WO2023242628A1

WO2023242628A1 - A blender assembly and a food processor

Info

Publication number: WO2023242628A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/061628
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wancai HU; Chuanchuan XIA; Bang Li
Original assignee: Zhejiang Shaoxing Supor Domestic Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2022-06-16
Filing date: 2022-12-01
Publication date: 2023-12-21

Abstract

The present invention discloses a blender assembly and a food processor. The blender assembly comprises a primary cutter assembly and a secondary cutter assembly. The primary cutter assembly comprises a cutter shaft and a primary cutter assembled to the cutter shaft. The secondary cutter assembly comprises a mounting part and a secondary cutter assembled to the mounting part, the mounting part and the cutter shaft being connected by means of a reciprocating mechanism which is configured to exert a reciprocating motion having an axial component to the secondary cutter assembly during an intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft. With such arrangement, the primary cutter cuts food materials during the rotation of the cutter shaft, while the secondary cutter cuts food materials of different heights during its vertical reciprocating motion. Therefore, the cooperation between the primary cutter and the secondary cutter results in a more uniform cutting of food materials.

Description

A Blender Assembly and a Food Processor

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the technical field of small home electrical appliances and in particular relates to a blender assembly and a food processor.

Background of the Invention

A food processor, such as a meat grinder, comprises a food container, a lid covering the food container, a blender assembly located inside the food container, and a host unit arranged at the lid. Based on the above-described structure, the food processor is capable of mincing a food material. For example, in the case where the food material is meat, the host unit drives a primary cutter assembly to rotate inside the food container to mince meat into ground meat. Of course, the food material can also be a vegetable to be cut into granules or puree.

However, food materials produced by such food processors are usually cut into uneven sizes.

Summary of the Invention

An objective of the present invention is to provide a blender assembly and a food processor. The blender assembly is capable of cutting a food material into more even sizes.

The present invention provides a blender assembly. The blender assembly comprises a primary cutter assembly and a secondary cutter assembly. The primary cutter assembly comprises a cutter shaft and a primary cutter assembled to the cutter shaft. The secondary cutter assembly comprises a mounting part and a secondary cutter assembled to the mounting part. The mounting part and the cutter shaft are connected by means of a reciprocating mechanism which is configured to exert a reciprocating motion having an axial component to the secondary cutter assembly during an intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft. In other words, during an intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft, the cutter shaft drives the secondary cutter assembly to rotate intermittently around the rotation axis of the cutter shaft while performing a reciprocating motion along the cutter shaft under the effect of the reciprocating mechanism. With such arrangement, the primary cutter cuts food materials during the rotation of the cutter shaft, while the secondary cutter cuts food materials of different heights during its vertical reciprocating motion. Therefore, the cooperation of the primary cutter and the secondary cutter results in a more uniform cutting of the food materials. In addition, compared with a reciprocating motion achieved by an electric motor driving the cutter shaft to rotate in opposite directions, the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft driving the intermittent rotation of the secondary cutter assembly has a lower requirement on the electric motor, which helps reducing the costs.

In some embodiments, the reciprocating mechanism comprises a spiral groove and a protrusion, the cutter shaft is provided with one of the spiral groove and the protrusion, and the mounting part is provided with the other of the spiral groove and the protrusion. The spiral groove spirally rises along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft, and the protrusion and the spiral groove cooperate with each other to achieve the reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly. With such arrangement, food can be cut more uniformly. In addition, since the spiral groove and the protrusion are respectively arranged on the cutter shaft and the mounting part, their structures are both relatively simple, and thus the structure of the secondary cutter assembly is simple. Moreover, by providing the cutter shaft with one of the spiral groove and the protrusion and providing the mounting part with the other of the spiral groove and the protrusion, the length of the cutter shaft will not be excessively increased (the additional length is at most the course of the secondary cutter assembly along rotation axis of the cutter shaft). Therefore, the food processor is less susceptible to swinging during the rotation of the primary cutter assembly and the secondary cutter assembly.

In some embodiments, the protrusion spirally rises along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft. With such arrangement, both the protrusion and the spiral groove have a spiral shape. During the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft, the cooperation between the side wall of the spiral groove and the spiral shaped protrusion better facilitates the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly.

In some embodiments, in the case where the spiral groove and the protrusion both rise spirally, the spiral direction of the spiral groove and the spiral direction of the protrusion are opposite to the rotation direction of the cutter shaft. With such arrangement, as the spiral direction of the spiral groove is opposite to the rotation direction of the cutter shaft, the secondary cutter assembly moves to the highest position when driven by the rotation of the cutter shaft, and falls to the lowest position by gravity. Thus, the requirement on the weight of the secondary cutter assembly is lower, the reciprocating motion can be more easily realized, and the course of vertical movement along the rotation direction of the cutter shaft is longer.

In some embodiments, the cutter shaft is provided with a blocking part. When the secondary cutter assembly has moved to its highest position, the blocking part abuts against the mounting part. With such arrangement, the secondary cutter assembly is prevented from keeping moving upwards and detaching from the primary cutter assembly. When such blender assembly is used in a food processor having a lid, since the secondary cutter assembly is limited at the highest position by means of the blocking part, the lid will not be worn due to friction between the secondary cutter assembly and the lid. At the same time, the secondary cutter assembly is prevented from disengaging from the cutter shaft when moving upwards, thus eliminating a safety risk.

