Mixer systems 200 are provided. A representative mixer system 200 includes a power circuit 105 that powers the mixer apparatus 200; a motor 110 that is electrically coupled and powered by the power circuit 105; and a rotating structure 115 that is mechanically coupled to the motor 110, which rotates the rotating structure 115. The rotating structure 115 includes container chambers 230a,b that a container 240a,b is aligned therein, wherein the rotation of the container 240a,b mixes substances that are contained in the container 240a,b to have a homogeneous or heterogeneous mixture.

A nitrous oxide gas mixer includes at least one mixing chamber having at least one nitrous oxide gas connection and at least one oxygen gas connection for introduction of oxygen gas and nitrous oxide gas and at least one flow rate controller, by which a volume flow of the two gases can be respectively adjusted separately and/or together. At least one O.sub.2 emergency button is mounted to the mixing chamber for emergency flooding the mixing chamber with oxygen gas and/or with ambient air.

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.

A carbonation machine includes a pneumatic chamber with a movable wall. The wall moves outward to depress a pin of a gas release valve of a gas canister that is held in a canister holder of the machine when air pressure in the chamber is increased. An air release valve is closable to retain air in the chamber. An air pump is operable to pump air from the ambient atmosphere into the chamber so as to increase air pressure in the chamber. A controller is configured to close the air release valve and to operate the air pump to increase the air pressure in the chamber to move the movable wall outward to open the gas release valve of the canister to cause release of gas from the canister to carbonate a liquid, and to open the air release valve to enable the gas release valve to close.

A blender includes a base unit having a receiving well, a container assembly and an actuation arrangement. The container assembly includes a container body having a blending cavity and a rim, and a connector member detachably attached on the container body to selectively seal the blending cavity, a driven unit and a blending blade. The actuation arrangement includes a plurality of actuating members outwardly extended from the rim of the container body, a plurality of actuating slots indently and spacedly formed along a side wall of the receiving well, and a plurality of actuating switches. When the connector member is slightly rotated in the receiving well, each of the actuating members is arranged to circumferentially move along the corresponding actuating slot so as to actuate the actuating switches for actuating the driving head to rotate.

A food mixer is presented having mixing tool detection capability. The food mixer has a base unit with a tool attachment portion, a mixing bowl attached to the base unit, and a motor attached to the base unit. The motor has operational settings and is configured to apply a torque to the tool attachment portion. A mixing tool is removably attached to the tool attachment portion, and a controller unit of the mixer is configured to detect the mixing tool attached to the tool attachment portion and to automatically control the operational settings of the drive motor based on the mixing tool detected. A magnet carrier may be used to detect a magnetic portion of the mixing tool as it moves with respect to a magnetically-sensitive sensor in the base unit.

A blender system that includes a base that is selectively and operatively engaged with a container is shown and described herein. The blender system may include a container. The container may include a magnet and may be engagable with a blade base. The blade base may include a switch that responds to the magnet. The blender system may include a shield that shields the magnet and switch from a magnetic field generated by operation of a motor.

An interlocking method and blending apparatus is provided which includes a base, container, and lid. The apparatus comprises light emitters, light sensors, and light reflectors. Light is emitted by the light emitters from the base, through the container, and toward the lid. Light reflectors in the lid reflect the light back through the container and toward the base. The light sensors detect the reflected light and can be used to control operation of the blender and illumination of the container. Light may be in the visible spectrum, or sub-visible spectrum. The light emitters and light sensors may be at the base and/or the bottom of the container.

An easily assembled blender with an internal frame holding a cupholder elevator assembly, a mix motor assembly, a food preparation chamber, a water heater assembly and a steamer assembly. The water heater and steamer assemblies are preferably on modular trays that slide into the internal frame. The water heater preferably also serves as a hot water reservoir and, to avoid overheating, has its heating coil located near its bottom. To resist scale deposits, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tubing is preferably used to transport steam from the steamer to the food preparation chamber. To expedite manufacture, a spring-biased idler assembly with a drive belt for the cupholder elevator assembly preferably snaps into a lower receiving port on the internal frame. Crisscrossing infrared light beams are preferably placed at the entrance of the food preparation chamber to detect whether the cup entering the chamber is the correct size and detect whether any foreign object is below the food preparation chamber.

A delay system for a stirring machine includes a plurality of vertical stirring augers, supported to a cross tube, with each auger having a tilt switch. A gear motor is connected to the cross tube and moves the cross tube forwardly around a bin. A delay assembly is connected to the tilt switches and the gear motor. The delay assembly shuts off the gear motor when the stirring augers are vertically displaced and starts the gear motor after a time delay once the stirring augers return to a vertical position.