Agitating – Mixing chamber removable from stirrer and support – With motor control
Reexamination Certificate
1997-04-25
2001-11-06
Soohoo, Tony G. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
Mixing chamber removable from stirrer and support
With motor control
C388S840000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312150
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to food mixing apparatus, and in particular, devices referred to as “stand mixers”, which include a mixer head placed on a stand to allow hands-free mixing of food items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Stand mixers have been employed for decades to assist in the commercial and domestic preparation of food requiring mixing and/or kneading. Such stand mixers typically include a base or stand on which a rotatable turntable rests for holding mixing bowls of various sizes. In order to change from one size mixing bowl to the other, it is generally necessary to lift the turntable and reposition it in a different hole in the base. This task can be inconvenient, particularly for the elderly who may have difficulty lifting and/or repositioning the turntable and bowl, particularly if the turntable has become caked with batter or other food ingredients which may tend to cause the turntable to stick to the base.
Stand mixers also typically employ a pair of whippers which are attached to the front of the mixer and extend downwardly into the bowl containing food ingredients to be mixed.
While traditional whippers are effective in mixing, there is a tendency, particularly with thick batter or dough, to creep up the center bar that supports the whipper blades. This phenomenon, known as “dough creep” can potentially result in dough being driven up to the mixer head, fouling the gearing mechanisms, and potentially throwing dough and/or batter out of the bowl.
Prior stand mixers have also commonly used variable speed control mechanisms, such as dials, knobs, slide levers, etc. While such speed controls are effective for incremental speed changes, they do not generally provide a “burst” or rapid speed change which is frequently desirable to break up large clumps for a short period of mixing time only.
In general, stand mixers of the prior art have permitted the user to lock the head in the up and/or down position or to remove the mixer head from the stand, but not perform all three functions. Locking the mixer head in the up position is desirable because it prevents the head from falling back into the bowl. For purposes of carrying the mixer by the handle, it is desirable to be able to lock the mixer head in the down position. Furthermore, locking the mixer head in the down position alleviates bouncing by the mixer head in heavy dough. Removing the mixer head completely from the stand may often be desirable for individuals wishing to use the mixer as a hand mixer rather than a stand mixer.
Other problems inherent in stand mixers is the tendency for water, milk, batter, and other ingredients and liquids to collect in the base of the turntable and cause the bottom of the mixer bowl to stick to the bottom of the turntable, rendering removal of the bowl problematic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves one or more of the above-referenced problems of the prior art by providing a whipper design which includes no center bar, thereby eliminating the “dough creep” phenomenon of the prior art. The whippers include increased thickness in the whipper blades, which surprisingly results in no deterioration of mixer performance.
In another embodiment of the invention, a turntable locator is provided which enables the user to adjust the stand mixer to accommodate different bowl sizes without removing the turntable. A slide lever is preferably employed to position the turntable in two or more positions.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, an improved mixer head locking feature is provided which locks the mixing head in the down position, thereby preventing the mixer head from bouncing when the mixer is mixing heavy dough. The feature also allows the mixer head to be locked in the up position for added convenience, and further allows the mixer head to be removed completely from the stand to serve as a hand mixer.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the turntable includes a snap lock feature which eliminates the problem of the turntable sticking to the bottom of the bowl when the bowl is removed from the turntable.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the stand mixer includes an electrical speed control circuit for providing a temporary incremental power burst to the motor of the mixer.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1966558 (1934-07-01), O'Hagan
patent: 3422330 (1969-01-01), Swanke
patent: 3562616 (1971-02-01), Elliott
patent: 3612969 (1971-10-01), Cockroft
patent: 3648142 (1972-03-01), Corey et al.
patent: 3670226 (1972-06-01), Mazza
patent: 3833845 (1974-09-01), Smallbone et al.
patent: 3887856 (1975-06-01), Cicchiello
patent: 3924169 (1975-12-01), Craft et al.
patent: 4002961 (1977-01-01), Chang
patent: 4296363 (1981-10-01), Blake et al.
patent: 4309631 (1982-01-01), Christensen
patent: 5310259 (1994-05-01), Wanat
patent: 5455886 (1995-10-01), Glenn et al.
Allard John J.
Kennedy William Michael
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.
Soohoo Tony G.
Sunbeam Products Inc.
LandOfFree
Speed control for a mixer for providing an incremental power... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Speed control for a mixer for providing an incremental power..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Speed control for a mixer for providing an incremental power... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2614728