Stirring wand

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10427116-B2
Application number	US-201715709595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2017
Priority date	Mar 1, 2013
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A stirring wand is configured for selective engagement with a mixing device. The stirring wand comprises a substantially vertical portion having an upper end and a lower end, a first tapered surface that includes a first pitch angle proximate the upper end of the substantially vertical portion and a second pitch angle proximate the lower end of the substantially vertical portion, a substantially horizontal portion having a base and a distal tip, and a second tapered surface extending from the base to the distal tip. The second tapered surface includes a third pitch angle proximate the base and a fourth pitch angle proximate the tip.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking appliance comprising:
a housing including a heating element, an interior cavity and an underside that defines a receptacle;
a stirring tower having a tower supporting foot that selectively extends into the receptacle of the housing to define an engaged position where the receptacle of the underside covers and surrounds the tower supporting foot;
a tower mixing arm that extends over the tower supporting foot and is rotationally coupled to the stirring tower, the tower mixing arm operable between a mixing position defined by a tower drive system being in operable communication with the tower mixing arm, and an idle position defined by the tower drive system being out of operable communication with the tower mixing arm, wherein the tower mixing arm in the mixing position is positioned within the interior cavity of the housing when the stirring tower is in the engaged position; and
a lid that engages the housing and selectively encloses the interior cavity, wherein the lid selectively covers a portion of the tower mixing arm in the mixing position when the stirring tower is in the engaged position.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the stirring tower is in selective electrical communication with the housing, and wherein the stirring tower selectively receives electrical power at least from an electrical interface disposed proximate the housing.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the heating element is:
an electrical heating element disposed proximate the interior cavity; and
a user interface in electrical communication with the electrical heating element and the tower drive system.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 3 , wherein the user interface includes a heating user interface disposed on an exterior surface of the housing in electrical communication with the electrical heating element, and a mixing user interface disposed on an exterior surface of the stirring tower in electrical communication with the tower drive system.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the lid includes a recess for engaging a top surface of the tower mixing arm when the lid is in a closed position.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein operation of the lid between open and closed positions is independent of the tower mixing arm defining the mixing and idle positions.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 3 , wherein a user interface is disposed on an outer surface of the housing, wherein the user interface is in electrical communication with the electrical heating element disposed proximate the interior cavity, and wherein the user interface is in selective electrical communication with the tower drive system when the tower supporting foot is disposed in the receptacle of the underside of the housing.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooking vessel that is selectively inserted into the interior cavity, and wherein the cooking vessel selectively receives the lid and the tower mixing arm.

9. The cooking vessel of claim 8 , wherein the cooking vessel simultaneously engages the lid and the tower mixing arm when the stirring tower is in the engaged position, the tower mixing arm is in the mixing position and the lid encloses the interior cavity.

10. A cooking appliance comprising:
a cooker housing having a heating element and defining a heating cavity that selectively receives a cooking vessel;
a stirring tower having a tower supporting foot, the stirring tower being selectively removable from the cooker housing; and
a foot receptacle disposed in a base of the cooker housing for selectively surrounding and receiving the tower supporting foot within the foot receptacle when the stirring tower is in an engaged position, wherein the engaged position includes the tower supporting foot laterally positioning the base relative to the stirring tower and wherein the cooker housing is free of vertical support from the stirring tower and the tower supporting foot.

11. The cooking appliance of claim 10 , further comprising:
a tower mixing arm hingedly removably coupled to the stirring tower; and
a lid pivotally coupled to the tower mixing arm and operable between an open position and a closed position in which the lid covers the heating cavity.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 10 , wherein the stirring tower is in electrical communication with the cooker housing, and wherein the cooker housing and the stirring tower include a fastening mechanism for selectively securing the stirring tower to the cooker housing, and wherein the stirring tower can be removed from engagement with the cooker housing by hand and free of the use of tools.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 10 , wherein the heating element is:
an electrical heating element disposed proximate the heating cavity; and
a user interface in electrical communication with the electrical heating element and a tower drive system.

14. The cooking appliance of claim 13 , wherein the user interface includes a heating user interface disposed on an exterior surface of the cooker housing in electrical communication with the electrical heating element, and a mixing user interface disposed on an exterior surface of the stirring tower and in electrical communication with the tower drive system.

15. The cooking appliance of claim 11 , wherein the lid selectively extends over a top surface of the tower mixing arm when the lid is in the closed position.

16. The cooking appliance of claim 11 , further comprising:
at least one mixing wand removably engaged with the tower mixing arm, wherein the at least one mixing wand is selected from a group consisting of: a flipping wand, a stirring wand, and a combination flipping and stirring wand.

17. The cooking appliance of claim 15 , wherein the lid and the tower mixing arm selectively operate independent of one another such that operation of the lid between the open and closed positions is independent of operation of the tower mixing arm between a mixing state and an idle state.

18. A cooking appliance comprising:
a stirring tower having a tower supporting foot;
a housing having a heating element and being removably coupled with the stirring tower and including at least one outer wall defining a heating cavity that selectively receives a cooking vessel; and
a foot receptacle disposed in a base of the housing for selectively engaging the tower supporting foot when the housing is in an engaged position with the stirring tower, wherein the engaged position places the entire tower supporting foot under the housing and within the foot receptacle, the foot receptacle surrounding the tower supporting foot.

19. The cooking appliance of claim 18 , further comprising:
a tower mixing arm removably coupled to the stirring tower and including at least one removable mixing wand; and
a lid operable between an open position and a closed position in which the lid covers the heating cavity and a portion of the tower mixing arm.

20. The cooking appliance of claim 19 , wherein the tower supporting foot includes an alignment seat that selectively engages the foot receptacle and positions the heating cavity under the tower mixing arm.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Altenritter Daniel A
• Conti Michael P
• Gregory Christopher A
• Porter Bryce K

Classifications

• A47J36/2483

  with electrical heating means · CPC title

• A47J43/044

  with tools driven from the top side · CPC title

• A47J27/004

  with integral electrical heating means (drinking cups with integral heating means A47J36/2466) · CPC title

• A47J43/0711 Primary

  mixing, whipping or cutting tools · CPC title

• B01F7/00016 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic