A device for preparing food ingredients

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional blenders are not suitable for preparing thick paste sauces like spicy pastes, curries, or salsas as they result in a watery and thin texture due to their cutting blades, which is time-consuming and unsatisfactory in terms of taste and texture.

Innovation Solution

A device with a jar containing blunt blades and inclined wings that direct food ingredients towards the bottom, avoiding cutting and ensuring a rich, chunky texture by concentrating ingredients at the bottom, and a wing design that facilitates efficient mixing and torque loading reduction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional blender cutting blades are used to process food ingredients, then the food is cut into smaller pieces, but the resulting sauce has a thin and watery texture that is not suitable for paste sauces

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of useVSAvoidtexture quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional blender approach by replacing cutting blades with blunt crushing elements. Instead of cutting food into smaller pieces, the blunt blades crush and shear the food ingredients to release liquid and flavor while maintaining a rich, chunky texture. This inversion of the cutting action resolves the contradiction by achieving the desired paste sauce texture without the thin, watery result of conventional blade cutting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Manufacturing precision

If manual crushing with pestle and mortar is used, then the sauce has good texture, but the process is time and effort consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetexture qualityVSAvoidpreparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the self-service principle by designing a device that automatically performs the crushing action through motor-driven blunt blades. The inclined wings direct food ingredients toward the blunt blades, which automatically crush and shear the ingredients to release liquid and flavor. This eliminates the manual effort and time required for traditional pestle and mortar crushing while maintaining the rich, chunky texture quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Device complexity

If food ingredients are not directed towards the bottom, then the mixing is simpler, but the crushing efficiency is reduced and ingredients may stick to the jar surface

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidcrushing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating different functional zones within the blending chamber. The inclined wings are specifically designed to direct food ingredients toward the bottom region where the blunt blades are located. This localized directional guidance ensures that ingredients are concentrated at the bottom for maximum crushing efficiency while preventing sticking to the jar surface, without requiring complex overall structural changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The device efficiently prepares paste sauces with a better texture and taste compared to conventional blenders, reducing preparation time and effort, while preventing ingredients from sticking to the jar.

Implementation Method 1

the at least one wing is inclined towards the lower region to direct the food towards the lower region when the accessory rotates about the vertical axis

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravitation: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP3324803B1A device for preparing food ingredients
Publication Date: 2019.09.11 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV
  • EP3324803B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3324803B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3324803B1 patent drawingFigure 2B~2C

AI summary

The present application relates to a device (1) for preparing food ingredients, comprising a jar (5) for receiving food ingredients, and an accessory (6) configured to rotate in the jar (5) along a vertical axis (X). The accessory (6) comprises a central body (7) extending along the vertical axis (X), at least one blunt blade (8a, 8b) extending radially from the central body (7), and at least one wing (9a, 9b) extending radially from the central body (7). The at least one wing (9a, 9b) is inclined downwards in direction of the tangential direction (D) of the rotation movement of the accessory (6).