Magnetic disc coupler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10213756-B2
Application number	US-201715730221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2017
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A blending appliance includes a housing with a jar receiving area defined between an upper housing and a support base. A blender jar includes a base portion and a receptacle portion, and is configured to be laterally received within the jar receiving area of the housing. A magnetic coupling system includes an upper magnetic coupler disposed in the base portion of the blender jar and a lower magnetic coupler disposed in the support base of the housing. The upper and lower magnetic couplers are magnetically coupled to one another for driving a blade assembly disposed in the receptacle portion of the blender jar. A brake mechanism is disposed on the upper magnetic coupler and is configured to stop rotation of the upper magnetic coupler when the blender jar is removed from the jar receiving area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blending appliance, comprising:
a housing having a support base with a jar receiving area disposed above the support base;
a blender jar having a base portion and a receptacle portion;
an upper magnetic coupler disposed in the base portion of the blender jar;
a lower magnetic coupler disposed in the support base of the housing, wherein the upper and lower magnetic couplers are coupled to one another by a magnetic coupling when the blender jar is received in the jar receiving area, and further wherein rotation of the lower magnetic coupler rotates the upper magnetic coupler as magnetically coupled thereto; and
a mechanical brake mechanism configured to stop rotation of the upper magnetic coupler when the blender jar is removed from the jar receiving area by imparting frictional contact on the upper magnetic coupler.

2. The blending appliance of claim 1 , including:
a drive shaft at least partially disposed in the base portion of the blender jar;
a bearing assembly coupled to the drive shaft within the base portion of the blender jar, the bearing assembly including a brake surface on a lower portion thereof.

3. The blending appliance of claim 2 , wherein the upper magnetic coupler is coupled to the drive shaft below the bearing assembly, and further wherein the upper magnetic includes a brake surface on an upper portion thereof.

4. The blending appliance of claim 3 , wherein the upper magnetic coupler is vertically moveable along the drive shaft between engaged and disengaged positions.

5. The blending appliance of claim 4 , wherein the brake surface of the upper magnetic coupler contacts the brake surface of the bearing assembly when the upper magnetic coupler is in the engaged position.

6. The blending appliance of claim 5 , including:
a biasing mechanism biasing the upper magnetic coupler towards the engaged position.

7. The blending appliance of claim 6 , wherein the upper magnetic coupler moves to the engaged position when the blender jar is removed from the jar receiving area.

8. The blending appliance of claim 7 , wherein the upper magnetic coupler moves to the disengaged position when the blender jar is received in the jar receiving area, and further wherein the brake surface of the bearing assembly is spaced-apart from the bearing assembly of the upper magnetic coupler when the upper magnetic coupler is in the disengaged position.

9. The blending appliance of claim 8 , wherein the upper magnetic coupler is drawn downward towards the disengaged position by the magnetic coupling between the upper and lower magnetic couplers when the blender jar is received in the jar receiving area.

10. A blending appliance, comprising:
a housing having a jar receiving area positioned above a support base;
a blender jar having a base portion and a receptacle portion, the blender jar removeably received within the jar receiving area;
an upper magnetic coupler disposed in the base portion of the blender jar for rotation therein, wherein the upper magnetic coupler includes a brake surface and is operable between first and second positions along a drive shaft;
a bearing assembly disposed around the drive shaft and having a brake surface, wherein the brake surface of the upper magnetic coupler contacts the brake surface of the bearing assembly when the blender jar is removed from the jar receiving area and the upper magnetic coupler is in the first position; and
a lower magnetic coupler disposed in the support base of the housing for rotation therein, wherein the upper magnetic coupler is magnetically coupled to the lower magnetic coupler when the blender jar is received in the jar receiving area, and further wherein the upper magnetic coupler is moved to the second position when the upper magnetic coupler is magnetically coupled to the lower magnetic coupler, wherein the brake surface of the upper magnetic coupler is spaced-apart from the brake surface of the bearing assembly when the upper magnetic coupler is in the second position.

11. The blending appliance of claim 10 , wherein the bearing assembly includes a biasing mechanism to bias the upper magnetic coupler towards the engaged position.

12. The blending appliance of claim 11 , wherein the upper magnetic coupler is moved downward towards the disengaged position when the blender jar is received in the jar receiving area by the magnetic coupling between the upper and lower magnetic couplers.

13. The blending appliance of claim 12 , including:
one or more nonmagnetic layers disposed between the upper and lower magnetic couplers when the blender jar is received in the jar receiving area.

14. The blending appliance of claim 13 , wherein the one or more nonmagnetic layers includes one or more of a bottom wall of the base portion of the blender jar, a receiving deck disposed in the jar receiving area, and an air gap.

15. A magnetic coupling system for a blending appliance, comprising:
an upper magnetic coupler disposed on a drive shaft;
a lower magnetic coupler spaced-apart from the upper magnetic coupler, wherein the upper magnetic coupler is selectively operable between magnetically coupled and uncoupled positions relative to the lower magnetic coupler, and further wherein the lower magnetic coupler is configured to rotate the upper magnetic coupler using magnetic torque when the upper magnetic coupler is in the magnetically coupled position;
a bearing assembly disposed on the drive shaft, wherein the upper magnetic coupler contacts the bearing assembly when the upper magnetic coupler is in the uncoupled position; and
a biasing mechanism operably coupled to the upper magnetic coupler, wherein the biasing mechanism biases the upper magnetic coupler towards the uncoupled position.

16. The magnetic coupling system of claim 15 , including:
a first brake surface disposed on the bearing assembly.

17. The magnetic coupling system of claim 16 , including:
a second brake surface disposed on the upper magnetic coupler.

18. The magnetic coupling system of claim 17 , wherein the second brake surface of the upper magnetic coupler contacts the first brake surface of the bearing assembly when the upper magnetic coupler is in the uncoupled position.

19. The magnetic coupling system of claim 15 , wherein the uncoupled position of the upper magnetic coupler is disposed above the magnetically coupled position of the upper magnetic coupler along the drive shaft.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Brotzki Bernard J
• Conti Michael P
• Drees Steven C
• Haney Edward
• Paget Paul S
• Robertson Mitchell L
• Vanantwerp Timothy Patrick
• Wolters Jeremy T

Classifications

• B01F15/0048 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F15/00538

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• A47J43/0465 Primary

  with magnetic drive · CPC title

• H02K7/1021

  Magnetically influenced friction brakes · CPC title

• A47J43/0766

  activated by the proper positioning of the mixing bowl · CPC title