Work bowl assembly for culinary preparation appliance

Abstract

To provide a work bowl assembly for a culinary preparation appliance.SOLUTION: A work bowl assembly for a culinary preparation appliance includes a work bowl arranged to receive food to be processed, and a rotary shaft supported by a bowl bearing. The work bowl includes a through-hole arranged at the bottom thereof, and the bowl bearing attached to the work bowl in the through-hole. The work bowl assembly includes reversible attachment means arranged to reversibly receive a mobile work tool arranged to couple with the rotary shaft to occupy a working position, or a blanking plug arranged to cover the rotary shaft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a work bowl assembly for use in a food preparation appliance. The present invention also relates to a food preparation appliance (a household electrical appliance or a food processor used for preparing food ingredients, that is, for mixing, cutting, grating, blending, kneading, etc., and / or for cooking food with or without pressure and / or with or without steam, and / or for boiling, etc.). Finally, the present invention also relates to the use for configuring a food preparation appliance for a particular operation or another operation.

Background Art

[0002] In the prior art of food preparation appliances, it is common to be able to attach a work tool to a work bowl or, for example, not to install a work tool in the work bowl as disclosed in document WO2017144907(A1) for performing a particular cooking operation. For this purpose, the disclosed systems require attaching a work tool or a plug to the through-hole of the work bowl to seal the through-hole. These operations can be complex, especially when it is necessary to disassemble the entire work bowl from the cooking appliance, and finally, many parts are required to make these connectable.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] One object of the present invention is to address the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art, specifically, first, to simplify the attachment operation of a work tool or a blanking plug when reducing the complexity of the appliance and / or limiting its use and / or limiting the number of parts of the system, and to propose a work bowl assembly for a cooking appliance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] To do this, a first embodiment of the present invention relates to a work bowl assembly for a cooking preparation utensil. The work bowl assembly comprises a work bowl having a through hole located at the bottom of the work bowl and a bowl bearing attached to the work bowl in the through hole, and a rotating shaft supported by the bowl bearing, wherein the work bowl assembly comprises a reversible mounting means arranged to reversibly receive a movable work tool arranged to be coupled with the rotating shaft to occupy a working position, or a blanking plug arranged to cover the rotating shaft.

[0005] According to the above embodiment, the reversible mounting means can reversibly receive a movable work tool or a blanking plug. Thus, the user can easily position the work bowl assembly in a first configuration for processing food with a work tool, or in a second configuration for not processing food with a work tool, i.e., food can be easily prepared (e.g., cooked) without using a movable tool. In the second configuration of the work bowl assembly, the plug covers a rotating shaft that remains attached to the work bowl. That is, a tool holder, in particular including the rotating shaft and / or bowl bearing, can receive either a work tool or a blanking plug. Similarly, a bowl with a rotating shaft can receive either a work tool or a blanking plug. The attachment of the bowl bearing (or tool holder) to the work bowl of the rotating shaft depends on the work tool or blanking plug, which can be freely attached to and detached from the work bowl assembly.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the rotating shaft can rotate freely relative to the working bowl. Typically, the rotating shaft can be attached to the bowl bearing using a swivel connector.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the rotating shaft cannot be rotated when the blanking plug is installed. According to this embodiment, the drive motor of the cooking appliance is rendered inoperable because there is no working tool to drive when the blanking plug is installed. Means can be provided for detecting the presence of the blanking plug and / or the movable working tool.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the reversible mounting means may include a rotating coupling molded integrally with the rotating shaft and arranged to reversibly connect a movable work tool, and a fixed coupling molded integrally with the work bowl and arranged to reversibly connect a blanking plug. According to this embodiment, the coupling interfaces of the blanking plug and the work tool are separate and distinct. In particular, the blanking plug is coupled to the work bowl with a fixed part, and the movable work tool is coupled to the work bowl with a movable part.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the rotary coupling can be formed by a rotary hole formed in the rotary shaft, and preferably includes a rotation stopper between the work tool and the rotary shaft. To prevent relative rotation between the work tool and the rotary shaft, an index can be provided in the form of a groove or a non-circular counter shape.

