Kitchen appliance comprising positioning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901214-B2
Application number	US-201514926183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a kitchen appliance, in particular a mixer, comprising a housing ( 2 ), on which a vessel ( 3 ) can be arranged, wherein the housing ( 2 ) has a vessel receiving area ( 4 ), to which the vessel ( 3 ) can be connected, wherein the vessel ( 3 ) and the vessel receiving area ( 4 ) have electric contacts ( 5, 6, 7, 8 ) for connecting an electric device of the vessel ( 3 ), in particular a heating device and/or a measuring device, to a power supply of the kitchen appliance. To create an alternative and more comfortable option for positioning the electric contacts, it is proposed for the kitchen appliance and/or the vessel ( 3 ) to have a positioning device ( 10 ), which is embodied to position the electric contacts ( 5, 6 ) of the vessel ( 3 ) and the electric contacts ( 7, 8 ) of the vessel receiving area ( 4 ) relative to one another in an active manner, so that they can be transferred from a separated position into a contact position, so as to establish an electric connection between the vessel ( 3 ) and the kitchen appliance, wherein the contacts ( 5, 6 ) of the vessel ( 3 ) are movably arranged on the vessel ( 3 ) and/or the contacts ( 7, 8 ) of the vessel receiving area ( 4 ) are movably arranged on the vessel receiving area ( 4 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A kitchen appliance comprising:
a housing having a vessel receiving area,
a power supply, and
a positioning device,
wherein the vessel receiving area has electric contacts for connecting an electric device of a vessel to the power supply,
wherein the positioning device is embodied to position the electric contacts in an active manner, so that the electric contacts can be transferred from a separated position into a contact position, so as to establish an electric connection between the vessel and the kitchen appliance, and
wherein the contacts of the vessel receiving area are movably arranged on the vessel receiving area.

2. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning device has a rotary plate, on which the contacts of the vessel receiving area are arranged.

3. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning device has an electric motor for positioning the contacts.

4. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning device has spring elements, and
wherein the spring elements spring-load the contacts of the vessel receiving area.

5. A kitchen appliance comprising:
a housing having a vessel receiving area,
a power supply, and
a positioning device,
wherein the vessel receiving area has electric contacts for connecting an electric device of a vessel to the power supply,
wherein the positioning device is embodied to position the electric contacts of the vessel receiving area in such a manner that the electric contacts can be transferred from a separated position into a contact position, so as to establish an electric connection between the vessel and the kitchen appliance, and
wherein the positioning device has a magnet arranged on the vessel receiving area.

6. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the kitchen appliance has a detection device, which is embodied to detect a current position of the contacts.

7. The kitchen appliance according to claim 6 , wherein the detection device is assigned to the positioning device.

8. The kitchen appliance according to claim 6 , wherein the kitchen appliance has an analysis and control device, which is embodied to compare a current position of the contacts detected by the detection device to a position of the contacts which is required for the electric connection, and to transmit a positioning command to the positioning device as a function of the result of the comparison.

9. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the kitchen appliance is a mixer.

10. A kitchen appliance comprising:
a housing having a vessel receiving area,
a vessel arranged on the housing, the vessel being connected to the vessel receiving area and comprising an electric device and a positioning device, and
a power supply, and
wherein the vessel and the vessel receiving area have electric contacts for connecting the electric device of the vessel to the power supply,
wherein the positioning device is embodied to position the electric contacts of the vessel relative to the electric contacts of the vessel receiving area in an active manner, so that the electric contacts can be transferred from a separated position into a contact position, so as to establish an electric connection between the vessel and the housing, and
wherein the contacts of the vessel are movably arranged on the vessel.

11. The kitchen appliance according to claim 10 , wherein the positioning device has a rotary plate, and
wherein the electric contacts of the vessel are arranged on the rotary plate.

12. The kitchen appliance according to claim 10 , wherein the positioning device has an electric motor for positioning the electric contacts.

13. The kitchen appliance according to claim 10 , wherein the positioning device has spring elements, and
wherein the spring elements spring-load the electric contacts of the vessel.

14. The kitchen appliance according to claim 10 , wherein the kitchen appliance is a mixer.

15. The kitchen appliance according to claim 10 , wherein the electric device of the vessel is a heating device and/or a measuring device.

16. A kitchen appliance comprising:
a housing having a vessel receiving area, the vessel receiving area comprising a first magnet,
a vessel arranged on the housing, the vessel being connected to the vessel receiving area and comprising an electric device and a second magnet, and
a power supply,
wherein the vessel and the vessel receiving area have electric contacts for connecting the electric device of the vessel to the power supply, and
wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are embodied to position the electric contacts of the vessel relative to the electric contacts of the vessel receiving area in such a manner that the electric contacts can be transferred from a separated position into a contact position, so as to establish an electric connection between the vessel and the housing.

17. The kitchen appliance according to claim 16 , wherein the kitchen appliance is a mixer.

18. The kitchen appliance according to claim 16 , wherein the electric device of the vessel is a heating device and/or a measuring device.

Assignees

• Vorwerk Co Interholding

Inventors

• Braun Thomas
• Hackert Georg
• Starflinger Frank

Classifications

• A47J27/2105

  of the cordless type, i.e. whereby the water vessel can be plugged into an electrically-powered base element · CPC title

• A47J43/046 Primary

  with tools driven from the bottom side · CPC title

• A47J27/004

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

• A47J43/0766

  activated by the proper positioning of the mixing bowl · CPC title

• A47J43/0727 Primary

  Mixing bowls · CPC title