KITCHEN APPLIANCE FOR PROCESSING FOODSTUFF

Abstract

A kitchen appliance for processing foodstuff comprises a housing defining a hollow space and a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis extends vertically. A motor is located inside the hollow space. Control means activate and deactivate the motor. A motor output shaft is connected to the motor. A coupling section connects attachments for processing the foodstuff to the housing. A further output shaft transmits the output power to the coupling section and a gear mechanism transmits the output power from the motor output shaft to the further output shaft. The motor and the motor output shaft are arranged to form an angle in the range of 5 to 60 and in particular between 15 and 30 relative to the longitudinal axis. The motor output shaft and the motor run through a plane defined by the longitudinal axis and the further output shaft runs perpendicular to the plane.

Claims

1-18. (canceled)

19. A kitchen appliance for processing foodstuff, in particular for processing vegetables and fruit, the kitchen appliance comprising: a housing (12) defining a hollow space (14) and a longitudinal axis (L), the longitudinal axis (L) running substantially vertically, a motor (20) located inside the hollow space (14), control means (24) for activating and deactivating the motor (20), a motor output shaft (22) connected to the motor (20) for transmitting the output power provided by the motor (20), a coupling section (36) for connecting attachments (88) for processing the foodstuff to the housing (12), a further output shaft (32) transmitting the output power to the coupling section (36), and a gear mechanism (28) for transmitting the output power from the motor output shaft (22) to the further output shaft (32), wherein the motor (20) and the motor output shaft (22) are arranged so that they form an angle () in the range of 5 to 60 and in particular between 15 and 30 relative to the longitudinal axis (L).

20. The kitchen appliance according to claim 19, wherein the gear mechanism (28) comprises a worm gear (30).

21. The kitchen appliance according to claim 19, wherein the motor output shaft (22) and the motor (20) are running through a plane defined by the longitudinal axis (L).

22. The kitchen appliance according to claim 21, wherein the further output shaft (32) is running perpendicular to the plane.

23. The kitchen appliance according to claim 19, wherein the housing (12) has a conical shape with a diameter decreasing from the base to the top.

24. The kitchen appliance according to claim 19, further comprising: a suction cup (34) for stabilizing the kitchen appliance (10) when placed on a surface.

25. The kitchen appliance according to claim 24, wherein the suction cup (34) is interacting with an activation mechanism (46) for selectively activating and deactivating the suction cup (34).

26. The kitchen appliance according to claim 25, wherein the activation mechanism (46) comprises a lever (48) pivotally mounted on the housing (12).

27. The kitchen appliance according to claim 26, wherein the activation mechanism (46) comprises a retention aim (50) arranged between the lever (48) and the suction cup (34).

28. The kitchen appliance according to claim 27, wherein the retention arm (50) is linearly movable within the housing (12), thereby activating or deactivating the suction cup (34).

29. The kitchen appliance according to claim 28, wherein the retention arm (50) comprises a first guiding means (66) that interacts with a corresponding second guiding means (70) arranged in the housing (12) for ensuring the linear movement of the retention arm (50).

30. The kitchen appliance according to claim 27, wherein the retention arm (50) is interacting with a spring (64) biasable by the movement of the retention arm (50).

31. The kitchen appliance according to claim 30, wherein the retention arm (50) comprises a cylindrical section (58) where the suction cup (34) is connected with the retention arm (50), the cylindrical section (58) being surrounded by the spring (64).

32. The kitchen appliance according to claim 26, wherein the lever (48) comprises a number of first sliding surfaces (74) interacting with a number of second sliding surfaces (76) arranged on a retention arm (50) for convening the pivoting movement of the lever (48) into a linear movement of the retention arm (50).

33. The kitchen appliance according to claim 24, wherein the suction cup (34) is seated on a sealing face (83) located on a first protrusion (82) of the housing (12), the first protrusion (82) forming an annular space (86) with a second protrusion (84) of the housing (12) located radially outwardly of the first protrusion (82).

34. The kitchen appliance according to claim 26, wherein the housing (12) forms an housing recess (56) located below the coupling section (36), the lever (48) being arranged in the housing recess (56).

35. The kitchen appliance according to claim 25, wherein the housing (12) comprises a base unit (16) and a main unit (18), the activation mechanism (46) and the suction cup (34) being mounted on the base unit (16).

