Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – Automatic control or time means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-30
2003-12-02
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
Automatic control or time means
C099S337000, C099S348000, C241S037500, C241S092000, C366S314000, C366S601000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06655265
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a kitchen appliance, in particular, a food processor or juice extractor, in which an attachment that is coupled to the electromotive drive of the appliance is disposed in a container that can be closed by a lid part, and an actuating element for a switch located in the circuit of the electromotive drive is provided on the housing of the kitchen appliance.
A prior art kitchen appliance has a mixing bowl that can be closed by a lid. In the mixing bowl, various processing attachments, e.g., dough hooks or whisks, can be plugged onto an output shaft that is disposed in the center of the mixing bowl and is driven by the drive motor of the food processor. If the lid has not been placed in position on the mixing bowl, there is a risk of injury being caused by the rotating processing attachments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a kitchen appliance that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and that, as far as possible, eliminates any risk of injury caused by the rotating processing attachments.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a kitchen appliance, including an electromotive drive having a circuit with a switch, a container having a lid for closing the container, the lid having an adjusting mechanism, an attachment selectively coupled to the drive when disposed in the container, a housing for receiving the container, a switchable actuating element disposed on the housing, the actuating element connected to the switch, a locking block connected to and adjusted by a switching movement of the actuating element, a locking block having an adjusting path, the locking block and the actuating element being two separate components mechanically coupled to one another to adjust the locking block by a switching movement of the actuating element, and a locking member selectively moving into and out of the adjusting path, the locking member having a locking position and a bias device imparting a locking force automatically adjusting the locking member into the locking position, the adjusting mechanism selectively moving the locking member out of the locking position. The kitchen appliance can be a food processor or a juice extractor.
According to the invention, there is provided a locking block that can be adjusted by the switching movement of the actuating element and into the adjusting path of which there projects a locking member that can be automatically adjusted into its locking position by the action of a force and can be moved out of its locking position by an adjusting mechanism coupled to the lid part. The locking member, which projects into the adjusting path of the locking block, prevents a switching movement of the actuating element. It is only when the locking member has been pivoted out of its locking position by the lid part that a switching movement of the actuating element is possible. This means that the kitchen appliance can only be switched on when the lid part has been placed in position on the container. Contact with the rotating processing attachments is, thus, no longer possible.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the housing has a vertically running housing part with a slot, the adjusting mechanism on the lid is a radially outwardly projecting lug pivoted by a corresponding rotary movement of the container into the slot, the lug having a pivoting path, and the locking member is a pivoting locking member having first and second lever arms, the first lever arm disposed in the adjusting path of the locking block, and the second lever arm projecting, in a region of the slot, into the pivoting path of the lug.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the appliance is a food processor, the container is a mixing bowl, the lid is removably attached to the mixing bowl, the housing has a vertically running housing part with a slot, the adjusting mechanism on the lid is a radially outwardly projecting lug pivoted by a corresponding rotary movement of the mixing bowl into the slot, the lug having a pivoting path, and the locking member is a pivoting locking member having first and second lever arms, the first lever arm disposed in the adjusting path of the locking block, and the second lever arm projecting, in a region of the slot, into the pivoting path of the lug.
In the case of a kitchen appliance configured as a food processor, the corresponding locking of the switching movement of the actuating element can be straightforwardly achieved in construction terms in that, a radially outwardly projecting lug is formed as adjusting mechanism on the lid part, which can be placed in position on the mixing bowl of the food processor, the radially outwardly projecting lug being pivotable, by a corresponding rotary movement of the mixing bowl, into a slot provided on a vertically running housing part of the food processor. The locking member has double-lever-armed configuration and is disposed in a pivotable manner, and the first lever arm of the locking member is located in the adjusting path of the locking block. Furthermore, the second lever arm of the locking member projects, in the region of the slot, into the pivoting path of the lug.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the bias device is a spring and the locking force is a spring force.
The locking member is expediently pivoted back into its locking position by the action of the spring force. Such a configuration ensures that the locking member always assumes its locking position as soon as it is no longer retained in the release position by the lid of the mixing bowl.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the adjustment of the locking block in dependence on the respective switching movement of the actuating element is straightforwardly achieved by having the locking block butt, by the action of force, against a guide track provided on a guide plate, which is coupled, in the direction of rotation, to the actuating element configured as a rotatable switching toggle. Such an embodiment provides force-fitting coupling of the locking block to the guide plate.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, form-fitting coupling of the locking block to the guide plate is provided by the locking block engaging, through a pin connected thereto, in a guide slot provided on a guide plate, which is coupled, in the direction of rotation, to the actuating element configured as a rotatable switching toggle.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the switching toggle has an on position, the locking member is a pivoting locking member pivoting in a pivot direction, and in the on position of the switching toggle, the locking block engages upstream of the first lever arm in the pivot direction and blocks a pivoting movement of the locking member in a direction opposite the pivot direction.
The lid is prevented from being removed from the mixing bowl in the “on” position of the actuating element in that, in the on position of the switching toggle, the locking block engages behind the first lever arm of the locking member and blocks the pivoting-back movement of the locking member. As long as the switching toggle, and, thus, also the switch that can be actuated thereby, is located in the “on” position, the locking member cannot be pivoted back. This also blocks the lid from being pivoted, which latter movement could move the lug out of the slot. As long as the lug is located in the slot, however, the lid cannot be removed from the mixing bowl.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a kitchen appliance, including a drive having a control switch, a container for receiving a removable attachment connected to the drive when disposed in the container, the container having a lid for closing the container, the lid having an adjusting mechanism, a housing for receiving the container, a s
Pavlovic Henrik
Zibret Igor
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH
Greenberg Laurence A.
Locher Ralph E.
Simone Timothy F.
Stemer Werner H.
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