Handheld kitchen appliance assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10328562-B2
Application number	US-201615389706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2016
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

A handheld kitchen appliance assembly including a drive unit having a housing, a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing, and a motor disposed within the housing and powered by the battery. The handheld appliance assembly also includes a tool having an attachment portion for releasably connecting the tool to the drive unit. The tool is selectively driven by the drive unit when the tool is connected to the drive unit. A charging unit includes a cavity sized and shaped to receive a portion of the drive unit. The charging unit includes a power supply and is configured to send a charging current to the battery of the drive unit to recharge the battery when the drive unit is received within the cavity. A cradle includes an opening sized and shaped to support the tool when the tool is disconnected from the drive unit. The cradle includes a linkage that is engagable with the charging unit for selectively connecting the cradle to the charging unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A handheld kitchen appliance assembly comprising:
a drive unit including a housing, a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing, and a motor disposed within the housing and powered by the battery;
a tool including an attachment portion for releasably connecting the tool to the drive unit, the tool selectively driven by the drive unit when the tool is connected to the drive unit;
a charging unit including a cavity sized and shaped to receive a portion of the drive unit, the charging unit having a power supply and configured to send a charging current to the battery of the drive unit to recharge the battery when the drive unit is received within the cavity; and
a cradle including an opening sized and shaped to support the tool when the tool is disconnected from the drive unit, the cradle having a linkage engagable with the charging unit for selectively connecting the cradle to the charging unit,
wherein the charging unit includes a plurality of recesses, each of the recesses sized and shaped to receive the linkage of the cradle; and
wherein the plurality of recesses is arranged around a perimeter of the charging unit, and wherein the cradle can be positioned at different angles relative to the charging unit by engaging with different recesses.

2. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tool is one of a plurality of tools and the cradle is one of a plurality of cradles, the plurality of cradles each including an opening sized and shaped to receive one of the plurality of tools.

3. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 2 , wherein the linkage of each of the plurality of cradles is engagable with the charging unit for selectively connecting the respective cradle to the charging unit, wherein the plurality of cradles are connectable to the charging unit at the same time.

4. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of cradles each includes a recess sized and shaped to receive the linkage of one of the other plurality of cradles.

5. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drive unit includes a handgrip and a user interface having a plurality of actuators for controlling the drive unit, the user interface positioned proximate the handgrip to enable a user to grasp the handgrip and engage with the user interface using one hand.

6. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tool is a mixing tool.

7. A base for supporting a kitchen appliance including a drive unit and a plurality of tools configured to be driven by the drive unit, the drive unit having a rechargeable battery, a motor, and a first electrical contact, the plurality of tools each having a tool element and an attachment portion for releasably connecting the tool to the drive unit, the base comprising:
a charging unit including a cavity sized and shaped to receive a portion of the drive unit to support the drive unit, the cavity including a second electrical contact, the second electrical contact configured to engage with the first electrical contact of the drive unit when the drive unit is received within the charging unit;
a power supply connected to the charging unit, the power supply configured to provide power to the charging unit to enable the charging unit to send a charging current to the battery of the drive unit via the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact; and
a plurality of cradles for supporting the plurality of tools, the plurality of cradles each including an opening sized and shaped to receive one of the plurality of tools,
wherein each of the plurality of cradles includes a linkage engagable with the charging unit for releasably connecting the respective cradle to the drive unit,
wherein each of the plurality of cradles includes a plurality of recesses sized and shaped to receive the linkage of another one of the plurality of cradles for releasable connecting the plurality of cradles to one another; and
wherein the charging unit is connectable to more than one of the plurality of cradles at the same time, and wherein each of the plurality of cradles is connectable to more than one of the plurality of cradles at the same time.

8. The base of claim 7 , wherein the charging unit is configured to support the drive unit in an upright position, and wherein at least one of the plurality of cradles is configured to support at least one of the plurality of tools in an upright position.

9. The base of claim 7 , wherein the charging unit includes a plurality of recesses, each of the plurality of recesses sized and shaped to receive the linkage of one of the plurality of cradles, and wherein the linkages of the plurality of cradles are engagable with one of the plurality of recesses.

10. The base of claim 7 , wherein the charging unit and the plurality of cradles are configurable in a plurality of different arrangement relative to one another.

11. A handheld kitchen appliance assembly, comprising:
a drive unit including
a housing having an elongated body with a first end and a second end that is spaced apart from the first end,
a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing,
a motor disposed within the housing and powered by the battery,
an attachment member positioned on the second end of the housing, and
a first electrical contact positioned on the second end of the housing, the electrical contact configured to receive a charging current and send the charging current to the battery to recharge the battery;
a tool including a tool element and an attachment portion, the attachment portion configured to engage with the attachment member of the drive unit to connect the tool to the drive unit; and
a base including
a charging unit having a cavity with a second electrical contact, the cavity configured to receive the second end of the drive unit so that the first electrical contact of the drive unit engages with the second electrical contact of the charging unit, the second electrical contact configured to send the charging current to the first electrical contact, and
a cradle having an opening for receiving a portion of the tool, the cradle including a linkage engagable with the charging unit for selectively connecting the cradle to the charging unit,
wherein each of the plurality of cradles further includes a linkage engagable with the charging unit for selectively connecting the cradle to the charging unit, wherein the plurality of cradles are connectable to the charging unit at the same time.

12. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 11 , wherein the tool is one of a plurality of tools and the cradle is one of a plurality of cradles, the plurality of cradles each including an opening sized and shaped to receive one of the plurality of tools.

13. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of cradles includes a recess sized and shaped to receive the linkage of one of the other plurality of cradles.

14. The handheld kitchen appliance assembly of claim 12 , wherein the charging unit is configured to support the drive unit in an upright position, and wherein at least one of the plurality of cradles is configured to support at least one of the plurality of tools in an upright position.

Assignees

• Tti Macao Commercial Offshore Ltd

Inventors

• Benson Cheung Chun Kit
• Keung Fung Wai

Classifications

• B25F5/02

  Construction of casings, bodies or handles {(B25F5/006, B25F5/008 take precedence)} · CPC title

• A47J2043/0738

  Means for storing accessories · CPC title

• A47J43/04 Primary

  Machines for domestic use not covered elsewhere, e.g. for grinding, mixing, stirring, kneading, emulsifying, whipping or beating foodstuffs, e.g. power-driven · CPC title

• A47J43/082

  for machines with tools driven from the upper side (A47J43/087, A47J43/09 take precedence) · CPC title

• A47J43/06

  with a plurality of interchangeable working units {, e.g. with a single driving-unit} · CPC title