36. The kitchen appliance according to claim 19, wherein the coupling section (36) comprises a bayonet coupling (38) and a spring loaded catch (40) for coupling and positioning at least one of the attachments (88) to the kitchen appliance (10).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

[0028] In the drawings:

[0029] FIG. 1a is a top view on the inventive kitchen appliance

[0030] FIG. 1b is a cross section through the kitchen appliance along the plane A-A defined in FIG. 1a,

[0031] FIG. 2a is a top view on the inventive kitchen appliance with a deactivated suction cup,

[0032] FIG. 2b is a cross section through the kitchen appliance along the plane B-B defined in FIG. 2a,

[0033] FIG. 3a is a top view on the inventive kitchen appliance with an activated suction cup,

[0034] FIG. 3b is a cross section through the kitchen appliance along the plane C-C defined in FIG. 3a,

[0035] FIG. 4a is a perspective view of a activation mechanism and the suction cup,

[0036] FIG. 4b is a perspective view of a base unit of the housing and the mounted activation mechanism,

[0037] FIG. 4c is a bottom view of the kitchen appliance, and

[0038] FIG. 5 is a side view of the kitchen appliance with an attachment coupled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] In FIG. 1a a top view on an inventive kitchen appliance 10 and in FIG. 1b a cross section through the kitchen appliance 10 along the plane A-A defined in FIG. 1a are shown. The kitchen appliance 10 comprises a housing 12 defining a hollow space 14 or an interior space. The housing 12 consists of two parts, namely a base unit 16 and a main unit 18. The housing 12 has a conical shape with a first diameter d.sub.1 at the bottom and a second diameter d.sub.2 at the top. The second diameter d.sub.2 is smaller than the first diameter d.sub.1.

[0040] A motor 20 here an electromotor 20, is arranged within the hollow space 14 and connected to a motor output shaft 22. The motor 20 can be activated and deactivated by control means 24 that comprise control buttons 26 located on the top of the housing 12. In the shown embodiment the kitchen appliance 10 is equipped with three control buttons 26. One control button sets the motor 20 in a high speed, low torque mode, another control button sets the motor 20 in a low speed, high torque mode and one control button reverses the turning direction. The motor output shaft 22 is connected to a gear mechanism 28, in this case a worm gear 30, for transmitting the output power generated by the motor 20 to a further output shaft 32. The further output shaft 32 is running substantially perpendicular to the motor output shaft 22.

[0041] The housing 12 defines a longitudinal axis L that is substantially vertical when the kitchen appliance 10 is placed on a work surface. The motor 20 and the motor output shaft 22 are arranged along a common mounting axis T around which the motor output shaft 22 is turning. In the shown embodiment the mounting axis T and the longitudinal axis L include an angle of approximately 20 to 30. It would however also be possible to only arrange the motor 20 or the motor output shaft 22 in an angled way relative to the longitudinal axis L without departing from the inventive concept.

[0042] Further, the kitchen appliance 10 is provided with a suction cup 34 connected to the housing 12 at the base unit 16.

[0043] As best seen in FIGS. 2b and 3b) the kitchen appliance 10 is equipped with a coupling section 36 for coupling attachments to the kitchen appliance 10 (also see FIG. 5). The coupling section 36 comprises of a bayonet coupling 38 and a spring loaded catch 40 movable along the longitudinal axis L by pressing a catch release button 42 located at the top of the housing 12. In the shown example the catch release button 42 is integral with the spring loaded catch 40. The spring loaded catch 40 is interacting with two compression springs 44 urging the catch 40 in a position in which it engages with a portion (not shown) of the attachment. When engaged with the attachment the rotational movement of the attachment during the operation is prevented. In the shown embodiment the coupling section 36 is designed to receive a male section of a shaft provided by the attachment. The further output shaft 32 has thus a corresponding female reception that is not further shown. The female reception has the advantage that no turning parts are protruding from the kitchen appliance 10 preventing any harm to the user. They are engageable into each other so that the output power can be transferred to the connected attachments.

[0044] In FIGS. 4a and 4b an activation mechanism 46 is shown that serves for activating and deactivating the suction cup 34. The activation mechanism 46 comprises a lever 48 and a retention arm 50. The base unit 16 comprises a mounting section 52 on which the lever 48 is mounted by means of two cylindrical pivot arms 54 (FIG. 4b)). The mounting section 52 is forming a housing recess 56 together with the main unit 18 of the housing 12 (see e.g. FIG. 1a). The retention arm 50 can be subdivided into three sections, namely a vertical cylindrical section 58, a horizontal flat section 60 and a vertical structured section 62. The suction cup 34 is connected to the retention arm 50 via the cylindrical section 58. A spring 64 is surrounding the cylindrical section 58 and is acting on one end against the suction cup 34 and on the other end against the housing 12. As can be best seen from FIG. 4b) the lever 48 is mounted radially outwardly whereas the suction cup 34 is connected to the retention arm 50 in the center of the housing 12. Thus the horizontal flat section 60 bridges the radial distance. The vertical structured section 62 comprises bars that ensure that the forces and the torque introduced by the lever 48 are reliably transferred to the suction cup 34.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 4a, the vertical structured section 62 is provided with first guiding means 66 embodied as ribs 68 protruding outwardly. The base unit 16 is provided with corresponding second guiding means 70 embodied as recesses 72 into which the ribs 68 engage to provide a linear movement of the retention arm 50 (see FIG. 4b)).

