Food Processor Folding Tool With Dual Blades to Preserve Air
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual folding of ingredients in food processing is challenging, as it requires skill to avoid over or under folding, leading to unsatisfactory results such as incomplete mixing or failure of the final product to rise properly.
Innovation Solution
A tool attachable to a food processor with a casing housing gear means and blade members that simulate the manual folding action, using an epicyclic gearbox to rotate at a slow speed and gently mix ingredients without expelling air, featuring removable and optionally rotating blades to facilitate cleaning and adjustability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual folding is used, then air integrity is maintained, but mixing reliability deteriorates due to skill requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by creating a mechanical replica of the manual folding action. The blade members are designed with specific curvature and tilt angles that replicate the motion pattern of a spoon during manual folding. This allows the automated tool to copy the effective manual technique, ensuring reliable mixing results without requiring user skill or experience in the folding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical system (human hand holding a spoon) with an automated mechanical system (motor-driven blade members). The food processor motor drives the blade members through a gear mechanism, substituting human manual operation with an automated mechanical system that consistently reproduces the folding action, thereby improving reliability while maintaining air integrity.
2Productivity
If fast mixing is used, then productivity is improved, but air expulsion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the rotational speed of the blade members. The gear mechanism is designed to limit the maximum rotation speed to a range that provides adequate mixing productivity while staying below the threshold that causes significant air expulsion. This optimization of the speed parameter allows the system to achieve effective mixing without the harmful effect of air loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic action through the oscillating motion of the blade members. Rather than continuous high-speed rotation, the blades perform repeated folding cycles that gently lift and turn ingredients. This periodic, rhythmic motion achieves thorough mixing over time while avoiding the sustained high-speed agitation that would expel air from the mixture.
3Manufacturing precision
If complex blade configuration is used, then folding accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the mixing function into multiple blade members, each with a simplified individual geometry. Rather than one complex blade attempting to perform all folding functions, multiple blades with simpler curved surfaces work together in sequence. Each blade contributes to a specific aspect of the folding action, and their combined effect achieves high folding accuracy without requiring any single blade to be overly complex.
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
Automates the folding process, ensuring reliable and efficient mixing of ingredients, even for inexperienced users, while maintaining air integrity and allowing for easy maintenance and customization.
Implementation Method 1
the gear means comprises first and second gear wheels configured as an epicyclic gearbox
Data Source
AI summary
The present Invention provides a tool (10) intended as an attachment or accessory for a food processor and configured to automate the delicate operation of folding ingredients together without expelling air. The tool (10) comprises first and second curved blades (20, 30) which depend from a casing part (40) that is rotated within a processing bowl (60) by means of a geared arrangement (41, 42; 41, 42, 44, 45) that picks up rotary drive from a drive shaft (43, 50) coupled to a driven outlet on the base of the food processor. The blades (20, 30) are disposed at different distances from the axis about which the casing rotates, so that the outer blade (20) passes closer to the wall of the bowl (60) than does the inner blade (30), and the food-contacting surfaces of the blades are each formed to gently lift and turn ingredients, such that the outer blade (20) turns ingredients in towards the axis and the inner (30) blade turns ingredients outwardly therefrom. The blades (20, 30) may be mounted to the casing part (40) for simple bodily rotation therewith. Alternatively, one or both of the blades (20, 30) may be capable of rotation relative to the casing part (40), In any event, the blades (20, 30) can usefully be made removable from the casing part (40) to facilitate cleaning.