In some embodiments, the spiral groove is arranged on the cutter shaft, the blocking part is arranged at the top of the spiral groove, and each spiral groove comprises a first spiral wall and a second spiral wall provided with the blocking part. The blocking part and the first spiral wall are spaced apart so as to form a connecting groove that connects the spiral groove with the exterior of the cutter shaft. With such arrangement, the secondary cutter assembly can be assembled to the cutter shaft by fitting the protrusion into the spiral groove via the connecting groove, which facilitates the assembly between the secondary cutter assembly and the cutter shaft. In addition, by providing the connecting groove, the secondary cutter assembly and the primary cutter assembly can be detachably assembled. Thus, for a small quantity of food materials, only the primary cutter assembly can be used for cutting, while for a relatively large amount of food materials, the primary cutter assembly and the secondary cutter assembly can be used together for cutting. Therefore, the blender assembly can meet different needs.

In some embodiments, at least two spiral grooves are provided in an evenly spaced manner, either arranged at a side surface of the cutter shaft, or arranged at an inner side wall of the mounting part. In case the spiral grooves are arranged on the cutter shaft, all of the spiral grooves are arranged at the side surface of the cutter shaft in an evenly spaced manner. In case the spiral grooves are arranged on the mounting part, the mounting part comprises a cutter shaft accommodating chamber passed through by the cutter shaft, and all of the spiral grooves are arranged at an inner side wall of the cutter shaft accommodating chamber in an evenly spaced manner. With such arrangement, as the spiral grooves are arranged in an evenly spaced manner at the side surface of the cutter shaft or the side surface of the cutter shaft accommodating chamber, and there are at least two spiral grooves, the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly is more stable and smoother.

In some embodiments, the spiral groove presents a spiral angle 0 of 30° < 0 < 80°. With such arrangement, the speed of the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly will not be too high, thereby achieving a stable and smooth movement, In addition, as the movement will not be too fast, the secondary cutter assembly will more likely enter into contact with the food material, and thus ensuring a better cutting of the food material during the vertical reciprocating motion. In some embodiments, the spiral groove presents a height h along the rotation axis such that 15 mm < h < 150 mm. With such arrangement, and for example with 30° < 0 < 80°, the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly can be even more stable and smooth and the rising and falling will not be too fast, allowing better cutting of the food material. In addition, with the above-described height, the course of the secondary cutter assembly along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft can be limited, and thus, the food processor is less susceptible to swinging during the rotation of the primary cutter assembly and the secondary cutter assembly.

In some embodiments, the cutter shaft comprises a cooperating section provided with the spiral groove or the protrusion, and a support section located below the cooperating section. The mounting part is a sleeve that is sleeved to the support section by clearance fit. During the movement of the secondary cutter assembly to the highest position, the top of the support section is always located inside the sleeve. With such arrangement, as the support section is in clearance fit with the mounting part, and at the highest position, the bottom of the spiral groove is still inside the sleeve, the food material cannot easily enter the spiral groove, thereby preventing the secondary cutter assembly from being stuck by food material entering the spiral groove and thus unable to perform the vertical reciprocating motion.

In some embodiments, the cutter shaft is provided with a mounting step comprising a guiding face inclined towards the rotation axis. The bottom of the mounting part comprises an accommodating chamber comprising a cooperating face. When the secondary cutter assembly is located at the lowest position, the mounting step is located inside the accommodating chamber, with the cooperating face pressed against the guiding face, and the rotation axis of the cutter shaft coinciding with the rotation axis of the mounting part. With such arrangement, when the secondary cutter assembly is located at the lowest position, as the mounting step is inclined towards the rotation axis, the rotation axis of the mounting part coincides more easily with that of the cutter shaft, and the concentricity between the secondary cutter assembly and the cutter shaft is thus improved.

In some embodiments, both the guiding face and the cooperating face are surfaces of revolution formed by the revolution around the rotation axis of a straight line having an acute angle with the rotation axis. With such arrangement, the concentricity between the secondary cutter assembly and the cutter shaft is more easily improved. Moreover, surfaces of revolution are easy to produce.

In some embodiments, the cutter shaft comprises an engaging part and a cooperating section provided with the spiral groove; the engaging part is arranged at an end face of the cooperating section. The spiral groove extends to the end face. The mounting part is provided with an abutting part extending along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft. With such arrangement, the spiral groove is a continuous groove in the cooperating section, which facilitates processing and manufacture, as well as the mounting of the secondary cutter assembly. In addition, with the spiral groove extending to the end face, the secondary cutter assembly can be detachably assembled to the primary cutter assembly. Thus, for a small quantity of food materials, one can only use the primary cutter assembly for cutting, while for a relatively large amount of food materials, the primary cutter assembly and the secondary cutter assembly can be used together for cutting. Therefore, the blender assembly can cut different quantities of food materials and meet different needs.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a food processor. The food processor comprises any one of the above-described blender assemblies, a food container, a lid covering the food container, and a host unit, wherein, the blender assembly is located inside the food container, and the host unit comprises a universal motor that drives the cutter shaft to rotate. There is a gap between the secondary cutter and the lid when the secondary cutter assembly is located at the highest position. With such arrangement, the food processor has at least the beneficial effects procured by the blender assembly, which are not repeated. In addition, the existence of the gap can prevent wearing due to friction between the secondary cutter and the lid, which prolongs the service life of the blender assembly and/or the lid. Finally, by combining the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft and the universal motor, the costs of the food processor can be reduced.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a food processor, wherein no blocking part is provided, but instead, an upper coupler is provided to abut against the mounting part so as to limit the secondary cutter assembly at the highest position. More specifically, the food processor comprises any one of the above-described blender assemblies, a food container, a lid covering the food container, and a host unit, wherein, the cutter shaft comprises an engaging part and a cooperating section provided with the spiral groove. The engaging part is arranged at an end face of the cooperating section. The spiral groove extends to the end face. The blender assembly is located inside the food container, and the host unit drives the blender assembly to rotate. The host unit comprises a universal motor and an upper coupler connected with the universal motor. By means of the upper coupler, the universal motor is connected with the cutter shaft to drive the blender assembly to rotate. One of the upper coupler and the mounting part is provided with an abutting part. When the secondary cutter assembly has moved to the highest position, the other one of the upper coupler and the mounting part abuts against the abutting part so that there is a gap between the secondary cutter and the lid. With such arrangement, since the spiral groove extends to the end face, the processing of the spiral groove is facilitated. By having the upper coupler abut against the abutting part to ensure a gap between the secondary cutter and the lid, wearing due to friction between the secondary cutter and the lid is prevented, which prolongs the service life of the secondary cutter assembly. In addition, the described objectives can be achieved by simply providing the abutting part at the mounting part, which prevents friction between the secondary cutter and the lid with a simple structure. Finally, by combining the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft and the universal motor, the costs of the food processor can be reduced.

Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a food processor;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a first blender assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the primary cutter assembly of the first blender assembly shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the first blender assembly shown in Fig. 2, wherein the secondary cutter assembly is located at the lowest position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of part A in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the secondary cutter assembly shown in Fig. 2 located between the lowest position and the highest position;

Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of the first blender assembly shown in Fig. 2, wherein the secondary cutter assembly is located at the highest position;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an exploded view of a second blender assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a schematic view of the primary cutter assembly of the second blender assembly shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a view in perspective of the second blender assembly shown in Fig. 9, wherein the secondary cutter assembly is located at the lowest position;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of part C in Fig. 11 ;

Fig. 13 is a view in perspective of the second blender assembly shown in Fig. 9, wherein the secondary cutter assembly is located at the highest position;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of part D in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is an exploded view of a third blender assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 16 is a schematic view of the primary cutter assembly in Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a sectional view of a food processor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged view of part E in Fig. 17;

Fig. 19 is a schematic view in which the upper coupler of a food processor using the third blender assembly abuts against the mounting part of the secondary cutter assembly.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same references in different drawings refer to the same or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of means consistent with some aspects of the present invention as described in detail in the appended claims.

The terms used in the present application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used in the present application shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. “First,” “second,” and similar words used in the description and claims of the present application do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Likewise, "a" or "an" and similar words do not denote a quantitative limitation, but rather mean the presence of at least one. "Multiple" or "a plurality of' means two or more. Unless otherwise indicated, “front,” “rear,” “lower,” and/or “upper” and similar words are for convenience of description and are not limited to one location or one spatial orientation. “Comprise” or "include" and similar words mean that the element or object appearing before "comprise" or "include" encompasses the element or object listed after "comprise" or "include" and its equivalent, and do not exclude other elements or objects. “Connect” or “connected” and similar words are not limited to a physical or mechanical connection, but may include an electrical connection, whether direct or indirect. As used in the specification and the appended claims of the present application, singular forms such as “a,” “said,” and “the” are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The food processor shown in Fig. 1 comprises a first blender assembly 10, a food container 20, a lid 30 covering the food container 20, and a host unit 40. The host unit 40 drives the first blender assembly 10 to rotate in the food container 20 and thus cut the food into small pieces. However, with such food processor, food may not be uniformly cut. In order to solve this problem, the inventors of the present invention have noticed that in the structure of the food processor shown in Fig. 1 , the first blender assembly 10 comprises a cutter shaft 11 and cutters arranged along the circumferential direction of the cutter shaft 11 . The locations of those cutters on the cutter shaft 11 are fixed. Taking the bowl bottom of the food container 20 as a reference, each cutter 101 is at an equal distance from the bowl bottom in the vertical direction. Thus, only food at the same height as the cutters 101 can be cut, while food at a different height moves under the stirring effect of the blender assembly. As a result, the food processor cuts the food material into different sizes. After discovering the reason, the inventors of the present invention had the idea of dividing the blender assembly into a primary cutter assembly and a secondary cutter assembly that are both capable of rotating intermittently. In addition, the secondary cutter assembly is also capable of performing a reciprocal vertical movement, which allows cutting food materials of different heights. Thus, with the cooperation of the primary cutter assembly and the secondary cutter assembly, the food processor cut the food material into a uniform size. Below, the structure of the first blender assembly 10 is described in connection with the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figs 2, 4, 6, and 7, the first blender assembly 10 comprises a primary cutter assembly 1 and a secondary cutter assembly 2. The primary cutter assembly 1 comprises a cutter shaft 11 , a primary cutter 12, and an engaging part 13 capable of engaging with a host unit 40. The primary cutter 12 is used for stirring and crushing a food material, for example, stirring and crushing meat into grounded meat, or vegetables into vegetable granules or puree. The secondary cutter assembly 2 comprises a mounting part 21 and a secondary cutter 22. The secondary cutter 22 is also used for cutting a food material.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the blender assembly composed of the secondary cutter 2 and the primary cutter 1 differs from a conventional blender assembly in that: the mounting part 21 and the cutter shaft 11 are connected via a reciprocating mechanism. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, the reciprocating mechanism comprises a spiral groove 111 arranged on the cutter shaft 11 and a protrusion 211 arranged on the mounting part 21. The spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 both rise spirally around the rotation axis. During the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft 11 , the cutter shaft 11 drives the secondary cutter assembly 2 to rotate along the rotation axis, and the secondary cutter assembly 2 reciprocates up and down along the cutter shaft 11 under the effect of the reciprocating mechanism. In the embodiments of the present invention, the secondary cutter assembly 2 reciprocates up and down as a whole. Such reciprocating motion is described below in connection with Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 as follows:

In reference to Figs. 4 and 5, when the cutter shaft 11 is stationary, the secondary cutter assembly 2 is located at its lowest position which corresponds to the bottom of the spiral groove 111. Fig. 5 illustrates the contact between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211.

