Adjustable blade assembly for a food processor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current food processors lack a simple and robust mechanism for adjusting slicing blade thickness without changing blades, and users desire tactile feedback during adjustments.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable blade assembly with a threaded hub, slicing plate, cannulated support collar, and rotatable sleeve providing detents for tactile feedback and maintaining blade position, allowing users to change the distance between the slicing plate and blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed blade assembly is used, then the structure is simple and robust, but the slicing thickness cannot be adjusted without changing blades
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly transitions from a fixed structure to a dynamic adjustable structure. The slicing plate can be positioned at different heights relative to the blade through the threaded hub and sleeve mechanism, allowing the slicing thickness to be changed without replacing the entire blade assembly. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly serves multiple functions: it can slice food at various thicknesses using the same blade and slicing plate combination by adjusting their relative positions. The threaded hub and sleeve mechanism enable this multi-functionality, allowing a single blade assembly to replace what would traditionally require multiple fixed blades for different slicing thicknesses.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an adjustment mechanism is added to change blade position, then slicing thickness can be adjusted, but the mechanism becomes more complex and less robust
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with a simpler threaded system. Instead of using cam-based or linkage-based adjustment mechanisms that would add complexity and reduce robustness, the invention uses a threaded hub and sleeve system that provides reliable, repeatable adjustments while maintaining structural integrity. The threads provide both the adjustment capability and the locking function in a single, robust mechanical system.
3Ease of operation
If a simple adjustment mechanism is used, then the structure remains robust, but tactile feedback to the user is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The detent mechanism provides tactile feedback to the user during adjustment. As the user rotates the sleeve to change the slicing plate position, the detents engage with the threaded hub at specific intervals, creating audible clicks and tactile sensations that confirm the adjustment increments. This feedback system is integrated into the existing threaded adjustment mechanism without adding separate feedback devices, thus maintaining robustness while improving ease of operation.
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
Enables users to adjust slicing blade thickness easily while providing tactile feedback, maintaining the desired blade position and improving user experience without needing to change blades.
Implementation Method 1
A threaded hub coupleable to a drive shaft of a food processor... A slicing adjustment sleeve may rotatably couple to the hub... Rotation of the sleeve about the hub changes a selected distance between the slicing plate and the slicing blade
Implementation Method 2
a plunger housed inside the slicing adjustment sleeve may advantageously engage the plurality of detents on the support collar, thus providing tactile feedback to the user. The engagement between the plunger and the detents may also help maintain the slicing blade in the desired position relative to the slicing plate
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable blade assembly includes a threaded hub coupleable to a drive shaft of a food processor and a slicing plate slidably mounted on the hub. A slicing blade couples to the hub above a first surface of the slicing plate for cutting food introduced into the food processor. A cannulated support collar couples to the hub and includes a plurality of detents. A slicing adjustment sleeve rotatably couples to the hub and to the support collar to move the slicing plate up and down relative to the hub, thus changing a selected distance between the slicing plate and the slicing blade. As the user rotates the slicing adjustment sleeve, a plunger housed inside the slicing adjustment sleeve engages the plurality of detents on the support collar, thus providing tactile feedback to the user and maintaining the slicing blade in the desired position relative to the slicing plate.