PROTECTIVE HOUSING FOR A ROTATING KITCHEN TOOL

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a kitchen appliance with a rotating kitchen tool, wherein the kitchen tool has a base body rotatable about an axis of rotation, from which at least one tool element extends radially outwards, wherein the base body is arranged in a protective housing and the protective housing has an opening through which the at least one radially outwards extending tool element extends outwards, and a protective housing for use in a kitchen appliance with a rotating kitchen tool.

[0002] Such a kitchen appliance is known from the prior art. There are numerous electric kitchen appliances with a rotating cooking tool, which, in the context of this invention, are expressly intended to include electric food processors. A very well-known electric kitchen appliance is, for example, a food processor sold under the brand name Thermomix®.

[0003] The kitchen tools used with such electric kitchen appliances include kneading and mixing tools. Kneading and mixing tools are used when dough needs to be made or processed. These tools have at least one radially extending working element. In practice, a kitchen tool consists of a bowl, at the bottom of which the rotating working element is mounted on a shaft. Often, the kitchen tool has three working elements. During operation, these elements churn the dough and mix it until it reaches the correct consistency. After this process, the dough is removed from the bowl. Once the dough has been largely removed, the kitchen tool, still contaminated with a considerable amount of sticky dough, remains behind.

[0004] The disadvantage associated with this dough residue is that, firstly, a large amount of dough remains on the kitchen utensil and cannot be used to create a finished product, and secondly, cleaning the kitchen utensil becomes more time-consuming, as the larger amount of dough adhering to the utensil is disposed of down the drain. Disposing of food down the drain should be kept to a minimum for hygienic reasons.

[0005] From WO2021 / 018151, a kitchen appliance is known with a rotating kitchen tool that has a base body rotatable about an axis of rotation, from which at least one tool element extends radially outwards. The base body comprises a rotating cutting tool with a one-piece holder that is sealed against the drive shaft by a sealing ring. This holder has a locking mechanism for quick installation and removal of the tool element and thus protects only the upper mechanical connection area in the base body. A lateral connection area and an area extending radially beyond the dimensions of the base body cannot be kept free of dough or other material with this design.

[0006] The object of the present invention is therefore to further develop a kitchen appliance of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the kitchen tool is protected from massive contamination without reducing its effectiveness.

[0007] The problem is solved according to the invention by the protective housing being designed in two parts, wherein a lower part of the protective housing is arranged on the drive side under the kitchen tool and an upper part of the protective housing is arranged above the kitchen tool.

[0008] The object is also achieved according to the invention by a protective housing for use in a kitchen appliance.

[0009] With the present invention, it is now possible to protect the base body against contamination. The protective housing according to the invention is able to protect the base body, and thus the area around the axis of rotation, from coarse contamination by residues of the food being processed with the kitchen appliance. The protective housing thus prevents sticky or adhesive residues, such as dough residues, from accumulating on the base body in the area of ​​the axis of rotation.

[0010] A further advantage of the present invention is that the protective housing is designed in two parts. This two-part design allows the protective housing to be installed in the kitchen appliance very easily.

[0011] A further advantage of the present invention is that a lower part of the protective housing is arranged on the drive side below the kitchen utensil, and an upper part of the protective housing is arranged above the kitchen utensil. Attaching the protective housing is then simple: the kitchen utensil is detached from the kitchen appliance, the lower part is placed onto the axis of rotation, and then the kitchen utensil is placed back onto the axis of rotation. Finally, the upper part is placed onto the lower part of the protective housing, so that the base body is enclosed by the lower and upper parts. The two-part design of the protective housing allows for a more spacious enclosure.

[0012] For this purpose, it is also advantageous that the lower part has a lower circumferential edge and the upper part an upper circumferential edge, which enclose the base body at a radial distance. This ensures complete enclosure of the base body.

[0013] To ensure that the functionality of the tool elements is not restricted, it is advantageous for the lower and upper circumferential edges to each have a topography which, when the lower and upper circumferential edges are joined, forms the opening for the at least one tool element extending radially outwards. This ensures in a simple way that only the base body is essentially enclosed, while the at least one tool element can extend outwards and perform its function unhindered.

[0014] A further advantage of the present invention is that each individual tool element is assigned an opening. This measure ensures that the opening width is matched to the respective tool element and thus the protective housing seals as tightly as possible around the base body or the kitchen utensil.

[0015] A further advantage of the present invention is that the lower and upper parts of the protective housing are detachably connected to each other via a snap-fit ​​connection. This snap-fit ​​connection allows the lower and upper parts to be easily connected and separated.

[0016] This makes it easier to attach the protective housing and to remove the protective housing after using the kitchen appliance.

[0017] A protective housing for use in a kitchen appliance offers the same advantages as those already described for the appliance itself. A further advantage of such a housing is that it is balanced with respect to rotation around the kitchen tool's axis of rotation. This ensures that the base body, with at least one tool element, can rotate quietly and with virtually no vibration, even with the protective housing installed.

[0018] Further advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the features of the dependent claims.

[0019] One embodiment of the present invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a schematic, perspective exploded view of a kitchen tool with protective housing for a kitchen appliance according to the present invention; Fig. 2 a schematic side view of the kitchen tool made of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 a schematic sectional view along line AA in Fig. 2 ; Fig. 4 a schematic top view of the kitchen tool with protective housing made of Fig. 2 ; Fig. 5 Schematic side view of a lower part of the protective housing according to the present invention; Fig. 6 a schematic side view of an upper part of the protective housing according to the present invention; Fig. 7 Schematic top view of the lower part of the protective housing made of Fig. 5 ; and Fig. 8 a schematic top view of the upper part of the protective housing made of Fig. 6 .

[0020] In Fig. 1 A kitchen tool 1 for a kitchen appliance is shown schematically in an exploded view. According to the present invention, such a kitchen appliance need not necessarily be electrically operated. It can also be mechanically operated, e.g., by a pull cord. The drive mechanism is not essential to the present invention. Such a kitchen tool 1 has a base body 5 rotatable about an axis of rotation 3, from which at least one tool element 7.1 extends radially outwards. The kitchen tool 1 is typically located at the bottom of a preparation vessel (not shown) of the kitchen appliance 1. The food placed in the preparation vessel is processed by the rotating kitchen tool 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the kitchen tool 1 is a stirring tool and the at least one tool element 7.1 is a stirring element. In other embodiments, the kitchen tool 1 can also be a cutting tool and the at least one tool element 7.1 can be a cutting element.1. It may be a cutting element. For the present invention, the function of the kitchen tool is not relevant, so that it can fulfill any function.

[0021] When processing food, crushed or mixed material collects at the bottom of the preparation vessel, which remains in the area of ​​the kitchen tool 1 even after the main part has been removed from the preparation vessel, so that the kitchen tool 1 must be thoroughly cleaned.

[0022] To prevent extensive contamination from processed foodstuffs, such as dough residue, the kitchen tool 1 is partially enclosed by a protective housing 9. In the illustrated embodiment, the protective housing 9 is made of two parts. In other embodiments, the protective housing 9 can also be made of one part or comprise more than two parts. The protective housing 9 of the present embodiment comprises a lower part 9.1 and an upper part 9.2. In other embodiments, the two parts can also be arranged side by side. The lower part 9.1 is located on the drive side at the bottom of the preparation vessel. The lower part 9.1 is mounted on the axis of rotation 3 (a drive shaft) and rotates with it when the kitchen tool 1 is driven. The lower part 9.1 has a lower circumferential edge 9.3 and the upper part 9.2 has an upper circumferential edge 9.4. The lower circumferential edge 9.3 and the upper circumferential edge 9.24 enclose the base body 5 at least partially at a radial distance.

[0023] The lower circumferential edge 9.3 and the upper circumferential edge 9.4 each have a topography which, in the assembled state of the lower circumferential edge 9.3 and the upper circumferential edge 9.4, forms at least one opening 11 for the at least one tool element 7.1 extending radially outwards. In the Fig. 1 In the illustrated embodiment, four tool elements 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 are shown. In other embodiments, only two, three, or more than four tool elements may be provided. Each individual tool element 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 is associated with an opening 11. Thus, each individual tool element extends through an opening 11 that is separated from other openings 11. In other embodiments, one opening 11 may also be associated with several tool elements.

[0024] The topographies of the lower circumferential edge 9.3 and the upper circumferential edge 9.4 are essentially complementary to each other, so that joining the upper part 9.2 and the lower part 9.1 to form at least one opening 11 creates a precise connection.

[0025] The protective housing 9 is detachably attached to the preparation vessel. The upper part 9.2 is plugged onto the lower part 9.1 and locks into place. In other embodiments, the protective housing 9 can also be permanently attached to the preparation vessel. Furthermore, the connection can be made by means other than plugging and locking. This locking connection can be manually released to remove the upper part 9.2. The kitchen tool 1 can then be detached from the drive shaft, and finally, the lower part 9.1 can be removed from the preparation vessel.

[0026] In Fig. 2 It can be seen that each tool element 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 extends radially outwards from the protective housing 9 through its respective opening 11. This allows the tool elements 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 to remain exposed and functional even when the protective housing 9 completely encloses the base body 5.

[0027] In Fig. 3 schematically, a section along line AA in Fig. 2 The base body 5 is centrally located on the axis of rotation 3 and is driven by the drive shaft to rotate about the axis of rotation 3. The lower part 9.1 engages the base body 5 at its base and is provided with a metal ring 9.5, for example, a stainless steel ring, which in the illustrated embodiment is overmolded with plastic. In other embodiments, a ring or disc made of rubber or another material may be provided instead of the metal ring 9.5. The openings 11 are located in the transition area between the lower part 9.1 and the upper part 9.2. The protective housing 9 is conical overall. The upper part 9.1 has two opposite grip recesses 13.1 and 13.2 on its circumference, into which a user can insert their thumb and forefinger to either place the upper part 9.2 onto the lower part 9.1 or to remove it from the lower part 9.1.