In reference to Figs. 4 and 6, as the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 both rise spirally around the rotation axis, and their respective spiral directions are opposite to the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 , when the cutter shaft 11 rotates clockwise (as shown by R in Fig. 4), the secondary cutter assembly 2 will move upward along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft 11 in the direction shown by the arrow A1 in Fig. 4 due to the cooperation between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211. Fig. 6 illustrates the state when the secondary cutter assembly 2 is moving upwards.

In reference to Figs. 7 and 8, and compared to Figs. 4 and 6, as the cutter shaft 11 continues to rotate, the secondary cutter assembly 2 reaches its highest position which corresponds to the top of the spiral groove 111. Figure 8 illustrates the state of cooperation between spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 when the secondary cutter assembly 2 is located at its highest position. Next, the cutter shaft 11 changes from a rotating state to a stationary state (as the cutter shaft 11 rotates intermittently, such stationary state is understood as a pause during the whole rotation process). Under the effect of gravity and by means of the cooperation between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 , the secondary cutter assembly 2 will fall from the highest position (the top of the spiral groove 111 ) to the lowest position (back to the bottom of the spiral groove 111) in the direction shown by the arrow A2 in Fig. 7. When the cutter shaft 11 rotates again, the secondary cutter assembly 2 rises again to the highest position, and when the cutter shaft becomes stationary (pauses) again, the secondary cutter assembly 2 falls again to the lowest position. In sum, with such repetition, when the cutter shaft 11 intermittently rotates (also referred to in the art as the inching mode), the secondary cutter assembly 2 will also rotate intermittently and thus reciprocate up and down along the rotation axis. The secondary cutter 22 of the secondary cutter assembly 2 is capable of cutting food materials at different heights during the vertical reciprocating motion.

Reference is now made to Figs 9 to 13, which illustrate a second blender assembly 10’. By comparing Figs. 9 and 10 with Fig. 2, it can be seen that the second blender assembly 10’ differs from the first blender assembly 10 mainly in that: the respective spiral directions of the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 are the same as the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 (especially visible by comparing Fig. 11 with Figs. 9 and 10). Therefore, only the process of the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter 2 along the rotation axis is described below.

In reference to Figs. 11 and 12, as the respective spiral directions of the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 are the same as the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 , when the cutter shaft 11 rotates, the secondary cutter assembly 2 is located at its lowest position. Fig. 12 illustrates the relative position between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 in this situation.

In reference to Figs. 13 and 14, and compared with Figs. 11 and 12, when the cutter shaft

I I changes from a rotating state to a stationary state (such stationary state is understood as a pause during the whole course of the cutter shaft), due to inertia, the secondary cutter assembly 2 moves upwards in the direction shown by the arrow A1 in Fig. 11 by means of the cooperation between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 , until the highest position shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 14 illustrates the relative position between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 when the secondary cutter assembly 2 is located at the highest position. When the cutter assembly 11 rotates again, by means of the cooperation between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 , the secondary cutter assembly 2 falls in the direction shown by the arrow A2 in Fig. 13. When the cutter shaft 11 becomes stationary (pauses) again, due to inertia, the secondary cutter assembly 2 rises again to the highest position along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft 11 (as shown by the arrow A1). With such repetition, the secondary cutter assembly 2 reciprocates vertically along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft during the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft 11 . During the vertical reciprocating motion, the secondary cutter assembly 2 cuts food materials at different heights.

In connection with Fig. 2, reference is now made to Figs. 15 and 16, which disclose a third blender assembly. The work process of the third blender assembly 10” is the same as that of the first blender assembly 10 and is not described again. A major difference between the third blender assembly 10” and the first blender assembly 10 is that the spiral groove

I I I of first blender assembly 10 is provided with a blocking part 114, while the spiral groove 111 of third blender assembly 10” is not provided with such a blocking part, as further explained in connection with Fig. 19. Even though three embodiments of the reciprocating mechanism consisting of the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 have been described above, based on the working processes and principles described, a person skilled in the art would understand that the movements realized by the reciprocating mechanism include an intermittent rotation and a vertical reciprocating motion, and any mechanism capable of realizing those two types of movement can be used for the present invention. Therefore, the reciprocating mechanism is not limited to the above-described spiral groove 111 and protrusion 211. Based on the functions of the reciprocating mechanism, the protrusion 211 is not limited to the spiral shape shown in the drawings. For example, the protrusion 211 may have a spherical shape so long as it is capable of cooperating with the spiral groove 111 to realize the described reciprocating motion. The described protrusion 211 has a spiral shape means that the protrusion 211 is arranged to rise around the rotation axis of the cutter shaft 11 . With such arrangement, both the protrusion 211 and the spiral groove 111 have a spiral shape. During the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft 11 , the cooperation between the side wall of the spiral groove 111 and the spiral shaped protrusion 211 better facilitates the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly.

