阅读说明：本技术 具有安全机构的搅拌机 (Mixer with safety mechanism ) 是由 科林·萨皮雷 于 2018-03-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于加工可食用材料的搅拌机,包括具有电动机的基座、刀片组件和容器。搅拌机还包括第一安全机构和第二安全机构。第一安全机构的功能是确保在刀片组件能安装至基座之前将容器牢固地附接至刀片组件。第二安全机构的功能是确保仅当将容器和刀片组件牢固地安装至基座时,基座中的电动机才能通电。通过将容器固定至刀片组件,并且然后将该组件固定至基座,以使两个安全机构均被释放,以允许电动机被启动,这样使得搅拌机能够进行操作。(A blender for processing edible materials includes a base having a motor, a blade assembly, and a container. The blender also includes a first safety mechanism and a second safety mechanism. The function of the first safety mechanism is to ensure that the container is securely attached to the blade assembly before the blade assembly can be mounted to the base. The function of the second safety mechanism is to ensure that the motor in the base can only be energized when the container and blade assembly are securely mounted to the base. The blender is enabled to operate by securing the container to the blade assembly and then securing the assembly to the base such that both safety mechanisms are released to allow the motor to be activated.)

1. A blender, comprising:

a container having an open end;

a blade assembly removably secured to the open end of the container;

a base having a motor for operating the blender when the blade assembly is mounted on the base;

the mixer still includes:

a first safety mechanism movable between a first position and a second position;

a second safety mechanism movable between a third position and a fourth position;

wherein the blender is operable by:

securing the container to the blade assembly to move the first safety mechanism from the first position to the second position; and moving the second safety mechanism from the third position to the fourth position;

whereby the motor is activated to operate the process only when the first safety mechanism is in the second position and the second safety mechanism is simultaneously in the fourth position.

2. The blending machine of claim 1, wherein the blade assembly is securable to the base only when the first safety mechanism is in the second position by securing the container to the blade assembly.

3. The blender of claim 2, the blade assembly further comprising:

a blade holder having at least one blade holder protrusion;

a blade impeller connected to the blade mount;

at least one blade connected to the blade impeller.

4. The blender of claim 3, the base further comprising:

a motor impeller driven by the motor; and the number of the first and second groups,

at least one base recess for receiving the at least one insert holder protrusion;

wherein the blade assembly is secured to the base by coupling the blade impeller with the motor impeller and engaging the at least one blade support protrusion with the at least one base recess.

5. The blender of claim 4, the first safety mechanism comprising:

at least one movable first tab in the blade holder;

a blocking member connected to the first tab, the blocking member being located adjacent to the at least one blade mount protrusion;

wherein the blocking member prevents the at least one blade mount protrusion from entering the at least one base recess when the blocking member is in the first position;

wherein when the container is secured to the blade support, the container depresses the first tab to move the blocking member to the second position to allow the at least one blade support protrusion to enter the at least one base recess.

6. The blender of claim 5, the second safety mechanism comprising:

at least one emitter located in the blade assembly; and the number of the first and second groups,

at least one detector located in the base;

wherein the at least one emitter is capable of communicating with the at least one detector to enable the motor to be activated.

7. The blender of claim 6, the second safety mechanism further comprising:

at least one movable second tab in the blade holder;

the emitter is connected to the at least one movable second tab to enable the emitter to move between a third position and a fourth position;

wherein in the third position the at least one emitter is not connected to the at least one detector;

wherein in the fourth position the at least one emitter is connected to the at least one detector;

wherein when the container is secured to the blade holder, the container depresses the second tab to move the at least one emitter from the third position to the fourth position to enable the motor to be activated.

8. The blender of claim 7, wherein the at least one emitter is a magnet and the at least one detector is a reed switch.

9. The blender of claim 8, wherein the at least one transmitter is an RFID chip and the at least one detector is an RFIP chip detector.

10. The blender of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one bump on the base;

at least one retractable ball on said blade assembly;

wherein the at least one retractable ball contacts the at least one tab to emit an audible sound when the blade assembly is secured to the base.

11. The blender of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one tab is positioned to: when the blade holder protrusion reaches a terminal end of the recess, the at least one retractable ball contacts at least one tab such that the audible sound indicates that the blade holder protrusion has reached the terminal end of the recess.

12. A blender, comprising:

a container;

a blade assembly secured to the container;

the blade assembly having at least one blade holder protrusion;

a base having a motor for operating the process;

the base having at least one base recess for receiving the at least one blade support protrusion;

wherein the blade assembly is mounted to the base by engaging the at least one blade support protrusion with the at least one base recess;

a blocking member movable between a first position and a second position;

wherein the blocking member prevents the at least one blade mount protrusion from engaging the at least one base recess when the blocking member is in the first position;

wherein the blocking member allows the at least one blade support protrusion to engage the at least one base recess when the blocking member is in the second position;

wherein the blender is operable only when the blocking member is in the second position.

