Cradle-Mounted Splash Guard for Hand/Stand Mixer Bowl Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hand/stand mixers face difficulties in mounting and locating splash guards due to the relative movement between the bowl and the machine, which hinders effective prevention of foodstuff ejection during mixing.
Innovation Solution
A kitchen machine with a hand/stand mixer configuration that includes a cradle for supporting the mixer body, a mixing bowl, and a splash guard attachment mechanism using co-operative components for secure latching, allowing the splash guard to cover the bowl during operation, with options for non-stick and wear-resistant materials for smooth rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a splash guard is mounted on a hand/stand mixer with a rotating bowl, then food ejection can be prevented, but the relative movement between the bowl and machine makes mounting and locating the guard difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of mounting the splash guard on the rotating bowl, the patent inverts the approach by mounting the guard on the stationary cradle while the bowl rotates underneath it. The cradle-mounted guard includes a slot that accommodates the mixing tool shank, allowing the bowl to rotate freely while the guard remains stationary to contain splashes.
Solution Approach 2:
The splash guard is segmented into a stationary cradle-mounted portion and a rotating bowl portion. The cradle-mounted guard is separated from the bowl itself, allowing independent movement of each component. This segmentation enables the guard to remain stationary while the bowl rotates, solving the mounting difficulty.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the splash guard is made to cover the bowl securely, then food ejection is prevented, but the mixing tool must pass through the guard
Solution Approach 1:
The splash guard features a localized slot opening specifically positioned to accommodate the mixing tool shank. Rather than making the entire guard complex with multiple openings, only the necessary local area is opened to allow tool passage while maintaining coverage elsewhere to prevent food ejection.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A kitchen machine (10) comprises a hand/stand mixer consisting of a hand mixer body (12) having at least one drive socket for a shanked mixing tool, and a stand arrangement including a cradle (22) configured to support said body (12) for use as a stand mixer. The machine has a support for a mixing bowl (24) in a position such that the mixing tool can depend into the (bowl 24), and means for rotating the bowl (24) about an axis offset from that of the shank of the tool, and a splash guard (26) with attachment means (28) for temporarily attaching the splash guard (26) to said cradle (22), thereby to substantially cover said bowl (24) with said splash guard (26) during a mixing operation.