In sum, by means of the reciprocating mechanism, during the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft 11 , the primary cutter 12 and the secondary cutter 22 are both capable of cutting a food material during rotation, and the secondary cutter 22 of the secondary cutter assembly 2 is capable of also reciprocating vertically to cut food materials at different heights. Finally, by the cooperation of the primary cutter and the secondary cutter, food materials are cut more uniformly. In addition, compared with a reciprocating motion realized by means of an electric motor (such as a servo motor) causing a cutter shaft to rotate alternately in opposite directions, the intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft driving the intermittent rotation of the secondary cutter assembly has lower requirements for the electric motor, which helps reducing costs.

In reference to Figs 2 and 3, 9 and 10, and 15 and 16, in the above three blender assemblies 10, the reciprocating mechanism comprises the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211. The cutter shaft 11 is provided with the spiral groove 111 , and the mounting part 21 is provided with the protrusion 211. However, the positions of the protrusion 211 and the spiral groove 111 can be reversed. In other words, the mounting part 21 can be provided with the spiral groove 111 and the cutter shaft 11 can be provided with the protrusion. The spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 are both arranged to rise spirally around the rotation axis. Based on the above description of working process, the protrusion 211 and the spiral groove 111 cooperate so as to realize the reciprocating motion. With such arrangement, by means of the cooperation between the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 , food materials can be cut more uniformly with a relatively simple structure. In fact, since the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 are respectively arranged at the cutter shaft 11 and the mounting part 21 , the structure of the spiral groove 111 and that of the protrusion 211 are both relatively simple, and thus the structure of the secondary cutter assembly 2 is also simple. Moreover, by providing the cutter shaft 11 itself with one of the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 and providing the mounting part 21 with the other of the spiral groove 111 and the protrusion 211 , the length of the cutter shaft will not be excessively increased. The additional length is at most the course of the secondary cutter assembly along the axial direction of the cutter shaft (i.e., along the rotation axis), and thus swinging of the food processor is prevented during the rotation of the primary cutter assembly and the secondary cutter assembly. For example, a conventional four-blade cutter comprises four blades arranged along the circumferential direction of a cutter shaft. The four blades are also vertically distributed along the axial direction of the cutter shaft (i.e., along the rotation axis), denoted sequentially as a first blade to a fourth blade. Compared with the present invention, the first blade and the second blade may correspond to the primary cutter assembly and the mounting part 21 can be considered as the corresponding part on the cutter shaft where the third blade and the fourth blade are mounted. Therefore, the additional length is at most the course of the secondary cutter assembly 2 along the axial direction of the cutter shaft 11 (i.e., along the rotation axis). By adjusting the distances between the blades along the axial direction of the cutter shaft, the length of the cutter shaft will not be increased.

Still in reference to Figs. 2 and 3, 9 and 10, and 15 and 16, in each of the above-described three blender assemblies, there are two spiral grooves 111 , both located at the side surface of the cutter shaft 11 and uniformly spaced. Correspondingly, there are two protrusions 211. However, a person skilled in the art can understand that the number of spiral grooves 111 can be three, four, etc.. The uniformly spaced distribution can be defined with respect to a sectional plan perpendicular to the rotation axis. If there are three spiral grooves 111 , adjacent spiral grooves 111 form an angle of 120° between them. If there are four spiral grooves 111 , adjacent spiral grooves 111 form an angle of 90° between them. With such arrangement, since at least two spiral grooves are evenly distributed at the side surface of the cutter shaft 11 , the secondary cutter assembly 2 performs the vertical reciprocating motion more stably and smoothly. For example, it will not tilt and thus be stuck somewhere, unable to move up or down. In addition, a person skilled in the art can understand that for the spiral grooves 111 arranged at the mounting part 21 , the mounting part comprises a cutter shaft accommodating chamber for the cutter shaft to pass through, and at least two spiral grooves 111 are evenly distributed at the side surface of the cutter shaft accommodating chamber. With such arrangement, the secondary blade assembly 2 can also move stably and smoothly.

In reference to Figs. 3 and 10, in the first blender assembly 10 and the second blender assembly 10’, the spiral angle 0 of the spiral grooves 111 is such that 30° < 0 < 80°. For example, it can be 30°, 33°, 35°, 38°, 40°, 42°, 45°, 47°, 50°, 53°, 55°, 58°, 60°, 62°, 65°, 67°, 70°, 72°, 75°, 78°, or 80°. With such arrangement, as the spiral angle 0 ranges from 30° to 80°, the speed of the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly 2 along the rotation axis will not be too high. Not only is the movement stable and smooth, but also, as the speed is not be too high, the probability of entering into contact with a food material can be increased, and thus, it can better cut a food material during the vertical reciprocating motion.

