or bayonet fixing.

20. A stand mixer arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.