Kitchen Appliance and Method of Assembling Same

A kitchen appliance comprising:

• a housing having a base and a side wall extending therefrom, the side wall having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface defining, with the base, a cavity within the housing, the housing having a housing rim at a first, free edge of the side wall defining an opening to the cavity, the side wall including at least two laterally spaced-apart and vertically-elongated slots in the exterior surface thereof;
• a container having a generally hollow interior and a container rim defining an opening for accessing the interior thereof, the interior of the container being capable of retaining foodstuffs therein, the container being sized and shaped to fit within the cavity of the housing;
• a hinge base mounted to the exterior surface of the side wall of the housing and having at least two laterally spaced-apart mounting holes extending therethrough, each mounting hole corresponding to one of the slots in the side wall of the housing;
• a lid sized and shaped to at least partially cover the opening of the container when placed on the container rim, the lid having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface facing the interior of the container when the lid is placed on the container rim;
• a bracket mounted to the exterior surface of the lid, at least a portion of the bracket engaging at least a portion of the hinge base to rotatably mount the lid to the container rim;
• and
• a fastener extending through each corresponding mounting hole and slot to secure the hinge base to the side wall of the housing, the vertically-elongated slots being sized and shaped to permit vertical adjustment of the hinge base with respect to the side wall of the housing.

A kitchen appliance comprising:

• a housing having a base and a side wall extending therefrom, the side wall having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface defining, with the base, a cavity within the housing, the housing having a housing rim at a first, free edge of the side wall defining an opening to the cavity;
• a container having a generally hollow interior and a container rim defining an opening for accessing the interior thereof, the interior of the container being capable of retaining foodstuffs therein, the container being sized and shaped to fit within the cavity of the housing;
• a lid sized and shaped to at least partially cover the opening of the container when placed on the container rim, the lid having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface facing the interior of the container when the lid is placed on the container rim;
• a gasket extending around one of an outer edge of the lid and the container rim;
• a hinge base mounted to one of the exterior surface of the side wall of the housing and the exterior surface of the lid;
• a bracket mounted to one of the exterior surface of the lid and the exterior surface of the side wall of the housing, at least a portion of the bracket engaging at least a portion of the hinge base for pivoting the lid with respect to the container rim;
• and
• a latching mechanism mounted to one of the side wall of the housing opposite to the hinge base and a portion of the bracket opposing the hinge base, the latching mechanism being an over-the-center clip having at least a hook and a lever, the latching mechanism having an engaged position in which the gasket is in sealing engagement with at least one of the lid and the container rim to inhibit leakage of the foodstuffs from the interior of the container and a disengaged position in which the latching mechanism permits the lid to be removed from the container rim.

A method of assembling a kitchen appliance including a housing having a base and a side wall extending therefrom, the side wall having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface defining, with the base, a cavity within the housing, at least one vertically-elongated slot located in the exterior surface of the side wall of the housing, a container having a generally hollow interior and a container rim defining an opening for accessing the interior thereof, the interior of the container being capable of retaining foodstuffs therein, a lid sized and shaped to at least partially cover the opening of the container when placed on the container rim, the lid having an exterior surface and an opposing interior surface facing the interior of the container when the lid is placed on the container rim, a bracket mounted to the exterior surface of the lid, a handle located on one of an end of the bracket and the side wall of the housing, a hinge base mounted to one of the exterior surface of the side wall of the housing for pivotally mounting the lid to the housing, a latching mechanism mounted to one of the side wall of the housing and an end of the bracket opposite the hinge base, the method comprising:

• inserting the container into the cavity of the housing;
• inserting at least a portion of the bracket into at least a portion of the hinge base;
• placing the lid on the container rim;
• adjusting the vertical position of the hinge base with respect to the side wall of the housing so the lid fully engages the container rim;
• and
• inserting at least one fastener through the hinge base and into the at least one vertically-elongated slot in the side wall of the housing to properly align the handle with the latching mechanism.