KR101204246B1 - Adapter for blender pitcher - Google Patents

Abstract

The container adapter 10 includes lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 and upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 separated by the rim 40. Lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 may be received in feature 12, and rim 40 is disposed on open end 16 above the feature 12. The upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 increase the height of the feature 12, allowing the feature to interface with the splash resistant shield 33 of the ice chute 32 of the beverage blending machine 20. A side clamp 50 assists in holding the adapter 10 on the feature 12, and a pouring spout 62 is provided at the connection of the two sidewalls 58, 59 of the upper sidewalls.

Description

Adapter for blender features {ADAPTER FOR BLENDER PITCHER}

The present invention relates to a blender pitcher and a beverage blending machine for blending a predetermined amount of processing material consisting of liquid and ice. More specifically, the present invention relates to an adapter for interfacing a blender feature and a beverage blending machine capable of delivering ice to the blender feature. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adapter that increases the effective vertical height of a blender feature to interface with a beverage blending machine to effectively prevent ice and processing material from exiting the area partitioned by the blender feature.

Beverage blending machines are very popular and widely received in the restaurant and bar industry. During the mixing process, such beverage blending machines are used to produce slush beverages, also commonly referred to as "frozen drinks," which are very popular with consumers today.

Beverage blending machines generally include an ice shaving unit used with the blending assembly. The ice shaving unit functions as an ice dispenser that dispenses an amount of ice into the blender feature used as part of the blending assembly. In addition, an amount of liquid, often including an alcoholic beverage, is provided in the blender feature. The blending assembly rotates the blending blade provided in the blender feature to facilitate mixing of the liquid and the beverage to produce the aforementioned slush beverage.

The blender feature has an open end adapted to receive a lid that prevents liquid and ice from escaping from the blender feature during the mixing process. In the past, lids have included slots to receive ice chuts that typically extend downwards from the ice shaving unit. This ice chute provides a path for the ice to travel from the ice shaving unit into the blender feature. Thus, the lid allows a predetermined amount of ice to move into the blender feature through the slot (via the ice chute) while preventing liquid and ice from escaping from the blender feature during the mixing process.

However, since the space under the ice chute in the beverage blending machine had a fixed dimension, the blender feature had to have the vertical height needed to allow the ice chute to extend into the open end of the blender feature through the slots provided in the lid. . That is, the blender feature had to have a height sufficient for the ice chute to be properly positioned relative to the open end of the blender feature.

To save time during the mixing process by eliminating the need to remove and close the lid on the open end of the blender feature, an ice shield attached to the ice chute replaced the lid described above. For example, when using a lid, it was necessary to remove the lid from the blender feature so that the slush beverage could be poured into a serving container after the mixing process was completed. Then, the feature would have to be closed again with a lid so that it could be used again in the beverage blending machine.

To reduce the time interval between use of the beverage blending machine, the need to remove and reclose the lid was eliminated through a splash shield. The splash resistant shield is pivotally attached to the ice chute and is sized to cover the open end of the blender feature. When placed near the open end of the blender feature, the splash resistant shield prevents liquid and ice from escaping from the blender feature during the mixing process.

When placing the blender feature in the beverage blending machine, the splash resistant shield first pivots upward to receive the blender feature. Then, when the blender feature is placed in the beverage blending machine, the splash resistant shield is pivoted downward to place near the open end of the blender feature. In addition, since the space under the ice chute in the beverage blending machine has a fixed dimension, the blender feature can accommodate the ice chute within the open end of the blender feature, and a splash resistant shield can be placed near the open end. It had to have the vertical height needed to make it work.

Thus, regardless of whether the blender feature is used with the lid, it was desired that the blender feature first have a key of sufficient vertical height to allow the ice chute to be placed within the open end. Blender features with large vertical heights may not have ideal dimensions for all blending applications. For example, such blender features generally have a relatively small internal dimension in the vicinity of the blending blade. However, with blender features having large internal dimensions, larger blending blades are allowed, and a greater amount of liquid and ice can be provided around the cutting plane of the blending blade.

