Food processor blade lock mechanism
AssigneeSharkNinja Operating LLC
InventorsMing Li Shi, Kai Ping Hu, Xu Sheng Deng, Nathan Lyell, Jonathan James
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method locks a processing shaft of a food processor to a blade during processing. The system includes a coupling with at least one socket. The coupling can be connected to move with the blade or the processing shaft. At least one ball bearing is positioned within a corresponding socket in a first configuration when the blade is not locked. As the processing shaft moves from the first configuration to a second configuration, each ball bearing moves from a corresponding socket into a cavity of the blade or a recess of the processing shaft, thereby locking the blade to the processing shaft.
Claims20
An automatic locking mechanism for locking a processing shaft to a blade for a food processor, comprising:
- a coupling with at least one socket, the coupling connected to move with one of the blade or the processing shaft;
- and
- at least one ball bearing, wherein, in a first configuration, each ball bearing is positioned within a corresponding one of the sockets and the blade is not locked to the processing shaft,
- wherein, the processing shaft is configured to move from the first configuration to a second configuration and moving from the first configuration to the second configuration causes each ball bearing to move from the corresponding one of the sockets into one of a corresponding cavity of the blade or a recess of the processing shaft, thereby locking the blade to the processing shaft.
An automatic locking mechanism for locking a processing shaft to a blade for a food processor, comprising:
- an outer assembly of the processing shaft including at least one socket, and at least one ball bearing, each ball bearing positioned within one of the sockets;
- and
- an internal assembly of the processing shaft including one or more components configured to move along a central axis of the processing shaft between a first configuration, where the locking mechanism is in an unlocked configuration, and a second configuration, where the locking mechanism is in a locked configuration, including at least one wing sloping outwardly from the central axis,
- wherein as the one or more components of the internal assembly move from the first configuration to the second configuration, the at least one wings each engage at least one of the ball bearings, forcing the at least one ball bearing into a corresponding internal cavity of the blade that surrounds one of the sockets such that each ball bearing is within both one of the sockets and one of the internal cavities, thereby locking the blade to a coupling.
An automatic locking mechanism for locking a processing shaft to a blade for a food processor, comprising:
- at least one ball bearing positioned within an internal cavity of the blade;
- at least one recess within the processing shaft, each recess configured to align with an internal cavity of the blade when the processing shaft and blade are coupled;
- and
- at least one coupling around the blade, the coupling including at least one socket configured to contain a corresponding one of the ball bearings,
- wherein:
- in a first configuration, the sockets align with the internal cavities of the blade;
- and
- as the locking mechanism moves from the first configuration to a second configuration, the coupling forces each of the ball bearings into one of the recesses of the processing shaft, locking the processing shaft to the blade in the second configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.