Micro Puree Machine with Modular Blade Assembly for Compact Home Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home-use machines for making frozen foods and desserts are impractical due to their size, complexity, and high cost, and lack efficiency in processing non-dessert food products.
Innovation Solution
A compact, user-friendly device with a gearbox assembly, drive motor, and position motor for vertical movement, featuring a rotating blade assembly with alternating grooves for improved cutting efficiency, and a disposable bowl assembly for easy use and cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If commercial-grade micro-puree machines are used to process frozen ingredients, then processing efficiency and capability are improved, but device size, weight, and cost increase making them impractical for home use
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into modular components including a base unit with motor and gearbox, a removable bowl assembly, and interchangeable blade assemblies. This segmentation allows the main processing components to be concentrated in a compact base while allowing the bowl and blades to be separate, reducing the weight of any single component and making the overall device more manageable for home use while maintaining commercial-grade processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly is designed to move vertically into and out of the bowl along the power shaft, creating a plunging motion that adds a vertical dimension to the processing action. This allows the blade to engage deeply with frozen ingredients for efficient pureeing without requiring a larger horizontal footprint, maintaining compact device size while achieving high processing efficiency
2Productivity
If commercial-grade micro-puree machines are used to process frozen ingredients, then processing efficiency and capability are improved, but device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly is extracted as a separate, removable component that can be easily detached from the power shaft coupling. This allows users to remove and clean the blade without disassembling the motor housing or gearbox, significantly reducing maintenance complexity while preserving the high-speed processing capability of the motor-driven system
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly is designed to be self-removable by the user through simple manual manipulation of the coupling mechanism, without requiring specialized tools or technical knowledge. The gearbox and motor remain enclosed and protected, while the blade can be easily serviced by the end user, reducing overall system maintenance complexity
Solution Approach 3:
The blade assembly is designed as a universal component that can be interchanged for different processing tasks and can accommodate various blade types for different food products. The standardized coupling interface allows one blade assembly to serve multiple functions, reducing the need for multiple specialized components and simplifying the overall system
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional ice cream making machines are used, then frozen desserts can be made, but the amount of time and effort required by the user increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly is pre-positioned in a raised position by the position motor before engagement with the ingredients. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the blade descends, it immediately engages with the frozen ingredients at the optimal depth, eliminating the need for user adjustment or manual positioning during operation, thereby reducing user effort and time
Solution Approach 2:
The position motor receives feedback from the control system to automatically adjust the vertical position of the blade assembly during operation. This feedback mechanism allows the system to maintain optimal processing conditions without user intervention, reducing the time and effort required by the user while maintaining versatility for different product types
4Ease of manufacture
If blade assemblies with standard cutting profiles are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but power management and processing efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly incorporates alternating grooves with distinct dimensions at different locations along the blade, creating localized variations in cutting profile. These local quality variations optimize the cutting action at different stages of the pureeing process, improving processing efficiency while the grooves can be manufactured using standard machining techniques, maintaining ease of manufacture
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
The device efficiently processes frozen ingredients into purees and desserts with customizable settings, offering a practical and cost-effective solution for home use while being compact and easy to maintain.
Implementation Method 1
a drive motor assembly, as well as a position motor. The position motor enables vertical movement of the gearbox assembly and drive motor assembly. The drive motor assembly provides power to a power shaft and coupling connected to a rotating blade assembly
Implementation Method 2
The device further comprises a gearbox assembly and a drive motor assembly
Implementation Method 3
a rotating blade assembly that engages with ingredients for processing. The blade assembly comprises one or more cutting blades having alternating grooves with distinct dimensions to create a cutting profile that provides for improved power management and processing efficiencies
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a micro puree machine that includes a blade assembly, a lid assembly, and a clip mechanism. The blade assembly has a central support hub, a blade, and an undercut. The lid assembly is configured to cooperate with a bowl assembly and includes a lid and a clip mechanism. The clip mechanism is movable between a first position and a second position and cooperates with the undercut at times the clip mechanism is the in the first position. The blade assembly is retained in the lid assembly at times the clip mechanism is in or near the first position, and the blade assembly is disengaged from the undercut and removable from the lid assembly at times the clip mechanism is in or near the second position.