Variable Temperature Blender

Abstract

A variable temperature blender is disclosed for the cooking and preparation of heated sauces, jams, soups, purees, alternative milks, smoothies and more. A variable temperature blender has a lid assembly, a vessel assembly, and a base assembly. The vessel assembly has a blending vessel and a collar attached to a bottom portion of the blending vessel. The base assembly have a user interface, a motor, and a controller. A heating element positioned within the collar of the vessel assembly received an electronic signal from the controller via an electrical interface connecting the base assembly with the vessel assembly. The electronic signal activates or deactivates the heating element based on an operational mode of the variable temperature blender to heat a food item contained within the blending vessel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A variable temperature blender comprising:
 a lid assembly;   a vessel assembly, the vessel assembly having a vessel assembly electrical interface, a blending vessel, and a collar attached to a bottom portion of the blending vessel;   a plate;   a heating element, the heating element in thermal communication with the plate; and   a base assembly, the base assembly having a base assembly electrical interface, a user interface, a motor and a controller;   wherein the plate and heating element are positioned within the collar and the heating element is in electrical communication with the vessel assembly electrical interface such that when the vessel assembly is attached to the base assembly, the vessel assembly electrical interface is in electrical communication with the base assembly electrical interface to allow the heating element to receive an electronic heating element control signal from the controller, the electronic heating element control signal activating or deactivating a heating operation by the heating element, and the electronic heating element control signal being based on an operational mode of the variable temperature blender.   
     
     
         2 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel assembly electrical interface is one of a pin electrical interface or a socket electrical interface, the base assembly electrical interface is the other of a pin electrical interface or a socket electrical interface, and connection of the pin and socket electrical interfaces places the vessel assembly electrical interface with the base assembly electrical interface in electrical communication with one another. 
     
     
         3 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel assembly has a lid switch, the lid switch being in electrical communication with the vessel assembly electrical interface. 
     
     
         4 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the lid assembly has a lid, the lid having a protrusion extending from a portion of the lid;   the blending vessel has a handle, the handle having a top portion with an interior portion in which the lid switch resides; and   when the lid is attached to a top of the blending vessel in a locked position, the protrusion engages with the lid switch.   
     
     
         5 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel assembly has a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor being in electrical communication with the vessel assembly electrical interface. 
     
     
         6 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 1 , wherein the controller has a memory configured to store a plurality of pre-programmed modes of operation. 
     
     
         7 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 5 , wherein the pre-programmed modes of operation include a custom blend mode, a custom heating mode, a grinding mode, an alternative milk mode, a cream sauce mode, a heated puree mode, a jam mode, a soup mode, a heated wash mode, and a smoothie mode. 
     
     
         8 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 1 , wherein a blade assembly is located within the vessel assembly, the blade assembly having a plurality of blades, at least two of the plurality of blades having a different blade profile from one another. 
     
     
         9 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 1 , wherein the base assembly has a control dial operable by a user to control operation of the variable temperature blender. 
     
     
         10 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 6 , wherein the user interface has a plurality of buttons to allow a user to control operations of the variable temperature blender. 
     
     
         11 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 10 , wherein the user interface has a plurality of indicators to allow a user to view an activation status of the operational mode. 
     
     
         12 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 11 , wherein the user interface has a display screen to allow a user to view an operational status of the operational mode. 
     
     
         13 . A method for mixing food items with a variable temperature blender, wherein the variable temperature blender has (i) a lid assembly having a lid, the lid having a protrusion extending therefrom, (ii) a vessel assembly having a blending vessel, the blending vessel having a handle, the handle having a lid switch therein, and (iii) a base assembly having a base housing, the base housing having a user interface thereon, the method comprising:
 placing at least one food item into the blending vessel;   selecting a pre-programmed mode of operation from a plurality of pre-programmed modes of operation via the user interface; and   activating the pre-programmed mode of operation via the user interface,   wherein the lid switch is in electrical communication with an electrical interface of the variable temperature blender, and the activating of the pre-programmed mode of operation can only commence after confirmation, via a processor of the base assembly, that the lid is in a locked position with the blending vessel such that the protrusion engages the lid switch, the confirmation being detection, via the processor, by the presence of an electronic signal communicated by the lid switch through the electrical interface to the processor indicative of the lid switch being in the locked position.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 activating a blade assembly of the variable temperature blender to mix the at least one food item;   activating heating by a heating element of the variable temperature blender to heat the at least one food item;   receiving a first temperature sensor reading from a temperature sensor of the variable temperature blender;   determining whether the received first temperature sensor reading is at or below a predetermined temperature reading for the pre-programmed mode of operation;   activating heating by the heating element if the received first temperature sensor reading is below the predetermined temperature reading for the pre-programmed mode of operation;   receiving a second temperature sensor reading from the temperature sensor of the variable temperature blender; and   deactivating the heating element if the received second temperature sensor reading is at or above the predetermined temperature reading for the pre-programmed mode of operation.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the user interface includes a display screen, mode indicators, and a control dial, and the selecting of the pre-programmed mode of operation from the plurality of pre-programmed modes of operation includes a user (i) viewing the display screen and/or mode indicators to determine a current status of the variable temperature blender, (ii) operating the control dial to scroll through the plurality of pre-programmed modes of operation until the pre-programmed mode of operation is indicated on the display screen and/or mode indicators, and (iii) operating the control dial to select the pre-programmed mode of operation. 
     
     
         16 . A variable temperature blender comprising:
 a lid assembly;   a vessel assembly, the vessel assembly having a vessel assembly electrical interface, a temperature sensor, a blending vessel, and a collar attached to a bottom portion of the blending vessel;   a plate;   a heating element, the heating element in thermal communication with the plate; and   a base assembly, the base assembly having a base assembly electrical interface, a user interface, a motor and a controller;   wherein the plate and the heating element are positioned within the collar and the heating element is in electrical communication with the vessel assembly electrical interface such that when the vessel assembly is attached to the base assembly, the vessel assembly electrical interface is in electrical communication with the base assembly electrical interface to allow the heating element to receive an electronic heating element control signal from the controller, the electronic heating element control signal activating or deactivating a heating operation by the heating element, and the electronic heating element control signal being based on an operational mode of the variable temperature blender, and   wherein the temperature sensor is in electrical communication with the vessel assembly electrical interface and is configured to detect a temperature of a food item within an interior of the blending vessel.   
     
     
         17 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 16 , wherein a temperature detection signal representing the detected temperature of the interior of the blending vessel is communicated from the vessel assembly electrical interface to the base assembly electrical interface to the controller, and the activating or the deactivating of the heating operation is based on the temperature detection signal. 
     
     
         18 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 16 , wherein a pre-determined temperature of the operational mode is able to be maintained by the activating or the deactivating of the heating operation. 
     
     
         19 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 16 , wherein the operational mode defines a plurality of pre-determined temperatures, a first operational cycle of the operational mode is based on a first pre-determined temperature of the plurality of pre-determined temperatures, and a second operational cycle of the operational mode is based on a second pre-determined temperature of the plurality of pre-determined temperatures. 
     
     
         20 . The variable temperature blender of  claim 19 , wherein the second pre-determined temperature is higher than the first pre-determined temperature, and the activating of the heating operation causes the heating element to raise a temperature of contents in the blending vessel from the first-predetermined temperature to the second pre-determined temperature.