[0010] According to one embodiment, at least one of the rotating shaft and the movable work tool includes an elastic member that appears in the rotating hole and is positioned to hold the work tool in a coupled position with the rotating shaft. In particular, according to one embodiment, the elastic member can hold the work tool at a specific position along axis Z, which is the axis of rotation of the work tool.

[0011] According to one embodiment, at least one of the rotating shaft and the movable work tool has a relief, which is positioned to face an elastic member when the movable work tool is coupled to the rotating shaft in the working position, and is preferably concave. The relief may be a groove.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the movable work tool includes an elastic member positioned to hold the work tool in a coupling position with the rotating shaft. In particular, according to one embodiment, the elastic member can hold the work tool at a specific position along axis Z, which is the rotation axis of the work tool.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the rotating shaft has a leaf, which is positioned opposite an elastic member when a movable working tool is coupled to the rotating shaft in the working position, and is preferably concave. The relief may be a groove.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes a fixed mounting section arranged to reversibly connect the work bowl, the fixed mounting section being capable of supporting a bowl bearing. The components can be easily cleaned by disassembling the fixed mounting section.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the fixed mounting portion can pass through a through hole. That is, when the fixed mounting portion is attached to the work bowl, it has at least one portion on each side of the wall of the work bowl.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the fixed mounting portion includes a fixed coupling. The blanking plug is coupled to the fixed portion relative to the work bowl.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes a lock positioned to reversibly engage a fixed mounting portion.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the lock is a quarter-turn type, and the engagement of the lock / fixed mounting part is by bayonet, pin / cam track, screw / nut. According to one embodiment, the lock can hold the fixed mounting part in the bowl. Thus, the installation of the fixed mounting part (and bowl bearing) is simple and quick.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the fixed mounting portion has a flange having an upper surface that is positioned on the work bowl, and the bottom of the work bowl preferably has a recess around a through hole to receive the flange, and the recess has a recess depth provided to position the fixed mounting portion on the upper surface of the flange at the remaining height of the bottom of the work bowl.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the working tool has a central shape that matches the bottom of the bowl.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the bottom of the bowl is flat or nearly flat, especially when a blanking plug is attached.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the top surface of the fixed mounting portion includes at least one recess so that a user can grasp the blanking plug and release it from the reversible mounting means. Alternatively or additionally, at least one recess is provided above or below the blanking plug so that a user can grip the blanking plug.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes a fixed mounting seal positioned between a fixed mounting portion and the work bowl.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the fixed mounting seal may be sandwiched between the flange of the fixed mounting portion and the work bowl, and the lock may be positioned to compress the fixed mounting seal when engaging with it.

[0025] According to one embodiment, at least one of the work bowl and the fixed mounting portion includes a rotation-stopping means such as a recess, notch, counter-molding portion, etc., positioned in the work bowl to provide a means to prevent the rotation of the fixing ring. Asymmetrical or non-circular through holes, or tabbed or rotation-stopping notches may be provided.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes at least one rotary mounting seal, which is disposed between the fixed mounting portion and the rotary shaft, and preferably between the wall of the fixed mounting portion forming a fixed coupling with the rotary shaft and the rotary shaft.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the bowl bearing includes at least one ball bearing such as a sliding bearing and / or an angular contact bearing. A sealed bearing with a side seal flange may be provided.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the rotary shaft may have a through hole, which is easy to clean.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes at least one bearing seal, and at least one bearing seal is disposed between the bowl bearing and the rotary shaft.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes a drive nut coupled to the rotary shaft. The drive nut is arranged to be coupled to the output shaft of the motor of the cooking preparation appliance.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the drive nut can be screwed onto the rotary shaft. According to one embodiment, the drive nut can be directly formed on the rotary shaft (i.e., the rotary shaft and the drive nut may be integrally formed, or the rotary shaft and the drive nut may be of an integral type).

[0032] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes a blanking plug and a fixed plug seal disposed between the blanking plug and the reversible mounting means.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the work bowl assembly includes a movable work tool and a main tool seal disposed between the movable work tool and the reversible mounting means.

[0034] A second embodiment of the present invention relates to a cooking preparation apparatus comprising the work bowl assembly described in the first embodiment, a blanking plug, and a movable work tool.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the cooking preparation utensil includes sealing means, for example, a bowl lid and / or a bowl lid seal and / or a labyrinth or lip seal at the bottom of the bowl between the work bowl and the blanking plug or work tool, in order to enable pressure cooking.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the cooking preparation appliance may be, for example, a pressure cooker with a pressure of up to 100 kPa.

[0037] Other features and advantages of the present invention are provided as non-limiting examples and will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, as shown in the accompanying figures. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0038] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a work bowl assembly for a cooking utensil, in particular, including a work bowl and a fixed mounting section located at the bottom of the work bowl that supports or forms a bowl bearing. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the work bowl assembly of Figure 1, which has a work tool positioned at the bottom of the work bowl and attached to a bowl bearing. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the work bowl assembly of Figure 1, which has a blanking plug located at the bottom of the work bowl and attached to the bowl bearing. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a top view of the work bowl shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side view of the fixed mounting section shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the work bowl assembly shown in Figure 2. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the work bowl assembly shown in Figure 3. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a modified version of the work bowl assembly shown in Figure 7. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a work bowl assembly for a cooking utensil, which includes a work bowl 11 having a bottom 110 and a bowl bearing located at the bottom of the work bowl 11 and supported by a fixed mounting portion 23.

[0040] The bowl bearing is intended to be able to receive a movable working tool 31 (here, a stirring paddle) as shown in Figure 2, or a blanking plug 32 as shown in Figure 3.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the work bowl 11 is provided with a through hole 111 located in the bottom 110 for the rotational drive member of the movable work tool 31 to pass through. Since the through hole 111 is polygonal with a notch, the fixed mounting section 23 shown in Figure 5 can be easily mounted therein. In fact, the fixed mounting section 23 has two lower lugs 233 that can pass through the notch of the through hole 111, and the counter-forming section 234 located below the flanged head 232 of the fixed mounting section 23 can engage with and fit into the polygonal shape of the through hole 111, thereby ensuring rotational stopping between the fixed mounting section 23 and the work bowl 11.

[0042] The present invention proposes that a bowl bearing supported or formed by a fixed mounting portion 23 can reversibly and easily receive a movable work tool 31 shown in Figure 2 or a blanking plug 32 shown in Figure 3. Therefore, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, the fixed mounting portion 23 is attached to the work bowl and has a dedicated architecture.

[0043] Figure 6 shows a cross-section of the bowl assembly shown in Figure 2. As schematically shown, the work bowl assembly is installed in the cooking preparation equipment housing 100 and coupled to the motor M.

[0044] In detail, the work bowl assembly is, A work bowl 11 supported by the housing 100, A fixed mounting part 23 that passes through the through hole 111, A lock 24 locks and holds the fixed mounting part 23 in a predetermined position on the work bowl 11 via the lower lug 233 of the fixed mounting part 23, For example, a sliding bearing 25 press-fitted into a fixed mounting part 23, A rotating shaft 21 is rotatably mounted on a sliding bearing 25 and held in a predetermined position by, for example, an elastic ring 27, A drive nut 22 is connected to the rotating shaft 21 and engages with the shaft head of the motor M, A fixed mounting seal 26 is positioned between the flanged head of the fixed mounting section 23 and the work bowl 11, It comprises a movable work tool 31 attached to a hole in the rotating shaft 21.

[0045] As a result, the movable work tool 31 has a hollow groove near the rod inserted into the hole of the rotating shaft 21. The rotating shaft 21 is provided with an elastic member 28 that appears in the hole of the rotating shaft 21 near the hollow groove of the movable work tool 31 in order to exert a position-holding force, particularly along the vertical axis Z in Figure 6. Alternatively, the shape of the movable work tool 31 is provided to be intended to be flat with respect to the bottom of the work bowl 11, and the elastic member 28 is not required. Furthermore, in order to provide rotational drive for the movable work tool 31, the hole of the rotating shaft 21 may be non-circular and indexed, and in any case, there may be a rotation stopper between the movable work tool 31 and the rotating shaft 21. In another embodiment, the elastic member 28 is located on the movable work tool 31, and the rotating shaft may have a groove opening into the hole of the rotating shaft 21, and the elastic member is located to cooperate with the groove in order to exert a position-holding force, particularly along the vertical axis Z.