Still in reference to Figs. 3 and 10, in the first blender assembly 10 and the second blender assembly 10’, the height h of the spiral grooves 111 along the rotation axis is such that 15 mm < h < 150 mm. For example, it can be 15 mm, 17 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 28 mm, 30 mm, 33 mm, 35 mm, 38 mm, 40 mm, 42 mm, 45 mm, 48 mm, 50 mm, 55 mm, 60 mm, 63 mm, 70 mm, 75 mm, 80 mm, 85 mm, 90 mm, 95 mm, 100 mm, 105 mm, 110 mm, 115 mm, 120 mm, 125 mm, 130 mm, 135 mm, 140 mm, or 150 mm. Of course, the third blender assembly 10” can also be configured the same way (not illustrated in the drawings). With such arrangement, when 15 mm < h < 150 mm, and for example, with 30° < 0 < 80°, the vertical reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly 2 can be even more stable and smooth and the speed of rising and falling will not be too high, allowing better cutting of a food material. In addition, with the above-described h, the course of the secondary cutter assembly along the axial direction of the cutter shaft 11 is limited, and thus, the food processor is less susceptible to swinging during the rotation of the primary cutter assembly 1 and the secondary cutter assembly 2. Of course, when 15 mm < h < 150 mm, the spiral angle can be of another value, i.e . , outside the range of 30° < 0 < 80°.

In reference to Figs 1 , 2, and 4 and comparing them to Figs. 9, 10, and 13, in the first blender assembly 10, the spiral grooves 111 are arranged to rise spirally, and the direction of the spirally rising of the spiral grooves 111 is opposite to the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 . For example, the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 is clockwise and the spiral direction of the spiral grooves 111 is counter-clockwise (same as the direction of the cutting edge of the primary cutter 12). The spiral direction of the spiral groove is understood as the direction along which the spiral groove extends from bottom to top. If the circumferential component of the direction is counter-clockwise, the spiral direction is defined as “counter-clockwise”. With the spiral direction of the spiral groove 111 opposite to the direction of rotation of the cutter shaft 11 , as described in the above description of work processes, the secondary cutter assembly 2 moves to the highest position when driven by the cutter shaft 11 , and then falls to the lowest position by gravity. This allows a lower requirement on the weight of the secondary cutter assembly 2, which realizes a reciprocating motion more easily, and has a longer course of vertical movement along the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 . In the second blender assembly 10’ shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 13, the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 is clockwise, and the spiral direction of the spiral grooves 111 is clockwise. In the second blender assembly 10’, since the spiral direction of the spiral grooves 111 is the same as the rotation direction of the cutter shaft 11 , the secondary cutter assembly 2 reaches the highest position by inertia. If the weight of the secondary cutter assembly 2 of the second blender assembly 10’ is insufficient, it would result in relatively small inertia, and thus, the secondary cutter assembly 2 would be unable to reach the highest position.

To the contrary, the cutter shaft 11 of the first blender assembly 10 drives the secondary cutter assembly 2 to the highest position, without being affected by weight. Therefore, with the respective spiral directions of the spiral grooves and protrusions opposite to the rotation direction of the cutter shaft, the secondary cutter assembly 2 is easier to be realized, and for example, to reach the highest position.

In reference to Figs. 7, 2, and 3 and comparing them with Figs. 6 and 4 and in reference to Figs. 15 and 16, the cutter shaft 11 comprises a cooperating section provided with the spiral groove 111 and a support section 112 located below the cooperating section. Of course, in case the cooperating section is provided with the protrusion, the support section 112 is still located below the cooperating section. The mounting part 21 is a sleeve sleeved to the support section 112 by clearance fit. As shown in Figs. 6, 7, 13, and 15, during the whole course of the secondary cutter assembly 2 along the cutter shaft 11 till the highest position, the top 1120 of the support section 12 is located inside the sleeve. For example, in Figs. 2 and 3, the top 1120 of the support section 112 is located inside the sleeve. The top 1120 is located inside the sleeve so as to prevent a food material from entering, thus it is viable to have an end face of the mounting part 21 and an end face of the support section pressed against each other. Since the support section 112 is in clearance fit with the mounting part 21 , and the top 1120 of the support section 112 is still inside the sleeve at the highest position, a food material cannot easily enter the spiral groove 111 from below, thereby preventing the secondary cutter assembly 2 from being stuck and thus unable to perform the vertical reciprocating motion.

In reference to Figs. 2 and 3 and in connection with Fig. 4, in reference to Figs. 9 and 10 and in connection with Fig. 13, and in reference to Figs. 15 and 16, in each of the three blender assemblies 10, the cutter shaft 11 is provided with a mounting step 113. In the first blender assembly 10 and the third blender assembly 10”, the mounting step 113 is located at the bottom of the spiral groove 111. The mounting step 113 comprises a guiding face 1131 inclined towards the rotation axis of the cutter shaft 11. The mounting part 21 comprises a cutter shaft accommodating chamber (not indicated by a reference in the drawings). The cutter shaft accommodating chamber comprises a cooperating face. When the secondary cutter assembly is located at the lowest position, the mounting step 113 is located inside the accommodating chamber, with the cooperating face pressed again the guiding face 1131 so that the rotation axis of the cutter shaft 11 coincides with the rotation axis of the mounting part 21. With such arrangement, when the secondary cutter assembly 2 is located at the lowest position, as the mounting step 113 inclines towards the rotation axis, the rotation axis of the mounting part 21 coincides more easily with that of the cutter shaft 11 , so that the concentricity between the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the cutter shaft 11 is improved. An improved concentricity further facilitates the movement of the secondary cutter assembly 2 along the spiral groove 111. Based on the functions performed by the mounting step 113, a person skilled in the art can understand that the mounting step 113 is not limited to the continuous surface of revolution described below, and can be discontinuous parts distributed in a uniformly spaced manner around the rotation axis.