Depending on the processing material (ie, liquid and ice to be mixed in the blender feature), blender features with large internal dimensions produce better results during the mixing process. However, in order to avoid becoming difficult to handle, blender features with large internal dimensions need to be shorter than the blender features described above. In addition, short blender features with large internal dimensions would ideally have a nearly square cross section with vertical walls adjacent each other oriented approximately 90 degrees. Thus, such short, square cross-section blender features allow a greater amount of workpiece material to be provided around the cutting plane of the blending blade while simultaneously returning the workpiece material impinging its vertical wall back through the cutting plane. Consists of. The use of these short, square cross-section blender features yields better results during the blending process.

Therefore, it is desirable to use short, square cross-section blender features with the beverage blending machine described above, and a container adapter is needed to facilitate such use. The container adapter can accommodate an ice chute within the open end of the short, square cross-section blender feature, and increase the effective vertical height of the blender feature so that the splash resistant shield can be positioned proximate its open end. After the mixing process is complete, an integral pouring spout should be able to be provided to facilitate pouring of the processing material from the blender feature.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container adapter that substantially raises the vertical height of a feature such that an ice chute can be accommodated within the open end of the short feature and that a splash resistant shield can be placed proximate the open end. There is.

Another object of the present invention is a container adapter as described above, wherein the splash resistant shield pivotably attached to the ice chute provides an inclined interface surface that can be interfaced to prevent processing material from escaping from the feature during the mixing process. Is in providing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container adapter as described above which provides an integrated pouring spout which makes it easy to pour the processing material from the feature after the mixing process is complete.

In addition to the foregoing and other objects of the present invention, the advantages of the existing prior art forms will become apparent from the following detailed description, and will be achieved by the improvements described below and set forth in the claims.

Generally, an adapter for a feature having an open end includes lower sidewalls adapted to be received within the open end of the feature, and upper sidewalls that increase the height of the feature. A rim is provided between the lower sidewalls and the upper sidewalls so as to rest on the open end of the feature.

According to another aspect of the invention, the container adapter is adapted to be removably attached to the blender feature and includes lower sidewalls connected to one another adjacent to each other and upper sidewalls connected to one another adjacent to each other. The container adapter is provided with a rim that effectively separates the lower sidewalls from the upper sidewalls. At least one side clamp extends downwardly from the rim adjacent to one of the lower sidewalls, and a pouring spout is provided along the connection between two of the upper sidewalls.

Preferred exemplary container adapters containing the concepts of the invention are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, which are not intended to represent all variations and modifications in which the invention may be practiced, and the invention has been described in detail in the specification. It is intended to be limited not by the description but by the appended claims.

1 is a perspective view of a container adapter according to the present invention.

2 is another perspective view of the container adapter according to the present invention.

3 is an elevation view of a container adapter according to the present invention disposed in a blender feature.

4 is a perspective view of a beverage blending machine in which a blender feature having a container adapter according to the invention is disposed.

5 is an elevation view of a beverage blending machine in which a blender feature with a container adapter according to the present invention is disposed.

6 is a plan view of a container adapter according to the present invention.

7 is a bottom view of the container adapter according to the present invention.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

9 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 9-9 of FIG. 6.

The container adapter according to the invention, shown generally at 10, is adapted to fit on top of the blender feature 12, as shown in FIG. The blender feature 12 preferably has four sidewalls, one of which can be seen in FIG. 3, oriented at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to each other. Thus, the blender feature 12 has an almost square cross section that aids in the mixing process. Blender feature 12 also includes a base 15 from which sidewalls 14 extend upwards. The side wall 14 partitions the interior of the blender feature 12 and terminates to provide an open end 14 on which the container adapter 10 will finally be placed. The base 15 has a blending blade (not shown) configured to rotate within the blender feature 12 to mix the workpiece material (ie, liquid and ice to be mixed within the blender feature). The blender feature 12 is provided with a handle 18 so that a user can easily grasp the feature 12. Since feature 12 is configured to be stackable (and thus similar features may be partially inserted into its interior space), handle 18 is hollow, so that the handle of the container is stacked within the area defined by the handle. Ideally, can be fitted.