[0046] In order to prevent leakage from the bottom of the work bowl 11, the following can be provided in addition to the fixed mounting seal 26. An O-ring 42 is positioned between the rod of the movable work tool 31, which is inserted into the hole of the rotating shaft 21, and the fixed mounting part 23, and / or A rotary mounting seal 41 (here, a lip seal) is positioned between the fixed mounting portion 23 and the rotating shaft 21, and / or An O-ring 43 is positioned between the sliding bearing 25 and the rotating shaft 21. Of course, the shape, material, and type of seal may vary depending on constraints such as rotational speed and / or material, and / or pressure and / or temperature.

[0047] Figure 7 shows the same work bowl assembly as in Figure 6, but the movable work tool 31 is removed and replaced with a blanking plug 32. This means the blanking plug 32 is not inserted into the rotating shaft 21, but engages only with the upper bore formed by the skirt or fold of the fixed mounting portion 23. As a result, the blanking plug 32 is fixed to the work bowl 11 while the rotating shaft 21 remains movable. Meanwhile, the same sealing structure shown in Figure 6 is provided to prevent leakage through the mechanism shown. This provides the fixed mounting portion 23 with two recesses 231 to form a space and allow for a better grip of the blanking plug 32 when in place as shown in Figure 7.

[0048] In conclusion, the user can easily attach / detach the movable work tool 31 or the blanking plug 32 without disassembling anything from the cooking preparation equipment (in particular, without disassembling the work bowl 11 or the fixed mounting section 23). Thus, the system has the same reversible mounting means for reversibly receiving the movable work tool 31 or the blanking plug 32. In particular, the reversible mounting means may include a rotating coupling (the bore of the rotating shaft 21) that receives the movable work tool 31, and a fixed coupling (the upper bore of the fixed mounting section 23 formed by the skirt or fold of the fixed mounting section 23) that can receive the plug 32.

[0049] The fixed mounting section 23 is attached to the work bowl 11 via a lock 24. A quick coupling can be provided between the fixed mounting section 23 and the lock 24 by any type of lock, such as a screw, quarter-turn, or bayonet. To disassemble the fixed mounting section 23, it is necessary to lift the work bowl 11 to access the lock 24. Again, this disassembly operation of the fixed mounting section 23 does not require disassembling / installing the plug 32 and / or the movable work tool 31.

[0050] When operating the cooking preparation equipment, if the movable work tool 31 is attached, the motor M rotates it (continuously or intermittently) according to the cooking preparation program, allowing the ingredients placed in the work bowl to be processed. On the other hand, if the ingredients are not to be moved automatically, the user can remove the movable work tool 31 and replace it with a blanking plug 32 to free up space, so that the bottom 110 of the work bowl 11 is flat or substantially flat. Appropriate sensors (such as switches, inductive sensors, or optical fibers) may be provided to prevent the operation of the motor M when they detect that the blanking plug 32 is attached and / or by selecting a specific cooking preparation program.

[0051] Figure 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the work bowl assembly in Figure 6. In fact, if a work tool with a higher rotational speed is desired, a fixed mounting section 23A can be provided to support one or more ball bearings 25A (e.g., one row of balls, multiple rows of balls, oblique contact).

[0052] Furthermore, this allows the fixed mounting portion 23A to support a single or double lip seal that contacts the rotating shaft 21A above and below the ball bearing 25A, thus ensuring a good seal even at high rotational speeds. An O-ring attached to the movable work tool 31 or the rotating shaft 21A contacts the part without relative motion, also ensuring a good seal.

[0053] Furthermore, it can be understood that the rotating shaft 21A has a central through-hole, which facilitates cleaning.

[0054] Finally, the fixed mounting section 23A is always locked to the work bowl 11 by the lock 24A. [Industrial applicability]

[0055] The work bowl assembly and / or cooking preparation utensil including the work bowl assembly according to the present invention, and the manufacture thereof, are suitable for industrial use.

[0056] It will be understood that various modifications and / or improvements obvious to those skilled in the art can be made to different embodiments of the invention described herein without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, it is found that the movable working tool 31 forms a mixing blade, but any kind of working tool can be provided, such as a knife, chopper, or kneading arm.

[0057] The work bowl 11 is shown in a general bowl shape, but can be equipped with heating means, double walls, trays or tiers to receive ingredients for specific preparations.

