Blending jar with ridges

• US 9,420,915 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blendtec Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blendtec Incorporated
• Inventors: Dickson, Thomas D. Jr., Throckmorton, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Soohoo, Tony G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhatia, Anshu
• Application Number:
  US14/298,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20150282671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 808 Days
• Field of Search: 366/205, 366/306
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/046 with tools driven from the bottom side
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/86 co-operating with deflectors or baffles fixed to the receptacle

Abstract

A blender jar with ridges has a bottom wall positioned below a movable blending member, a sidewall surface extending upward from the bottom wall, and a plurality of ridges extending inward from the sidewall surface. The ridges are positioned reflectively asymmetric relative to the mixing area in the jar. The ridges may improve blending consistency and uniformity, and may reduce blending time.

Claims

1. A ridged blender jar for improving blending consistency and conformity, the blender jar comprising:

a bottom wall configured to be positioned below a movable blending member, the movable member having an axis of rotation;

an internal sidewall surface comprising at least four planar side walls extending from the bottom wall and upward relative to the bottom wall, the bottom wall and internal sidewall surface forming a mixing area, the internal sidewall surface having an upper opening;

the internal sidewall surface further comprising a plurality of ridges extending inward from the internal sidewall surface, the plurality of ridges extending upward from the bottom wall and inward toward the mixing area of the jar, the plurality of ridges being positioned reflectively asymmetric relative to any vertical plane extending through the axis of rotation of the movable blending member.

2. The blender jar of claim 1, wherein the four side walls form a generally rectangular cross-section.

3. The blender jar of claim 2, wherein the sidewall further comprises a fifth truncated wall disposed between two side walls of the sidewall surface, the fifth truncated wall being positioned closer to the axis of rotation.

4. The blender jar of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ridges extends along the sidewall surface from the bottom wall to a height less than half a total height of the mixing area.

5. The blender jar of claim 4, wherein the height of the plurality of ridges is greater than or equal to a height of the movable blending member when the movable blending member is installed in the bottom wall.

6. The blender jar of claim 1, wherein the blender jar has no more than two ridges.

7. The blender jar of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ridges extends into the mixing area to a distance greater than or equal to a thickness of the sidewall.

8. The blender jar of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ridges has a width greater than or about equal to a thickness of the sidewall.

9. The blender jar of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ridges is filleted or tapered relative to the mixing area.

10. A ridged blender jar, comprising:

a bottom wall configured to be positioned below a movable blending member, the movable member having an axis of rotation;

a plurality of internal sidewalls extending from the bottom wall and upward relative to the bottom wall, the bottom wall and the plurality of internal sidewalls forming a mixing area;

the internal sidewalls further comprising a plurality of ridges extending inward from the plurality of internal sidewalls, the plurality of ridges extending upward from the bottom wall and inward toward the mixing area of the jar, the plurality of ridges being positioned reflectively asymmetric relative to a vertical plane extending centrally through at least one of the plurality of internal sidewalls and through the axis of rotation.

11. The ridged blender jar of claim 10, wherein the plurality of ridges comprises no more than two ridges.

12. The ridged blender jar of claim 10, wherein the plurality of ridges has a width greater than or equal to a thickness of the sidewall.

13. The ridged blender jar of claim 10, wherein the plurality of ridges are rotationally asymmetric relative to the axis of rotation of the movable blending member.

14. The ridged blender jar of claim 10, wherein the plurality of ridges are positioned at different distances from a corner of the plurality of internal sidewalls.

15. The ridged blender jar of claim 10, wherein the plurality of ridges are asymmetrically positioned relative to a truncated wall of the plurality of internal sidewalls.