13. A blender, comprising:

a container;

a blade assembly secured to the container;

the blade assembly having at least one emitter movable between a third position and a fourth position;

a base having a motor for operating the process;

the base has at least one detector;

wherein the motor is activated when the emitter is in communication with the detector;

wherein the emitter is not in communication with the detector in the third position;

wherein the emitter communicates with the detector in the fourth position to activate the motor;

whereby the blender is operable only when the transmitter is in the fourth position.

14. A blender, comprising:

a container having an open side defined by a rim;

a blade assembly, comprising:

a blade holder having at least one blade holder protrusion;

a blade impeller mounted to the blade support;

a blade connected to the blade impeller;

a base, comprising:

an electric motor;

an impeller driven by the motor; and the number of the first and second groups,

at least one base recess;

whereby the blade assembly is secured to the base by engaging the at least one blade holder protrusion with the at least one base recess;

the mixer still includes:

a blocking member movable between a blocking position and a non-blocking position;

wherein the blocking member prevents the at least one blade support protrusion from engaging the base recess in the blocking position;

wherein the blocking member does not prevent the at least one blade support protrusion from engaging the base recess in the non-blocking position;

a transmitter movable between an open position and a closed position;

a detector capable of communicating with the transmitter;

wherein the emitter communicates with the detector to activate the motor when the emitter is in the open position;

whereby the motor is activated to operate the blender only when the blocking mechanism is in the non-blocking position and the emitter is simultaneously in the open position.

15. A method for operating a blender, the method comprising:

securing the container to the blade assembly;

securing the blade assembly to a base having a motor for operating the blender;

thereby securing the container to the blade assembly causes the first safety mechanism to move from the first position to the second position and the second safety mechanism to move from the third position to the fourth position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the blade assembly is operably securable to the base only when the container is secured to the blade assembly and the first safety mechanism is in the second position.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the motor is activated only when the first safety mechanism is in the second position and the second safety mechanism is simultaneously in the fourth position.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to kitchen appliances. In particular, the present invention relates to blenders and food processors having safety features.

Background

Kitchen appliances such as blenders and food processors are well known. Such equipment is generally capable of performing countless operations, such as mixing, blending, pulsing, pulverizing, shredding, and cutting, which are generally referred to herein as processing. Such equipment may process beverages and food, collectively referred to herein as edible materials.

An apparatus for processing edible materials generally consists of a container, a blade assembly, and a motor base. For example, a typical countertop blender will have a container for holding edible material to be processed. The blender will have a blade assembly to perform the machining operation. In a standard "stand-up" blender, the blade assembly is integrally secured to the bottom of the container. The container has an opening at the top, which is closed by a lid. The container is mounted to the base in an upright position.

For "inverted" blenders, the blade assembly is removably attached to the opening of the container so that it can also function as a lid. With these types of blenders, the container is inverted to mount the blade assembly to the base. In both stand and inverted blenders, the container and blade assembly are mounted on top of a base having a motor that drives the blades of the blade assembly to process the edible material in the container.

To operate a typical blender, a user places edible material into a container, attaches the blade assembly to close the container, and then mounts the container and blade assembly to a base. The user will then activate the motor which drives the blade to process the edible material in the container. Because the blade is sharp and rotates at very high speeds and high forces, there is a possibility of serious injury to the user if the blade assembly is not securely attached to the container when the motor is activated.

For example, if the container is not securely attached to the blade assembly when the motor is activated, there is a risk that the container may become detached from the blade assembly. This poses a significant risk if the container is separated from the blade assembly when the motor is activated, as the rotating blade is exposed. If the user touches the rotary blade, he or she may be seriously injured. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the container is always locked to the blade assembly before the motor is started and when the motor is running.

Furthermore, if the container and blade assembly are not securely mounted to the base when the motor is activated, there is also a possibility of serious injury. For example, if the container and blade assembly are not securely mounted to the base when the motor is activated, there is a risk that both the container and the blade assembly may fall off the base, which can also be very dangerous because the impeller driving the blade may become exposed and may cause injury to the user.

To minimize these risks, blenders have included safety features to protect users. It is known that if the container is not present on the base, the blender includes a switch arrangement which disables the motor. There are also safety mechanisms: these safety mechanisms prevent the motor from starting unless the container is properly mounted on the motor base. For example, U.S. patent No. 3,786,999 teaches that the "can" must be properly inserted onto the base member and twisted into a locked position so that the base (with a portion of the driven blade shaft in the base) can be connected to the drive shaft of the blender. Other blenders have safety mechanisms to prevent operation of the motor when the lid is not attached (e.g., U.S. patent No. 8,403,556) so that the blender cannot be energized unless the lid is secured to protect the user from the rotating blades.

However, these types of safety mechanisms are not sufficient to minimize the above-mentioned risks. Most blenders known in the art teach the use of a single safety mechanism to prevent a single safety issue, such as described in U.S. patent No. 3,786,999 when the container is improperly mounted to the base. Current blenders do not employ a system of redundant safety mechanisms to minimize multiple hazards, such as when the container is improperly secured to the blade assembly or when the blade assembly is improperly mounted on the motor base.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a blender having multiple safety mechanisms.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a blender having a safety mechanism for ensuring that a container is securely attached to a blade assembly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a blender having a safety mechanism for ensuring that a blade assembly is securely attached to a motor base.

It is an object of the present invention to utilize at least two safety mechanisms to prevent different risks in case the blade assembly is not properly attached to the container or the blade assembly is not properly mounted on the base.

It is another object of the present invention that the safety mechanism operates redundantly.

Disclosure of Invention

In accordance with an object of the present invention, embodiments of the present invention relate to a blender. A blender is understood to be any device capable of processing edible materials. The blender according to the present invention has a coordinated safety mechanism to prevent the blender from being opened if the container is not properly attached to the blade assembly or if the blade assembly is not properly mounted on the base.

The blender according to the present invention has a first safety mechanism whose function is to ensure that the container is securely attached to the blade assembly prior to mounting the blade assembly to the base. In one embodiment, the first safety mechanism includes a blocking mechanism that prevents the blade assembly from being mounted on the base when the container is not securely attached to the blade assembly. The blocking mechanism consists of a blocking tab or equivalent structure that can be moved between a blocking position and a non-blocking position. In the default blocking position, the blocking mechanism blocks the blade assembly from being mounted to the base.

In order to move the blocking mechanism to enable the blade assembly to be mounted to the base, it is necessary to move the blocking tab or equivalent structure to the non-blocking position. This may be accomplished by using spring-loaded tabs located in the blade assembly. When the container is attached to the blade assembly, the container will depress the spring-loaded tab to move the blocking mechanism to the non-blocking position to allow the blade assembly to be mounted on the motor base. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first safety mechanism need not consist of a spring-loaded tab or other physical obstruction member, but may consist of a system of electron emitters and detectors that can sense when the container is properly secured to the blade assembly.

In another embodiment of the invention, the blender includes a second safety mechanism that functions to ensure that the motor in the base is energized only when the container and blade assembly are securely mounted to the base. In a preferred embodiment, the second safety mechanism includes an emitter and a corresponding detector that communicate to activate the motor. The transmitter may be a magnetic element or any sensing element capable of transmitting a signal. The detector may be a magnetic element or any element capable of receiving a signal. In a preferred embodiment, the emitter is located in the blade assembly and the detector is located in the base. (instead, the emitter may be in the base and the detector may be in the blade assembly.) the emitter communicates with the detector to activate the motor. In order for the emitter to communicate with the detector, the emitter must be aligned with the detector. The emitter and detector may be aligned only when the blade assembly is mounted on the base.

In one embodiment, the launcher in the blade assembly is attached to a spring loaded tab that allows the second safety mechanism to move between the "closed" position and the "open" position. The default position of the emitter is in the "off" position where it is not aligned with the detector, thereby preventing the emitter from communicating with the detector to start the motor. To move the second safety mechanism to the "open" position to activate the motor, it is necessary to align the emitter with the detector by depressing the spring-loaded tab. The tabs may be depressed to align the emitter with the detector only when the container is properly secured to the blade assembly. That is, when the container is securely attached to the blade assembly, the container will depress the spring-loaded tab to move the emitter into alignment with the detector. When the emitter and detector are properly aligned, the motor in the base can be turned on.

In a preferred embodiment, the first safety mechanism and the second safety mechanism work in cooperation. When the container is secured to the blade assembly, it will release both the first and second safety mechanisms. Securing the container to the blade assembly will cause the blocking mechanism of the first safety mechanism to move to the non-blocking position while simultaneously causing the emitter of the second safety mechanism to move into alignment with the detector in the base. With the first safety mechanism in the non-blocking position, the blade assembly may be secured to the motor base. With the second safety mechanism in the "on" position, the motor may be activated.

