Multi cooker and stir tower with docking station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9687103-B2
Application number	US-201314070030-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2013
Priority date	Mar 1, 2013
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A cooking appliance kit includes a housing having a plurality of walls defining a heating cavity. A cooking vessel is configured to be inserted into the heating cavity. The cooking vessel includes a first rounded end, a second rounded end, and an intermediate necked portion that defines first and second wells that at least partially intersect. First and second distinct heater plates are disposed in the first and second wells, respectively. First and second drive arms are removable coupled to the housing in an operable communication with the drive system. The first drive arm includes a flipping wand and the second drive arm includes a stirring wand.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking appliance comprising:
a housing defining a heating cavity and including a bottom wall defining an alignment receptacle;
a lid operable between open and closed positions and including a sidewall defining an alignment notch;
a stirring tower having a supporting platform disposed under the bottom wall of the housing and including an alignment seat selectively coupled with the alignment receptacle of the housing;
a drive system disposed in the stirring tower;
a mixing arm operably coupled to the stirring tower and operable between a mixing state when the drive system is activated and an idle state when the drive system is deactivated; and
a cooking vessel disposed in the heating cavity and including an alignment trough, wherein the alignment trough and the alignment notch selectively define a mixing arm aperture that selectively receives the mixing arm when the lid is in the closed position, wherein the mixing arm extends through the mixing arm aperture defined by both of the alignment trough and the alignment notch when the mixing arm is in the mixing state and the lid is in the closed position.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the stirring tower is in electrical communication with the housing, and wherein the stirring tower selectively receives electrical power at the supporting platform of the stirring tower through the alignment receptacle of the housing.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating element proximate the heating cavity; and
a user interface in communication with the heating element and the drive system.

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

5. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the lid includes a glass top and a metallic sidewall extending around the glass top.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 5 , wherein the cooking vessel includes an internal lip that selectively engages a peripheral bottom edge of the sidewall of the lid.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the stirring tower includes at least one mixing wand selected from the group consisting of: a flipping wand, a stirring wand, and a combination flipping and stirring wand.

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

9. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein the supporting foot includes an alignment seat that selectively engages the alignment receptacle and properly position the heating cavity under the mixing arm.

10. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein the cooking vessel includes an alignment trough that selectively receives at least a portion of the mixing arm when the housing is in the engaged position.

11. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , further comprising:
a heating member disposed proximate the heating cavity;
a drive system disposed in the stirring tower; and
a user interface in communication with the heating member and the drive system.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 11 , wherein the user interface includes heating controls disposed on an exterior surface of the housing in electrical communication with the heating member, and mixing controls disposed on an exterior surface of the stirring tower and in electrical communication with the drive system.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein the lid includes an alignment notch that engages a top surface of the mixing arm when the lid is in the closed position.

14. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein the at least one removable mixing wand is selected from the group consisting of: a flipping wand, a stirring wand, and a combination flipping and stirring wand.

15. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein the mixing arm is operable between a mixing state and an idle state and operation of the lid between the open and closed positions is independent of the operation of the mixing arm between the mixing state and the idle state.

16. A cooking appliance comprising:
a stirring tower having an alignment seat;
a mixing arm hingedly coupled to the stirring tower and operably coupled with a drive system;
a housing including a plurality of walls and a base defining a heating cavity, the base defining a base receptacle to selectively engage the alignment seat; and
a cooking vessel having a lid, wherein the cooking vessel and the lid cooperatively define an alignment aperture in communication with the heating cavity, wherein the alignment aperture selectively receives the mixing arm of the stirring tower, wherein the alignment aperture is positioned to receive the mixing arm between the lid and the cooking vessel such that the alignment aperture completely encircles a portion of the mixing arm.

17. The cooking appliance of claim 16 , wherein the stirring tower is in electrical communication with the housing, and wherein the stirring tower selectively receives electrical power from an electrical interface disposed proximate the housing.

18. The cooking appliance of claim 16 , further comprising:
a heating element disposed proximate the heating cavity; and
a user interface in electrical communication with the heating element and the drive system.

19. The cooking appliance of claim 16 , wherein the stirring tower includes at least one mixing wand selected from the group consisting of: a flipping wand, a stirring wand, and a combination flipping and stirring wand.

20. The cooking appliance of claim 18 , wherein the user interface includes heating controls disposed on an exterior surface of the housing in electrical communication with the heating element, and mixing controls disposed on an exterior surface of the stirring tower and in electrical communication with the drive system.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

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

Classifications

• A47J43/0705

  for machines with tools driven from the upper side (A47J43/0727 - A47J43/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• A47J43/044

  with tools driven from the top side · CPC title

• A47J27/002 Primary

  Construction of cooking-vessels; Methods or processes of manufacturing specially adapted for cooking-vessels · CPC title

• A47J27/004

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

• A47J36/165 Primary

  Stirring devices operatively connected to cooking vessels when being removably inserted inside (mixing, whipping, or beating devices A47J43/00) · CPC title