In reference to Figs. 2 and 3 and in connection with Fig. 4, in reference to Figs. 9 and 10 and in connection with Fig. 13, and in reference to Figs. 15 and 16, the guiding face 1131 and the cooperating face are both surfaces of revolution formed by the rotation of a straight line having an acute angle with the rotation axis around the rotation axis. For example, the guiding face 1131 is a side face of a truncated cone. With such arrangement, the guiding face 1131 is a surface of revolution, which further improves the concentricity between the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the cutter shaft 11 . Moreover, surfaces of revolution are easier to produce.

In reference to Fig. 17, in another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a food processor. The food processor comprises any one of the blender assemblies 10 described above, a food container 20, a lid 30 covering the food container 20, and a host unit 40, wherein, the blender assembly is located inside the food container 20. The host unit 40 drives the cutter shaft 11 to rotate. The above-described food processor is a meat grinder, and the food container 20 is a meat grinding bowl. In case of a meat grinder, the host unit is placed above the lid 30. Thus, the cutter shaft 11 will not be too long and its top and bottom ends are respectively rotationally connected with the bottom of the meat grinding bowl and the host unit. The host unit is arranged on top of the bowl lid. By combining the primary cutter assembly and the secondary cutter assembly, the meat grinder is less susceptible to swinging. However, based on the functions of the secondary cutter assembly 2 of the blender assembly, the food processor can also be a juicer. Correspondingly, the food container 20 is a blender bowl, and the lid 30 is a lid assembly.

In reference to Figs. 2 to 8 and Figs. 9 to 14, in the first blender assembly 10 and the second blender assembly 10’, a blocking part 114 is provided on top of the spiral groove 111 on the cutter shaft 11. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 and Figs. 13 and 14, when the secondary cutter assembly 2 has moved to the highest position, the blocking part 114 abuts against the mounting part 21 so as to create a gap between the secondary cutter 22 and the lid 30. With such arrangement, as the blocking part 114 abuts against the mounting part 21 , the secondary cutter assembly 2 cannot continue to move upwards. In other words, the highest position of the secondary cutter assembly 2 is limited so that there is a gap between the secondary cutter 22 and the lid 30. The existence of the gap prevents the wearing of the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the lid 30 due to friction therebetween. The structure of the blocking part 114 is not limited, so long as it can fulfill the function of blocking. The size of the gap is not limited either so long as it prevents the friction between the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the lid 30. In some other embodiments, the upper coupler 401 can be provided with a second abutting part, which abuts against the mounting part. In addition, a person skilled in the art can understand that in the event that the mounting part 21 is provided with the spiral groove 111 , the cutter shaft 11 can also be provided with the blocking part 114. Similarly, when the secondary cutter assembly 2 has moved to the highest position, the blocking part 114 prevents the secondary cutter assembly 2 from continuing to move upwards.

In reference to Figs. 2 to 4 and Figs. 9 to 14, each spiral groove 111 comprises a first spiral wall 1111 and a second spiral wall 1112 provided with the blocking part 114. The blocking part 114 and the first spiral wall 1111 are spaced apart to form a connecting groove 1113 that connects the spiral groove 111 to the exterior of the cutter shaft 11 . With such arrangement, the secondary cutter assembly 2 can be assembled to the cutter shaft 11 by fitting the protrusion 211 into the spiral groove 111 via the connecting groove 1113, which facilitates the assembly between the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the cutter shaft 11. In addition, by providing the connecting groove 1113, the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the primary cutter assembly 1 can be detachably assembled. Thus, for a small quantity of food materials, only the primary cutter assembly 1 can be used for cutting, while for a relatively large amount of food materials, the primary cutter assembly 1 and the secondary cutter assembly 2 can be used together for cutting. Therefore, the blender assembly can meet different needs.

In reference to Figs. 17 and 18 and in connection with Figs. 15 and 16, the blender assembly equipped in the food processor shown in Fig. 17 is the third blender assembly 10” shown in Figs. 15 and 16. The third blender assembly 10” differs from the first two blender assemblies 10 mainly in that the third blender assembly 10” is not provided with the blocking part 114. In connection with the accompanying drawings, a detailed description is provided as follows.

The host unit 40 comprises an upper coupler 401. The cutter shaft 11 comprises an engaging part 13 and a cooperating section 110 provided with the spiral groove 111. As shown in Fig. 16, the cutter shaft 11 comprises a cooperating section 110 provided with the spiral groove 111 and comprising an end face 1101. The engaging part 13 is located at the end face 1101 of the cooperating section. The spiral groove 111 extends to the end face 1101. As shown in Fig. 15, the mounting part 21 is provided with an abutting part 212. In reference to Fig. 19, when the secondary cutter assembly 2 has moved to the highest position around the cutter shaft 11 , the upper coupler 401 abuts against the abutting part 212 so that a gap is retained between the secondary cutter 22 and the lid 30. With such arrangement, the spiral groove 111 extends to the end face 1101 , the processing of the spiral groove 111 and the assembling of the secondary cutter assembly 2 to the cutter shaft 11 are facilitated. In addition, by pressing the upper coupler 401 against the abutting part 212 to retain a gap between the secondary cutter 22 and the lid 30, wearing due to friction between the secondary cutter 22 and the lid 30 is prevented by the existence of the gap, which prolongs the service life of the secondary cutter assembly 2. Moreover, the described objectives can be achieved by simply providing the abutting part at the mounting part. The friction between the secondary cutter and the lid is prevented with a simple structure. Similarly, in this embodiment, the size of the gap is not limited so long as it can prevent friction between the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the lid 30. In addition, with the spiral groove 111 extending to the end face, the secondary cutter assembly 2 and the primary cutter assembly 1 can be detachably assembled. Thus, for a small quantity of food materials, only the primary cutter assembly 1 can be used for cutting, while for a relatively large amount of food materials, the primary cutter assembly 1 and the secondary cutter assembly 2 can be used together for cutting. Therefore, the blender assembly can process different quantities of food materials and meet different needs.