Blender feature 12 may be used with a beverage blending machine, indicated generally at 20 in FIGS. 4 and 5. The beverage blending machine 20 comprises an ice dispenser (preferably in the form of an ice shaving unit) indicated generally at 21, and a blender assembly indicated at 22 as a whole, in which the blender feature 12 is part. The beverage blending machine also includes a base portion 23 that supports the partial cylindrical pedestal 24. The partial cylindrical pedestal 24 supports an ice bucket 25 configured to have an ice feed as part of an ice dispenser. The ice dispenser 21 also includes an ice pail 25 closing lid 26 that can be easily removed from the ice pail 25 to provide an ice feed to the ice pail 25.

As shown in FIG. 5, the blender assembly 22 includes a container pad 30 that supports the blender feature 12 during the mixing process. This container pad 30 is used to properly position the blender feature 12 and includes a drive socket (not shown) that interfaces a motor (not shown) with the blender feature 12 to rotate the blending blade. .

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ice dispenser 21 includes an ice chute 32. This ice chute 32 communicates the ice bucket 25 with the blender feature 12, allowing ice to be sent from the ice dispenser 21 to the interior of the blender feature 12. The ice chute 32 is pivotally attached to the ice chute 32 to prevent the processing material from escaping from the blender feature 12 during the mixing process.

The container adapter 10 is provided for use with the beverage blending machine 20 (as shown in FIG. 4) having a relatively short vertical height. Thus, the container adapter 10 increases the effective vertical height of the blender feature 12, allowing the ice chute 32 to be housed within the blender feature, and also preventing the splash shield 33 in close proximity to the interior of the blender feature. Is preferably made of an elastic rubber material such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) or nitrile.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the container adapter 10 includes a rim 40 and four lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 extending downward from the rim 40. Adjacent lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 are orthogonal to each other with smoothly connected connections formed therebetween. Thus, the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 are configured such that the cross section forms a substantially square. In addition, each of the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 is slightly inclined so that they slightly open outwards from top to bottom with these lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 connected to each other. Accordingly, the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 have a frusto-pyramidal shape that is slightly smaller than the upper internal dimension of the blender feature 12. The lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 have a lip 48 extending outwardly around the bottom end thereof to help interface the container adapter 10 with the blender feature 12 as described below. Include.

The container adapter 10 is configured to facilitate removable attachment to the blender feature 12. For example, when the container adapter 10 is inserted into the blender feature 12, the bottom of the rim 40 lies on the sidewall 14 adjacent the open end 16 and the lower sidewalls 42, 43. , 44, 45 are disposed inside the blender feature 12. Inside the blender feature 12, the lip 48 contacts the inner surface of the sidewall 14, which contact the lower sidewall such that the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 are redirected in a nearly vertical position. Press inward. Since the container adapter 10 is made of an elastic material, the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 are deflected to maintain their original orientation. Accordingly, the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 are deflected outwards, such that the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, relative to the inner surface of the sidewall 14 to effectively “clamp” the container adapter to the blender feature 12. 45) is pressed.

To further aid in removable attachment to the blender feature 12, the container adapter 10 is provided with a side clamp 50. As shown in FIG. 8, the side clamp 50 extends downward from the rim 40 adjacent to the side walls 43, 44. The side clamp 50, together with the rim 40 and the side walls 43, 44, form recesses 52, 53 that receive the side wall 14 of the blender feature 12. In fact, the upper ends of the recesses 52, 53 may be specially formed to accommodate the shape of the sidewall 14 proximate the open end 16. Thus, when the container adapter 10 is disposed on the blender feature 12, two of the side walls 14 are received in the recesses 52, 53 to remove the container adapter to the blender feature 12. Help with possible attachments.

A handle cover 54 is provided extending outward from the rim 40 adjacent the connection between the side wall 42 and the side wall 43. As mentioned above, the handle 18 is hollow and thus the handle cover 54 covers the upper end of the handle 18 to prevent entry of processing material into the handle. In addition, when the handle cover 54 is disposed to cover the handle 18, the container adapter 10 is properly positioned on the blender feature 12.

Upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 extending from the rim 40 are provided. The upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 adjacent to each other are orthogonal to each other, as are the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 adjacent to each other, with smoothly contoured connections formed therebetween. The upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 are configured such that the cross section near the rim 40 has a substantially square shape. Also outside the container adapter 10, the rim 40 effectively separates the outer surface of the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 from the outer surface of the upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59.

