Food Processor Attachment with Bayonet Lock for Contact Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing food processors lack effective safety mechanisms to prevent accidental contact with rotating tools during operation and simplify handling and production processes, while ensuring secure attachment and detachment of processing attachments.

Innovation Solution

A processing attachment with a bayonet lock or rotary lock mechanism that secures the cover element to the beaker, allowing coupling only when the cover is properly closed, and a device coupling system that prevents unintentional axial loosening, ensuring the attachment can be securely connected to the food processor.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a locking mechanism is added to prevent accidental contact with rotating tools, then user safety is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser safetyVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cover element must be closed and locked before the food processor can be operated. The locking mechanism is activated in advance by the user closing the cover, which then prevents accidental contact with rotating tools during operation. This preliminary action ensures safety is established before the hazard exists.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The cover element acts as an intermediary safety barrier between the user and the rotating processing tools. When closed and locked, it physically prevents access to the rotating tools, serving as a mediating protective element that eliminates the need for complex additional locking mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a bayonet lock mechanism is used to secure the cover element, then attachment reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment reliabilityVSAvoidease of operation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The bayonet lock mechanism allows dynamic attachment and detachment of the cover element through rotational movement. The cover can be quickly locked by rotating it to a specific position and unlocked by rotating it back, providing both secure attachment and operational ease through simple rotational dynamics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bayonet lock utilizes rotational curvature around the vertical axis of the beaker. The locking surfaces are designed with curved geometries that guide the cover element into the locked position through rotation, making the locking action intuitive and easy to perform while ensuring reliable attachment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Reliability

If a device coupling system with coupling barriers is implemented, then attachment security is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment securityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The device coupling system is segmented into distinct functional elements: coupling barriers on the beaker, corresponding coupling features on the processing attachment, and intermediate coupling components. This segmentation allows each element to be manufactured separately using standard machining processes, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while ensuring secure attachment when assembled.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2978349B1Processing attachment with contact protection
Publication Date: 2020.07.15 BSH HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP2978349B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2978349B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2978349B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a processing attachment (1) for processing food for use with a kitchen machine, said processing attachment having a cover element (2) and a cup vessel (3), wherein the cover element (2) can close the cup vessel (3), and the cup vessel (3) has, in a processing interior (15) of the processing attachment (1), which processing interior can be surrounded jointly by the cover element (2) and the cup vessel (3), one or more processing tools (17), which have one or more output drive couplings (20) which are exposed on the outside and by means of which said processing tools can be driven in a rotatable manner, and/or one or more processing tool couplings, which have one or more output drive couplings (20) which are exposed on the outside and by means of which said processing tool couplings can be driven in a rotatable manner, for fastening one or more processing tools (17), and the cup vessel (3) has a device coupling (18) by means of which the processing attachment (1) can be coupled to the kitchen appliance in a detachable manner. As a characterizing feature, it is proposed that the device coupling (18) allows the processing attachment (1) to be attached to the kitchen machine only when the covering element (2) closes the cup vessel (3) and additionally is secured against axial loss on the cup vessel (3). As another characterizing feature, it is proposed that opening of the cup vessel (3) is blocked if the processing attachment (1) is fitted on the kitchen machine. The advantage which can be achieved is, in each case, that the operating reliability of the processing attachment (1) for processing food for use with a kitchen machine can be improved and the production costs can be reduced owing to the proposed purely mechanical solutions. Particularly good operating reliability can furthermore be achieved by combining the two protection mechanisms.