Blender Blade Guard Assembly for Safe Container Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Personal blending system containers are not compatible with standard blender bases, and lack safety mechanisms to prevent blade access when not properly coupled, posing a risk of accidental operation.
Innovation Solution
A blade assembly with a guard member that circumscribes the blades and a coupling mechanism, including a threaded collar, to securely attach the container and prevent access to the blades when not in use, ensuring safety and compatibility with standard blender bases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a personal blending system container is used with a standard blender base, then compatibility is improved, but safety against accidental blade access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guard member as an intermediary component between the blade assembly and the container opening. This guard member physically blocks access to the blades while allowing the container to be properly coupled to the blade assembly. The guard member acts as a mediator that enables safe operation by preventing direct access to dangerous moving parts while maintaining the functional connection between container and blade assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the blade assembly itself, the guard member, and the coupling mechanism. This segmentation allows the guard member to be positioned independently to provide safety coverage over the blades while the coupling mechanism separately ensures proper attachment of the container. The segmentation enables independent optimization of safety and coupling functions.
2Ease of operation
If the container is removed from the blade assembly, then ease of operation is improved, but safety deteriorates due to exposed blades
Solution Approach 1:
The guard member is pre-positioned on the blade assembly before the container is coupled. This preliminary action ensures that the blades are already protected when the container is attached or removed. The guard member remains in place as a permanent fixture on the blade assembly, providing continuous protection regardless of container presence, thus eliminating the safety risk associated with container removal.
3Reliability
If a coupling mechanism is added to secure the container, then reliability is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions: it secures the container to the blade assembly, positions the blade assembly correctly relative to the container opening, and works in conjunction with the guard member to ensure safety. By making the coupling mechanism multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate components, thereby maintaining simplicity while improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A blade assembly is provided that includes a base portion that is removably coupleable to a blender base and an aperture extending through the base portion. The blade assembly further includes a drive shaft rotatably coupled to the base portion, the drive shaft extending through the aperture and rotatable about a rotational axis. The blade assembly further includes one or more blades fixedly coupled to the drive shaft and a coupling member for removably coupling a container to the blade assembly. The blade assembly further includes a guard member extending from the base portion such that the guard member circumscribes the one or more blades about the rotational axis. Further, the guard member circumscribes a portion of the container about the rotational axis when the container is removably coupled to the coupling member.