Taking the examples of an abutting part 212 arranged at the mounting part 21 which abuts against the upper coupler 401 and a blocking part 114 which limits the course of the secondary cutter assembly 2, the above passages have described how to realize a gap between the secondary cutter 22 and the lid 30 and thus prevent damages of the secondary cutter 22 and/or the lid 30 due to friction therebetween. Based on the description, a person skilled in the art can understand that other structures may be possible so long as they form the gap. For example, the abutting part 212 can also be arranged at the upper coupler 401. In this case, the abutting part 212 abuts against the mounting part 21 , which can also realize the objective of limiting the course of the secondary cutter assembly 2.

What have been described above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1 . A blender assembly, characterized in that, it comprises:

- a primary cutter assembly (1), comprising a cutter shaft (11) and a primary cutter (12) assembled to the cutter shaft (11);

- a secondary cutter assembly (2), comprising a mounting part (21) and a secondary cutter (22) assembled to the mounting part (21), the mounting part (21) and the cutter shaft (11) being connected by means of a reciprocating mechanism which is configured to exert a reciprocating motion having an axial component to the secondary cutter assembly (2) during an intermittent rotation of the cutter shaft (11).

2. The blender assembly according to claim 1 , characterized in that, the reciprocating mechanism comprises a spiral groove (111) and a protrusion (211), the cutter shaft (11) being provided with one of the spiral groove (111) and the protrusion (211), and the mounting part (21) being provided with the other of the spiral groove (111) and the protrusion (211); the spiral groove (111) spirally rises along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft (11), and the protrusion (211) and the spiral groove (111) cooperate with each other to achieve the reciprocating motion of the secondary cutter assembly (2).

3. The mixing cutter according to claim 2, characterized in that, the protrusion (211) spirally rises along the rotation axis of the cutter shaft (11).

4. The blender assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, the spiral direction of the spiral groove (111) and the spiral direction of the protrusion (211) are opposite to the rotation direction of the cutter shaft (11).

5. The blender assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, at least two spiral grooves (111) are provided in an evenly spaced manner, either arranged at a side surface of the cutter shaft (11), or arranged at an inner side wall of the mounting part (21).

6. The blender assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, the spiral groove (111) presents a spiral angle 0 of 30° < 0 < 80°.

7. The blender assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, the spiral groove (111) presents a height h along the rotation axis such that 15 mm < h < 150 mm.

8. The blender assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that, the cutter shaft (11) comprises a cooperating section provided with the spiral groove (111) or the protrusion (211), and a support section (112) located below the cooperating section; the mounting part (21) being a sleeve that is sleeved to the support section by clearance fit; during the movement of the secondary cutter assembly (2) to its highest position, the top (1120) of the support section (112) is always located inside the sleeve.

9. The blender assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, the cutter shaft (11) is provided with a mounting step (113) comprising a guiding face (1131) inclined towards the rotation axis; the mounting part (21) comprises a cutter shaft accommodating chamber comprising a cooperating face; when the secondary cutter assembly (2) is located at the lowest position, the mounting step (113) is located inside the cutter shaft accommodating chamber, with the cooperating face pressed against the guiding face (1131), and the rotation axis of the cutter shaft (11) coinciding with the rotation axis of the mounting part (21).

10. The blender assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that, both the guiding face (1131) and the cooperating face are surfaces of revolution formed by the revolution around the rotation axis of a straight line having an acute angle with the rotation axis.

11. The blender assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that, the cutter shaft (11) is provided with a blocking part (114); when the secondary cutter assembly (2) has moved to its highest position, the blocking part (114) abuts against the mounting part (21).

12. The blender assembly according to claim 11 , characterized in that, the spiral groove (111) is arranged on the cutter shaft (11), the blocking part (114) is arranged at the top of the spiral groove (111), and the spiral groove (111) comprises a first spiral wall (1111) and a second spiral wall (1112); the blocking part (114) and the first spiral wall (1111) being spaced apart so as to form a connecting groove (1113) which connects the spiral groove (111) with the exterior of the cutter shaft (11).

13. The blender assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that, the cutter shaft (11) comprises an engaging part (13) and a cooperating section provided with the spiral groove (111); the engaging part (13) is arranged at an end face (1101) of the cooperating section; the spiral groove (111) extends to the end face (1101); the mounting part (21) is provided with an abutting part (212) extending upward.

14. A food processor, characterized in that, it comprises the blender assembly (10) of any one of claims 1 to 13, a food container 20, a lid (30) covering the food container (20), and a host unit (40), wherein, the blender assembly (10) is located inside the food container (20), and the host unit (40) comprises a universal motor which drives the cutter shaft (11) to rotate, and when the secondary cutter assembly (2) is located at the highest position, there is a gap between the secondary cutter (22) and the lid (30).

15. A food processor according to claim 14, wherein the universal motor is connected with the cutter shaft (11) by means of an upper coupler (401) which is provided with a second abutting part, when the secondary cutter assembly (2) has moved to the highest position, the mounting part (21) abuts against the second abutting part so that there is a gap between the secondary cutter (22) and the lid (30).