Variable temperature blender

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12059099-B2
Application number	US-202217744660-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2022
Priority date	Jul 25, 2019
Publication date	Aug 13, 2024
Grant date	Aug 13, 2024

Abstract

A variable temperature blender is disclosed for the cooking and preparation of heated sauces, jams, soups, purees, alternative milks, smoothies and more. A variable temperature blender has a lid assembly, a vessel assembly, and a base assembly. The vessel assembly has a blending vessel and a collar attached to a bottom portion of the blending vessel. The base assembly have a user interface, a motor, and a controller. A heating element positioned within the collar of the vessel assembly received an electronic signal from the controller via an electrical interface connecting the base assembly with the vessel assembly. The electronic signal activates or deactivates the heating element based on an operational mode of the variable temperature blender to heat a food item contained within the blending vessel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A variable temperature blender comprising:
a lid assembly;
a vessel assembly comprising;
a blending vessel;
a collar, the collar having a collar sidewall housing a collar interior as an upper collar section and a lower collar section, the collar attached to a bottom portion of the blending vessel within the upper collar section, and the lower collar section terminating at a collar base, the collar base corresponding to a bottom of the vessel assembly;
a heating element coupled to a least one heating element contact, the heating element and the at least one heating contact contained within the collar interior;
a temperature sensor contained within the collar interior, the temperature sensor in thermal communication with the blending vessel to monitor a temperature measurement of at least one food item contained within the blending vessel; and
a vessel assembly electrical interface contained within the collar interior adjacent the collar base, the vessel assembly electrical interface electrically connected to each the heating element, via the at least one heating element contact, and the temperature sensor to (1) transmit operational commands for execution by each the heating element and the temperature sensor, and (2) receive operational data of each the heating element, via the at least one heating element contact, and the temperature sensor;

a base assembly, the base assembly having a base assembly electrical interface on a top surface of the base assembly, a user interface, a motor, and a controller, the vessel assembly via the collar base being removably attachable to the top surface of the base assembly, and wherein attachment of the collar base of the vessel assembly with the top surface of the base assembly permits electrical communication between the vessel assembly electrical interface and the base assembly electrical interface;
wherein the controller stores a plurality of operational modes, the user interface allows for controller operation of a selected operational mode, and the controller is configured to control (i) heating of the heating element via an electronic heating control signal transmitted from the controller through electrical communication between the base assembly electrical interface and the vessel assembly electrical interface, the electronic heating control signal activating or deactivating a heating operation by the heating element upon the at least one food item contained within the blending vessel, (ii) the electronic heating element control signal being based on a stored operational step within the controller of the selected operational mode, and (iii) activation of a safety indicator of the user interface when the temperature measurement of the at least one food item received by the controller exceeds a stored safe temperature threshold during operation of the selected operational mode; and
wherein the selected operational mode is a cream sauce mode, the cream sauce mode selected to create a cream sauce where the at least one food item includes at least one dairy product added to the blending vessel for operation of the cream sauce mode.

2. The variable temperature blender of claim 1 , wherein the base assembly electrical interface and the vessel assembly electrical interface form a pin and socket electrical interface.

3. The variable temperature blender of claim 2 , wherein the vessel assembly electrical interface is one of a pin electrical interface or a socket electrical interface, the base assembly electrical interface is the other of the pin electrical interface or the socket electrical interface, and attachment of the collar base of the vessel assembly to the top surface of the base assembly establishes the pin and socket electrical interface connection.

4. The variable temperature blender of claim 1 , wherein the vessel assembly has a lid switch, the lid switch being in electrical communication with the vessel assembly electrical interface.

5. The variable temperature blender of claim 4 , wherein the lid assembly has a lid including a protrusion extending from the lid, the blending vessel has a handle, and the lid switch is within the handle.

6. The variable temperature blender of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to (i) detect a status of the lid switch, and (ii) enable or disable execution of the cream sauce mode based on the detected status of the lid switch.

7. The variable temperature blender of claim 6 , wherein when the lid is attached to the blending vessel in a locked position, the protrusion engages the lid switch, and the status of the lid switch is an engaged status which, when detected by the controller, permits the execution of the cream sauce mode by the controller.

8. The variable temperature blender of claim 6 , wherein when the lid is not attached to the blending vessel in a locked position, the protrusion does not engage the lid switch, and the status of the lid switch is a disengaged status which, when detected by the controller, does not permit the execution of the cream sauce mode by the controller.

9. The variable temperature blender of claim 1 , wherein the cream sauce mode is one of the plurality of operational modes, the controller has a memory, and the memory is configured to store the plurality of operational modes.

10. The variable temperature blender of claim 9 , wherein the at least dairy product is a dairy based cream.

11. The variable temperature blender of claim 1 , wherein the cream sauce mode comprises the controller being configured to control the heating of the heating element to arrive at (i) a first cream sauce temperature setting, and (ii) a second cream sauce temperature setting.

12. The variable temperature blender of claim 11 , wherein the temperature measurement of the second cream sauce temperature setting is higher than the temperature measurement of the first cream sauce temperature setting.

13. The variable temperature blender of claim 12 , wherein the temperature measurement of the second cream sauce temperature setting is below a boiling point temperature for the cream sauce.

14. The variable temperature blender of claim 1 , further comprising a blade assembly, wherein the at least one food item includes ingredients along with the at least one dairy product for the cream sauce, and the controller is further configured to:
control rotation of the blade assembly via the motor via transmission of an electronic motor control signal from the controller;
activate heating by the heating element to arrive at a first predetermined temperature for the cream sauce mode;
rotate the blade assembly to mix the ingredients including the at least one dairy product for a first predetermined amount of time at a first predetermined rotation rate of the blade assembly;
receive a first temperature sensor reading from the temperature sensor, the first temperature sensor reading including first data representative of a first detected temperature of the ingredients;
make a first determination of whether the first detected temperature is below the first predetermined temperature and activate heating by the heating element if the result of the first determination is that the first detected temperature is below the first predetermined temperature;
when the result of the first determination is that the first detected temperature equals the first predetermined temperature, deactivate the blade assembly and deactivate heating by the heating element;
prompt, via the user interface, instruction to add a second ingredient to the blending vessel with the ingredients including the at least one dairy product in the cream sauce mode, and after ad

Assignees

• Columbia Insurance Co

Inventors

• Atinaja Brian
• Mastroianni Michael
• Hickman Laura
• Michel Stephanie
• Hagedorn Tim

Classifications

• B02C25/00

  Control arrangements specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A47J36/321

  the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device · CPC title

• A23L21/10

  Marmalades; Jams; Jellies; Other similar fruit or vegetable compositions; Simulated fruit products · CPC title

• A23L5/15

  using wave energy, irradiation, electrical means or magnetic fields, e.g. oven cooking or roasting using radiant dry heat · CPC title