[0058] The movable work tool 31 and / or blanking plug 32 can be made from any material suitable for the food, such as plastic, polymer, metal, or coated metal.

Claims

1. 1. A work bowl assembly for a food preparation appliance, comprising: a work bowl (11) arranged to receive food material to be processed, the work bowl (11) having a through hole (111) arranged at the bottom of the work bowl (11) and a bowl bearing attached to the work bowl (11) at the through hole (111); A rotating shaft (21, 21A) supported by the bowl bearing; Equipped with The work bowl assembly is characterized in that it comprises reversible mounting means arranged to reversibly receive a movable work tool (31) arranged to be coupled with the rotating shaft (21, 21A) to occupy a working position, or a blanking plug (32) arranged to cover the rotating shaft (21, 21A).

2. the reversible attachment means being a rotary coupling integrally formed with the rotary shaft (21, 21A) and arranged to reversibly couple the movable working tool (31); a fixed coupling integrally formed with said working bowl (11) and arranged to reversibly couple said blanking plug (32); The work bowl assembly of claim 1 , comprising:

3. 3. The work bowl assembly according to claim 2, wherein the rotation coupling is formed by a rotation hole disposed in the rotation shaft (21, 21A) and includes a rotation stop between the movable work tool (31) and the rotation shaft (21, 21A).

4. 4. The work bowl assembly of claim 3, wherein at least one of the rotating shaft (21, 21A) and the movable working tool (31) comprises a resilient member (28) that appears in the rotation hole and is arranged to hold the movable working tool (31) in a coupled position with the rotating shaft (21, 21A).

5. 5. The work bowl assembly according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the rotating shaft (21, 21A) and the movable work tool (31) has a relief, the relief being arranged to face the elastic member (28) when the movable work tool (31) is coupled to the rotating shaft (21, 21A) in the working position, and the relief being concave.

6. 2. The work bowl assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) arranged to reversibly couple the work bowl (11), the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) supporting the bowl bearing.

7. 7. The work bowl assembly of claim 6, wherein the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) comprises a fixed coupling that is integrally molded with the work bowl (11) and that is arranged to reversibly couple the blanking plug (32).

8. 7. The work bowl assembly of claim 6, further comprising a lock (24, 24A) arranged to reversibly engage said fixed mounting portion (23, 23A).

9. 7. The work bowl assembly of claim 6, wherein the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) has a flange with an upper surface that is placed on the work bowl (11), and the bottom of the work bowl (11) has a recess around the through hole (111) to receive the flange, and the recess has a recess depth that is provided for positioning the upper surface of the flange of the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) at the remaining height of the bottom of the work bowl (11).

10. 10. The work bowl assembly of claim 9, wherein the top surface of said fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) comprises at least one recess (231) to enable a user to grasp said blanking plug (32) and release it from said reversible mounting means.

11. 7. The work bowl assembly of claim 6, further comprising a fixed mounting seal (26) disposed between the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) and the work bowl (11).

12. 7. The work bowl assembly of claim 6, wherein at least one of the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) and the work bowl (11) includes rotation stop means such as recesses, notches, counter moldings, etc., arranged to provide a locking ring on the work bowl (11) to prevent rotation.

13. 8. The work bowl assembly according to claim 7, further comprising at least one rotary mounting seal (41) arranged between the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) and the rotating shaft (21, 21A), and between the rotating shaft (21, 21A) and a wall of the fixed mounting portion (23, 23A) forming the fixed coupling.

14. 2. The work bowl assembly of claim 1, wherein the bowl bearing comprises at least one ball bearing, such as a plain bearing and / or an angular bearing.

15. The work bowl assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft (21, 21A) has a through hole.

16. 2. The work bowl assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one bearing seal disposed between the bowl bearing and the rotating shaft (21, 21A).

17. 2. The work bowl assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a drive nut (22) coupled to said rotating shaft (21, 21A).

18. 2. The work bowl assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a blanking plug (32); and a fixed plug seal disposed between the blanking plug (32) and the reversible mounting means.

19. 2. The work bowl assembly of claim 1, further comprising: said movable work tool (31); and a primary tool seal disposed between said movable work tool (31) and said reversible mounting means.

20. A work bowl assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 19; The blanking plug (32); The movable work tool (31); A cooking preparation device comprising:

Images