Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – By isolating a fluid constituent
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-05-01
Soohoo, Tony G. (Department: 1723)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
By isolating a fluid constituent
C099S501000, C366S205000, C366S314000, C241S073000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223652
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a kitchen appliance comprising a container and a housing accommodating an electric motor, said container having a bottom, a removable lid, a bearing for supporting a tool which is drivable in the container by the motor, and a filter which is placeable in the container around the tool.
The invention further relates to a container which is suitable for use in a kitchen appliance according to the invention.
The invention also relates to a filter which is suitable for use in the container of a kitchen appliance according to the invention.
A kitchen appliance of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,021. The known kitchen appliance is an electrical blender, the container of the known kitchen appliance comprising a mixing chamber which is secured to a blender base. The tool of the known kitchen appliance comprises a number of blender blades and is rotatably journalled in the blender base. The filter of the known kitchen appliance comprises a cylindrical chamber which is open at both ends and has strainer openings about a portion of its circumference. A bottom end of the filter comprises a mounting base attachment by means of which the filter can be attached to a mounting base of the container which is attached to the blender base. In the embodiment shown in the patent, the mounting base and the mounting base attachment comprise threads which are mutually attachable. When the filter is attached to the mounting base, the filter is completely contained in the mixing chamber of the container and encloses the tool. Items such as fruits or vegetables are then placed in the chamber of the filter and an open top end of the filter is closed with a lid. When the known kitchen appliance is activated, the tool chops or cuts the items into solid pieces and produces a liquid. The liquid passes through the strainer openings of the filter and can subsequently be poured out of the container.
A disadvantage of the known kitchen appliance is that the filter used therein can be attached to the container by a user of the appliance only with difficulty. In order to attach the filter to the container, the user has to bring the filter into the container through the open top end of the container and fasten the mounting base attachment of the filter to the mounting base of the container, which is present near the bottom of the container, while holding the filter through the open top end of the container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a kitchen appliance of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph wherein the filter used therein can be attached into the container by a user of the kitchen appliance without appreciable difficulty.
The kitchen appliance according to the invention is for this purpose characterized in that the filter is held in a fixed position in the container during operation by way of locking said filter in between the bottom and the lid of the container. In order to attach the filter to the container of the kitchen appliance according to the invention, the user merely has to bring the filter into the container and to place the filter on the bottom of the container. Subsequently, the filter is locked in between the bottom and the lid of the container when the user closes the container with said lid. In this manner, the filter is attached to the container by the user in a very simple way. Since the filter is held in a fixed position in the container during operation in that the filter is locked in between the bottom and the lid of the container, no additional attaching means are necessary for attaching the filter to the container, so that the construction of the container and the filter is simplified.
A particular embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention is characterized in that the filter has a length which substantially corresponds to a distance between the bottom and the lid of the container. In this particular embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention, no additional supporting means are necessary to lock in the filter between the bottom and the lid of the container, so that the construction of the container and the filter is further simplified and the number of individual parts of the kitchen appliance is reduced.
A special embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention is characterized in that the filter has a removable lid which is incorporated in the lid of the container. Since the lid of the filter is incorporated in the lid of the container, no separate lid is needed for the filter, so that the number of individual parts of the kitchen appliance is reduced.
A further embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention is characterized in that the filter is held in a fixed position in the container during operation by means of a supporting element present between the filter and the lid of the container. As a result of the use of the supporting element, the filter can have a length which is independent of the distance between the bottom and the lid of the container. In this manner, a filter can be used having a length which is adapted to a quantity of food or beverage to be prepared. The supporting element comprises, for example, a hollow cylindrical body or a number of supporting rods.
A yet further embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention is characterized in that the supporting element is integrated with a lid of the filter. Since the supporting element is integrated with the lid of the filter, the number of individual parts of the kitchen appliance is reduced. In addition, it is prevented that the user of the kitchen appliance forgets to place the supporting element on the filter before closing the container with the lid of the container.
A particular embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention is characterized in that the supporting element comprises a funnel via which a volume in the container enclosed by the filter can be filled. As a result of the use of said funnel as the supporting element for locking the filter between the bottom and the lid of the container, a very practical construction of the kitchen appliance is achieved. After having placed the filter and the funnel in the container, the volume in the container enclosed by the filter can be filled via the funnel, so that spilling of ingredients beside the filter is prevented as much as possible when the user fills the filter.
A special embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention is characterized in that the funnel is integrated with a housing carrying the filter. Since the funnel is integrated with the housing of the filter, the number of individual parts of the kitchen appliance is reduced. In addition, it is prevented that the user of the kitchen appliance forgets to place the funnel on the filter before closing the container with the lid of the container.
A further embodiment of a kitchen appliance according to the invention is characterized in that the lid of the container comprises an opening via which the funnel is accessible. Since the lid of the container is provided with said opening, the filter can be filled by the user after the container has been closed with the lid and the filter has been locked in between the bottom and the lid of the container. In this manner, it is prevented that the filter is displaced in the container during filling.
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patent: 5636923 (1997-06-01), Nejat-Bina
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patent: 5690021 (1997-11-01), Grey
patent: 6135019 (2000-10-01), Chou
Calia Edgard G.
De Jong Henk S.
Bartlett Ernestine C.
Soohoo Tony G.
U.S. Philips Corporation
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