[0028] In Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of the kitchen tool 1 with protective housing 9 made of Fig. 2 The largest diameter of the protective housing 9 is 64 mm in the present embodiment. Other diameters can be selected in other embodiments.

[0029] In Fig. 5 A schematic view of the lower part 9.1 of the protective housing 9 is shown. The lower part 9.1 has a first circumferential surface section 9.6 on a first circumferential segment, which is approximately trapezoidal in the direction of the cone apex. In the present embodiment, the height of the surface section 9.6 is 28.8 mm. On a second circumferential segment of the lower part 9.1 opposite the first circumferential segment, a second surface section 9.7, which is approximately trapezoidal in the direction of the cone apex, is formed, which in the present embodiment has a lower height than the first surface section 9.6. The lower part 9.1 forms a base 9.8 with a height of approximately 10.3 mm, from which at least the first surface section 9.6 and the second surface section 9.7 extend as part of a conical shell. The upper part 9.2 has the additional surface sections that complete the conical shell. A [missing information] formed by the lower part 9.1 and the upper part 9.The resulting "rotational cone" exhibits the angles typical for this type of cone, that is, in cross-section through the central axis, three angles of 60° each, or a right-angled triangle on either side of the central axis. The base 9.8 extends below the rotational cone.

[0030] In Fig. 6 A schematic side view of the upper part 9.2 of the protective housing 9 is shown. This also includes the base 9.8 in some places and, starting from the base 9.8, the lateral surface sections that complement the rotary cone or the lateral surface sections complementary to the lateral surface sections 9.6 and 9.7 to form the lateral surface of the rotary cone, which is complete except for at least one opening 11.

[0031] In Fig. 7 The lower part 9.1 is shown in a top view. The first lateral surface section 9.6 and the opposite second lateral surface section 9.7 are facing the viewer.

[0032] In Fig. 8 A schematic top view of the upper part 9.2 is shown. In the Fig. 8 The orientation of the upper part shown in 9.2 is applied to the area shown in Fig. 7 The lower part shown in section 9.1 is attached and connected to it by a snap-fit ​​connection.

[0033] The locking connection can be released again by gripping the recesses 13.1, 13.2 of the upper part 9.2.

[0034] The protective housing 9 is designed for rotation; that is, it has a mass distribution that can be described as balanced, so that no instability occurs during rotation. The protective housing 9 can be made of any material, for example, metal, plastic, glass, wood, rubber, carbon fiber, or a combination of metal and plastic. Bezugszeichenliste

[0035] 1 Kitchen tool 3 Rotation axis 5 Base body 7.1 First tool element 7.2 Second tool element 7.3 Third tool element 7.4 Fourth tool element 9 Protective housing 9.1 Lower part 9.2 Upper part 9.3 Lower circumferential edge 9.4 Upper circumferential edge 9.5 Metal ring 9.6 First cylindrical surface piece 9.7 Second cylindrical surface piece 9.8 Base 11 Opening 13.1 First handle recess 13.2 Second handle recess

Claims

1. A kitchen appliance with a rotating kitchen tool (1) and a protective housing (9), wherein the kitchen tool (1) has a base body (5), which is rotatable about a rotational axis (3) and from which at least one tool element (7.1; 7.2; 7.3; 7.4) extends radially outward, wherein the base body (5) is arranged in the protective housing (9) and the protective housing (9) has an opening (11), through which the at least one tool element (7.1; 7.2; 7.3; 7.4) extends radially outward, wherein the protective housing (9) has a two-part design, and wherein a lower part (9.1) of the protective housing (9) is arranged underneath the kitchen tool (1) on the drive side and an upper part (9.2) of the protective housing (9) is arranged above the kitchen tool (1).

2. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower part (9.1) has a lower peripheral edge (9.3) and the upper part (9.2) has an upper peripheral edge (9.2), wherein said peripheral edges at least partially enclose the base body (5) at a radial distance.

3. The kitchen appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the lower peripheral edge (9.3) and the upper peripheral edge (9.4) respectively have topographies that form the opening (11) for the at least one tool element (7.1; 7.2; 7.3; 7.4) extending radially outward in the assembled state of the lower peripheral edge (9.3) and the upper peripheral edge (9.4).

4. The kitchen appliance according to claim 3, characterized in that a single opening (11) is assigned to each individual tool element (7.1; 7.2; 7.3; 7.4).

5. The kitchen appliance according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the lower part (9.1) and the upper part (9.2) of the protective housing (9) are separably connected to one another by means of a snap-in connection.

6. The kitchen appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective housing (9) is separably fixed in the preparation vessel.

7. The kitchen appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective housing (9) has a conical design.

8. The kitchen appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective housing (9) is balanced with respect to a rotation about the rotational axis of the kitchen tool.

9. The kitchen appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective housing is made of a material selected from metal, plastic or a combination of metal and plastic.

10. A protective housing for use in a kitchen appliance according to one of claims 1 to 9.