Container and blade arrangement for food preparation appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9814357-B2
Application number	US-201414206881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

In a container and method for processing food, the container has a closed end, and open end and a tubular sidewall extending therebetween and together with the closed end defining an interior space of the container. The container is configured to accommodate a blade member within the interior space of the container. The container has a center and the sidewall has at least one rib projecting inward of the interior space of the container and extending heightwise along at least a portion of the sidewall. The rib is asymmetric in transverse cross-section. A blade member is also disclosed and is configured to have different planes in which the blade member moves upon rotation of the blade.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing food in a food preparation appliance, the appliance having a container and a blade member rotatably driven within the container during operation of the appliance, the container having a sidewall including an inner surface in part defining the interior space of the container in which food is processed, the method comprising:
loading food to be processed into the interior space of the container;
operating the blade member in a direction of rotation to generate a vortex flow of the food within the container in the direction of rotation of the blade member such that at least a portion of the flow of food flows circumferentially along the inner surface of the container sidewall; and
directing the portion of the flow of food flowing circumferentially along the inner surface of the container in the direction of rotation of the blade member to impact a first rapidly inclining slope of the inner surface of the container sidewall, to then flow past a gradually declining slope of the container sidewall, and to then flow directly from the gradually declining slope to impact a second rapidly inclining slope of the inner surface of the container sidewall.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the container sidewall has a circumference, the directing step being conducted a plurality of instances as the flow of food flows once about the entire circumference of the container sidewall.

3. The method set forth in claim 1 further comprising directing the portion of the flow of food flowing along the inner surface of the container to also flow upward within the container.

Assignees

• Spectrum Brands Inc

Inventors

• Nernberger Kroy Everett
• Smith Jacob Daniel
• Everett David W

Classifications

• A47J43/046 Primary

  with tools driven from the bottom side · CPC title

• A47J43/0727

  Mixing bowls · CPC title

• A47J43/0722 Primary

  Mixing, whipping or cutting tools · CPC title

• B02C18/12

  with drive arranged below container {(B02C18/083 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B01F7/0015

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic