Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Convertible
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-27
2002-11-19
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Convertible
C099S484000, C099S492000, C099S510000, C241S037500, C241S092000, C241S101010, C241S282100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481342
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a kitchen appliance having a housing which has a first housing area for placing a first container and a second housing area for placing a second container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a kitchen appliance has been put on the market by the Applicant in a plurality of variants, for example the variants marketed under the type designations HR7715 and HR7727 and HR7805, and is consequently known. The second container of the known kitchen appliance is formed by a so-called liquidizer, which can be placed onto the kitchen appliance in the second housing area of the housing of the kitchen appliance and which can be locked to the kitchen appliance with the aid of coupling elements, which in this case are constructed to form bayonet locks, a mixing tool disposed in the liquidizer then entering into driving engagement with a drive shaft which projects from the housing in the second housing area, as a result of which the mixing tool can be driven and, consequently, a mixing operation can be performed. The liquidizer of the known kitchen appliance can be detached from the kitchen appliance, which allows a protective cover to be mounted in the second housing area in place of the liquidizer, which cover can also be locked to the housing with the aid of bayonet locks to protect the drive shaft, which projects from the housing. The kitchen appliance is adapted to allow a pot-shaped processing container to be placed in its first housing area, into which container, for example, a kneading tool or a stirring tool or a cutting tool can be inserted, which tools are rotationally drivable via a drive shaft which projects from the housing of the kitchen appliance in the first housing area.
When in the pot-shaped processing container of the known kitchen appliance, for example, a kneading operation is performed in order to prepare a batter, it is very often necessary to weigh out the ingredients needed for preparing the batter, such as flour, sugar and the like, which in the case of the known kitchen appliance requires separate kitchen scales to be placed near the kitchen appliance. If a cookbook is needed to prepare the batter, such a cookbook should be put beside the kitchen appliance, which is likely to give rise to staining. These situations are therefore unsatisfactory and by many users of the known kitchen appliance they are regarded as unpleasant and not user-friendly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a solution for the aforementioned shortcomings in a simple manner and by simple means.
In order to achieve this object characteristic features in accordance with the invention are provided in a kitchen appliance in accordance with the invention, in such a manner that a data kitchen appliance in accordance with the invention can be characterized in the manner defined hereinafter, namely:
A kitchen appliance having a housing, which has a first housing area and a second housing area and which is adapted to carry a first container in the first housing area and which is adapted to carry a second container in the second housing area, and having an add-on unit which can perform a functionality which is independent of the kitchen appliance, which add-on unit can be accommodated in the second housing area when the second container is not in place.
The provision of the measures in accordance with the invention makes it possible in a simple and space-saving manner and with only few additional means to accommodate an add-on unit for the kitchen appliance in the second housing area of the kitchen appliance and to position it with respect to the housing. This has the advantage that the add-on unit is positioned directly on the kitchen appliance and as a result of this, the use of the add-on unit as well as the operation of the add-on unit and, if required, the supply of foodstuffs (which have been processed by a suitable add-on unit) to the first container situated in the first housing area can be particularly simple. Another advantage of the solution in accordance with the invention is that the add-on unit can be coupled to the kitchen appliance so as to form a structural unit therewith and can also be detached from the kitchen appliance and can thus be utilized and operated fully independently of the kitchen appliance in accordance with its autonomous functionality. Such an independent use of the add-on unit is not possible if the add-on unit forms a fixed combination with the kitchen appliance.
In a kitchen appliance in accordance with the invention the add-on unit can simply be accommodated in the second housing area when the second container is not in place, without being secured by separate coupling means or retaining means. The add-on unit may be accommodated, for example, in a shallow recess provided in the second housing area which prevents the add-on unit from sliding off the housing. Moreover, a kitchen appliance in accordance with the invention, in which a protective cover can be placed onto the housing and can be coupled to the housing when the second container is not in place, may be constructed in such a manner that the add-on unit can be placed onto the protective cover and can thus be accommodated in the second housing area, the protective cover then forming an adapter between the housing of the kitchen appliance and the add-on unit. In a kitchen appliance in accordance with the invention, preferably in preferred embodiments housing coupling elements are provided in the second housing area, which serve to and are adapted to cooperate both with container coupling elements of the second container and to cooperate with additional-unit coupling elements of the add-on unit, because this guarantees a reliable coupling of the add-on unit of the kitchen appliance to the housing of the kitchen appliance and a particularly simple construction.
With a kitchen appliance in accordance with the invention, preferably in preferred embodiments, the add-on unit has add-on-unit coupling elements adapted to form bayonet locks. This guarantees a stable and reliable coupling of the add-on unit to the housing of the kitchen appliance.
In particularly preferred embodiments, the add-on unit takes the form of a pair of scales. Thus, it is achieved that, in the case that the pair of scales is coupled to the kitchen appliance in the second housing area of the housing of the kitchen appliance, the substance or ingredient just weighed out can be put into the first container of the kitchen appliance along the shortest path, as a result of which spilling of foodstuffs, for example flour or sugar, is avoided.
The above-mentioned as well as further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the embodiment described hereinafter by way of example and will be elucidated with reference to this example.
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Food processor of Philips, HR7715, HR7727, HR7805, Undated.
Bartlett Ernestine C.
Koninklijke Phillips Electronics N.V.
Simone Timothy F.
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