The upper ends of the upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 include an inclined surface 60 formed around them. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper sidewall from the connecting portion of the sidewalls 56 and 57 (forming the lower end of the inclined surface 60) to the connecting portion of the sidewalls 58 and 59 (forming the upper end of the inclined surface 60). As it follows the upper end of (56, 57, 58, 59) it gradually changes in the vertical direction. Thus, the vertical height of the side walls 58 and 59 is higher than the vertical height of the side walls 56 and 57.

A substantial portion of each upper sidewall 56, 57, 58, 59 is slightly inclined so as to have a truncated pyramidal shape when connected to each other. As shown in FIG. 8, the inner surfaces of the upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 and the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 form an interior 61 of the container adapter 10. In addition, the truncated pyramidal shapes of the upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 and the lower sidewalls 42, 43, 44, 45 (except along the connections of the side walls 58, 59) smoothly between their inner surfaces. Allow to transition For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner surfaces of the lower sidewall 42 and the upper sidewall 56 and the inner surfaces of the lower sidewall 43 and the upper sidewall 57 share the same surface.

When the container adapter 10 is disposed on the blender feature 12, the vertical height of the upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59 increases the effective vertical height of the blender feature 12. Thus, when the container adapter 10 is disposed on the blender feature 12, and the blender feature 12 is disposed on the container pad 30, the ice chute 32 has an upper sidewall ( 56, 57, 58, 59 are contained within the area partitioned. Thus, the ice discharged from the ice container 25 through the ice chute 32 can be accommodated in the blender feature 12 through the interior 61. Thus, since the ice chute 32 is surrounded by the upper sidewalls 56, 57, 58, 59, the ice can only be guided into the blender feature 12.

In addition, when the container adapter 10 is properly disposed on the blender feature 12, and when the blender feature 12 is disposed on the container pad 30, the inclined surface 60 is in contact with the splash prevention shield 33. Can interface Interfacing the inclined surface 60 and the splash resistant shield 33 prevents the processing material from escaping from the blender feature 12 during the mixing process.

The container adapter 10 also includes a pouring spout 62 formed with sidewalls 58, 59. Unlike the rest of the sidewalls 58 and 59 that connect with the sidewalls 56 and 57 to form the truncated pyramidal shape described above, the sidewalls 58 and 59 are almost perpendicular along their connections. In fact, as shown in FIG. 6, the sidewalls 58, 59 flare outward near their interfaces and are partially aligned with the rim 40, forming a smooth contoured connection therebetween. That is, near the connection, the side walls 58 and 59 are opened so that their outer surfaces are no longer offset from the rim 40 along the connection.

The side walls 58 and 59 are thickened near their connections so that the indentations can be formed along the inner surface. Thus, the inner surfaces of the side walls 58, 59 (near their connections) are indented to form transition regions 64, 65 and pouring channels 66 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 9. . Thus, the transition regions 64, 65 lead to the pouring channel 66 and are thus configured to direct the processing material to the pouring channel. Such indentations form the pouring spout 62 together with the shape of the side walls 58 and 59 described above. To further improve the pouring spout 62, a pouring lip 68 is formed along the upper end of the pouring channel 66. This pouring lip 68 is formed from a slight taper on the inner and outer surfaces of the side walls 58 and 59 along the connection of the side walls 58 and 59 near the top of the pouring channel 66.

By properly placing the container adapter 10 on the blender feature 12 and tilting the blender feature 12 forward using the handle 18, the workpiece material can be easily ejected from the blender feature 12. have. When pouring the workpiece from the blender feature 12, the pouring spout 62 guides the workpiece to the intended destination. Thus, when the container adapter 10 is used in the blender feature 12, the processing material can be accurately poured into the serving container.

Thus, it will be apparent that the container adapter 10 disclosed herein may realize one or more of the objects of the present invention described above, and in another respect provides advantages over the prior art.

Claims (13)

A container adapter adapted to removably attach to a blender feature that can be used with a beverage blending machine, The blender feature has sidewalls that terminate to form an open end and a handle that facilitates pouring work material from the blender feature, wherein the container adapter includes: Lower sidewalls connected to one another adjacent to each other, the lower sidewalls being slightly spread outwardly from top to bottom to form a frusto-pyramidal shape slightly smaller than the open end of the blender feature, Upper side walls connected to each other adjacent to each other, A lip adapted to engage an inner surface of the sidewall of the blender feature at the bottom of the lower sidewalls; A rim that effectively separates the lower sidewalls from the upper sidewalls, At least one side clamp extending downward from the rim adjacent one of the lower sidewalls; Pour spout provided along the connection of two of the upper sidewalls The container adapter comprising a. The container adapter of claim 1, wherein an upper end of the upper sidewalls includes an inclined surface formed around the inclined surface, the inclined surface being capable of interfacing with a beverage blending machine. A container adapter adapted to removably attach to a blender feature that can be used with a beverage blending machine, The blender feature has sidewalls that terminate to form an open end and a handle that facilitates pouring work material from the blender feature, wherein the container adapter includes: Lower sidewalls connected to one another adjacent to each other, the lower sidewalls being slightly spread outwardly from top to bottom to form a frusto-pyramidal shape slightly smaller than the open end of the blender feature, Upper side walls connected to each other adjacent to each other, A rim that effectively separates the lower sidewalls from the upper sidewalls; At least one side clamp extending downward from the rim adjacent one of the lower sidewalls; Pour spout provided along the connection of two of the upper sidewalls The container adapter comprising a. 4. The container adapter of claim 3, wherein when the container adapter is disposed on the blender feature, the lower sidewalls are deflected outwardly to be pressed against the inner surface of the sidewall of the blender feature. A container adapter adapted to removably attach to a blender feature that can be used with a beverage blending machine, The blender feature has sidewalls that terminate to form an open end and a handle that facilitates pouring work material from the blender feature, wherein the container adapter includes: The lower sidewalls which are connected to each other adjacent to each other, and slightly spread outwards from top to bottom, Upper side walls connected to each other adjacent to each other, A rim that effectively separates the lower sidewalls from the upper sidewalls; At least one side clamp extending downward from the rim adjacent one of the lower sidewalls; Pour spout provided along the connection of two of the upper sidewalls At least one recess is formed between the at least one side clamp and one lower sidewall adjacent thereto; Wherein when the container adapter is disposed on a blender feature, the lower sidewalls are pressed against an inner surface of the sidewall of the blender feature and at least one of the sidewalls of the blender feature is disposed within the at least one recess. A container adapter adapted to removably attach to a blender feature that can be used with a beverage blending machine, The blender feature has sidewalls that terminate to form an open end and a handle that facilitates pouring work material from the blender feature, wherein the container adapter includes: Lower sidewalls connected to one another adjacent to each other, the lower sidewalls being slightly spread outwardly from top to bottom to form a frusto-pyramidal shape slightly smaller than the open end of the blender feature, Upper side walls connected to each other adjacent to each other, A rim that effectively separates the lower sidewalls from the upper sidewalls; At least one side clamp extending downward from the rim adjacent one of the lower sidewalls; A pouring spout provided along a connection of two sidewalls of the upper sidewalls, A handle cover to cover the handle of the blender feature Wherein the container adapter is properly positioned on the blender feature when the handle cover is disposed over the handle. 7. The container adapter of claim 6, wherein the handle cover is formed on an opposite side of the pouring spout. The container adapter of claim 1, wherein when the container adapter is disposed on the blender feature, the rim is disposed on an upper end of the sidewall of the blender feature and the lower sidewalls of the container adapter are disposed inside the blender feature. An adapter for a feature having an open end, Lower sidewalls that are received within the open end of the feature and are connected to each other adjacent to each other, and slightly open outwardly from top to bottom to form a frusto-pyramidal shape that is slightly smaller than the open end of the blender feature. Lower sidewalls and lower sidewalls, A lip formed at a bottom of the lower sidewall, Upper sidewalls adapted to increase the height of the feature, A rim between the lower sidewalls and the upper sidewalls, A pouring spout provided along a connection of two sidewalls of the upper sidewalls, The lower sidewalls are resilient to engage the lip with an inner surface of the sidewall of the feature, and the rim is adapted to lie on an open end of the feature. delete delete delete delete

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