[0046] The lever 48 can be rotated between an unlocked position in which the suction cup 34 is deactivated (see FIGS. 2a and 2b) and a locked position in which the suction cup 34 is activated (see FIGS. 3a and 3b). In the unlocked position the lever 48 is protruding from the housing 12 and in particular from the housing recess 56 whereas in the locked position the lever 48 is aligned with the housing 12. In the locked position the lever 48 does not obstruct any objects located in the surroundings of the kitchen appliance 10. As best seen in FIG. 4a, the lever 48 comprises two first sliding surfaces 74 extending substantially perpendicular from a main body 75 of the lever 48, the first sliding surfaces 74 interacting with two second sliding surfaces 76 of the retention arm 50 and in particular of the vertical structured section 62. The second sliding surfaces 76 are provided by a rod 78. In the deactivated position the rod 78 is abutting against a curved running surface 80 of the first sliding surfaces 74 thereby defining the unlocked position of the lever 48. The locked position is mainly defined by the housing 12 against which the lever 48 abuts. In the locked position the rod 78 is abutting against the main body 75 of the lever 48.

[0047] The kitchen appliance 10 is placed on a work surface with the lever 48 in its unlocked position. When moving the lever 48 from the unlocked position to the locked position the lever 48 is turned around an axis defined by the two pivot arms 54. As explained above, the retention arm 50 can only move along the longitudinal axis L. Due to the turning movement of the lever 48 the first sliding surface 74 is carrying out a movement parallel and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. As a consequence the retention arm 50 is moved along the longitudinal axis L and the rod 78 is moved between the curved section 80 and the main body 75 of the lever 48. When the lever 48 is moved towards the housing 12 the turning movement is converted into an upward linear movement of the retention arm 50.

[0048] As best seen in FIG. 4c, the base unit 16 comprises of a first protrusion 82 that has a substantially cylindrical shape and a second protrusion 84 having a ring-shaped second protrusion 84. The protrusions 82, 84 form an annular space 86 in which an electric cable for supplying electrical energy to the motor 20 can be stored. Supporting sections 87 located on the first portion facilitate the coiling of the electric cable around the first protrusion 82. In addition the first protrusion 82 forms a sealing face 83 on which a contact surface 81 of the suction cup 34 is seated. In the unlocked position the suction cup 34 is slightly protruding from the base unit 16 so that it is the first part of the kitchen appliance 10 contacting the working surface. Due to the self-weight of the kitchen appliance 10 the suction cup 34 is compressed between the working surface and the sealing surface 83 at its contact surface 81. The contact surface 81 contacts the work surface in an airtight manner, thereby comprising a certain volume of air. As the suction cup 34 is connected to the retention arm 50 the upward movement lifts the center of the suction cup 34 whereas its contact surface 81 is interacting with the housing 12 and remains in its original position (see FIGS. 2b and 3b). When the center of the suction cup 34 is lifted the volume comprised by the suction cup 34 is enlarged. As no additional air can pass the contact surface 81 the pressure inside the suction cup 34 decreases and thus the housing 12 is pressed against the work surface thereby stabilizing the kitchen appliance 10.

[0049] Additionally, the lifting movement biases the spring 64 so that a force is generated trying to move the retention arm 50 downwards. As this force is also transmitted to the lever 48 it contributes the movement of the lever 48 into the unlocked position. As a result the user basically only has to slightly pull the lever 48 out of the locked position and the force provided by the spring 64 will move the lever 48 into the unlocked position. The retention arm 50 is thereby moved downwards so that the suction cup 34 returns to its original position. The volume comprised by the suction cup 34 is reduced and thus no force is acting between the housing 12 and the work surface anymore, In the deactivated position the kitchen appliance 10 can be lifted from the work surface and placed on a cupboard for storage.

[0050] In FIG. 5, the kitchen appliance 10 is shown by means of a side view. An attachment 88, in this case a masticating juicer 90, is connected to the kitchen appliance 10. The masticating juicer 90 comprises a content input 92, e.g., for apples or other fruits. A plunger (not shown) may be used to press the fruit into the juicer 90. As the content input 92 is eccentric from the longitudinal axis L a turning moment is introduced trying to tilt the kitchen appliance 10. However, as the suction cup 34 is providing a force pressing the housing 12 against the work surface the kitchen appliance 10 is stabilized will not tilt in spite of its low footprint and low weight.

[0051] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.