Food Processing Tool

• US 20150003190A1
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kenwood Corporation (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kenwood Corporation (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Pendleton, Oliver, Faram, David Stephen, Jays, Nick
• Granted Patent: US 9,681,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 366/314
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/046 with tools driven from the bottom side
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/0711 mixing, whipping or cutting tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/0722 Mixing, whipping or cutting tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/082 for machines with tools driven from the upper side A47J43/087, A47J43/09 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/1025 with gears between the drive axis and the driven axis, e.g. for planetary motion of tools or for coaxial tools
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/2324 planetary
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/41 with the mutually rotating surfaces facing each other
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/951 with at least one stirrer mounted on the sun axis

Abstract

A tool intended as an attachment or accessory for a food processor and configured to automate the delicate operation of folding ingredients together without expelling air is described. The tool includes first and second curved blades which depend from a casing part that is rotated within a processing bowl by means of a geared arrangement that picks up rotary drive from a drive shaft coupled to a driven outlet on the base of the food processor. The blades are disposed at different distances from the axis about which the casing rotates, so that the outer blade passes closer to the wall of the bowl than does the inner blade.

Claims

1. A food processing tool (10) comprising a casing part (40) intended for bodily rotation about a drive-shaft axis and housing gear means (41, 42;

41, 42, 44, 45) adapted to pick up rotary drive from a food processor drive shaft (43, 50) disposed on said drive-shaft axis, the casing (40) supporting first and second dependent blade members (20, 30) disposed at different distances from said drive-shaft axis and at different orientations there-around, wherein food-contacting surfaces of the blade members (20, 30) are each formed to gently lift and turn ingredients;

the blade member (20) further from said drive-shaft axis being configured to turn ingredients in towards the axis and the blade member (30) closer to said drive-shaft axis being configured to turn ingredients outwardly therefrom.

2. A tool according to claim 1, wherein said gear means comprises first and second gear wheels (41, 42) configured as an epicyclic gearbox.

3. A tool according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said gear means causes said tool to rotate at a speed in the range from 15 to 60 rpm.

4. A tool according to any preceding claim wherein said blade members (20, 30) are removable from said casing part (40).

5. A tool according to any preceding claim, wherein said blade members (20, 30) are each formed with a compound curvature and tilt to simulate manual folding of ingredients using a spoon.

6. A tool according to claim any preceding claim, wherein said gear means comprises a first stationary sun gear (42), centered on said drive-shaft axis, and a compound planet gear (41) having a first gear located and configured to pick up rotational drive from said drive shaft (43, 50) and a second gear arranged to mesh with and run around said sun gear (42).

7. A tool according to any preceding claim, wherein, in operation, said blade members (20, 30) remain fixed relative to said casing part (40).

8. A tool according to any of claims 1 to 6, comprising further driving means (44, 45) for causing at least one of said blade members (20, 30) to rotate about a second axis (70) offset from that of the food processor drive shaft (43, 50).

9. A tool according to claim 8, wherein said second axis (70) is disposed substantially parallel to the axis of said drive shaft (43, 50).

10. A tool according to claim 9, wherein said further driving means comprises a second stationary sun gear (44) disposed coaxially with the first (42), and a second planet gear (45) centered on said second axis (70), the second planet gear (45) being arranged to mesh with and run around the second sun gear (44) as the casing part (40) rotates bodily around the drive-shaft axis when driven by said drive shaft (43, 50).

11. A tool according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of said blade members (20, 30) and/or a supportive shank thereof is flexible.

12. A tool according to any preceding claim, wherein an edge of at least one of said blade members (20, 30) is formed with or carries a wiper-like extension of flexible material.