Not only can the first safety gear and the second safety gear cooperate, but the safety gears can also be redundant. For example, in a preferred embodiment, if the container becomes disengaged from the blade assembly, the motor will automatically shut off because the emitter will move out of alignment with the detector. This ensures that during operation, if the container is detached from the blade assembly or the blade assembly is detached from the base, the motor can never be activated.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blender according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a blender according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a container of a blender according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the cross-sections of FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a blade assembly having an inner surface and an outer surface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a blade mount according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a retractable ball and a first safety mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a blade holder showing a first safety mechanism in a blocking position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a blade holder showing a first safety mechanism in a non-blocking position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the blade holder showing the emitter element of the second safety mechanism in a closed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a blade holder showing the emitter element of the second safety mechanism in an open position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a base of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a side view of a base of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is another side view of a base of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention showing a base recess located on the top of the base.

FIG. 17 is a top view of a base of a blade assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention showing a plurality of tabs on the top of the base.

Detailed Description

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

As shown in FIG. 1, blender 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises container 10, blade assembly 20, and base 30. As further shown in the exploded view of fig. 2, blade assembly 20 is removably attached to container 10 to form an enclosed space for processing edible material. Blade assembly 20 with container 10 attached thereto is removably mounted on base 30.

Referring now to fig. 3, the container 10 has a body 100, the body 100 having an open end 101 defined by a rim 102. In the preferred embodiment, body 100 is oval-shaped (i.e., bullet-shaped), although it may have any shape that serves the intended function of the invention. Body 100 is further defined by a lateral side 103 and a medial side 104.

To facilitate attachment of container 10 to blade assembly 20, container 10 has one or more tongue-like projections 106 on inner side 104 proximate edge 102. As described further below, tongue projections 106 engage corresponding slots 214 on blade assembly 20 to secure container 10 to blade assembly 20.

Referring now to fig. 4-8, blade assembly 20 includes one or more blades 200, a blade holder 202, and a blade impeller 204. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the blade 200 is mounted on the blade holder 202 and connected to the blade impeller 204 such that the blade impeller 204 rotates the blade 200.

As shown in FIG. 4, the blade holder 202 has an inner surface 206 extending from the blade 200 and connected to a collar 208, with a groove 207 formed between the inner surface 206 and the collar 208. The collar 208 has a top collar wall 210 as shown in FIG. 4 and a bottom collar edge 212 as shown in FIG. 5. The collar 208 is complementary in shape to the rim 102 of the container 10. In a preferred embodiment, collar 208 has a larger circumference than rim 102 such that rim 102 fits within groove 207 to seal open end 101 of container 10, as shown in fig. 1 and 11. In this manner, inner surface 206 forms a closed end of container 10 when blade assembly 20 is attached to container 10.

As further shown in fig. 4 and 8, the blade holder 202 has one or more slots 214 in the inner surface 206 for engaging the tongue 106 on the container 10. In a preferred embodiment, container 10 is attached to blade assembly 20 by rotating tongue 106 into slot 214. When the tongue 106 is secured in the slot 214, the rim 102 of the container 10 is seated in the groove 207 between the inner surface 206 and the collar 208 to seal the open end 101 of the container 10.

Referring now to fig. 5 and 6, the blade holder 202 has a plurality of blade holder protrusions 216. In the preferred embodiment, the blade mount protrusions 216 are located on the inside sidewall 209 of the collar 208, proximate the bottom collar edge 212. Blade holder projections 216 are used to secure blade assembly 20 to base 30, as described below. In the preferred embodiment, the blade holder 202 has three blade holder projections 216 equally spaced apart on the inside wall 209 of the collar 208, as best shown in FIG. 6.

Referring now to fig. 14-17 of base 30, base 30 has a motor (not shown) for driving a motor impeller 308 engaged with blade impeller 204 when blade assembly 20 is properly mounted on base 30.

In the preferred embodiment as shown in fig. 14, the susceptor 30 has a top surface 306 and a base 307. The motor impeller 308 is mounted at the center of the top surface 306 as best shown in fig. 17.

As shown in fig. 14 and 17, the base 30 has one or more ramps 302 on the top surface 306 that surround a motor impeller 308. In a preferred embodiment, the base 30 has three equally spaced ramps 302 on the top surface 306. As shown in fig. 14 and 15, each ramp 302 has a recess 304 for receiving blade holder protrusion 216 of blade assembly 20. The recess 304 has a shape that is complementary to the shape of the blade holder protrusion 216 so that the blade holder protrusion 216 can slide into the recess 304.

Blade assembly 20 is mounted on base 30 by coupling blade wheel 204 with motor wheel 308 and by engaging blade support protrusions 216 with recesses 304. When blade assembly 20 is placed on top of base 30, ramps 302 will guide blade assembly 20 until bottom collar edge 212 substantially rests on top surface 306 such that each blade holder protrusion 216 is substantially aligned with a corresponding recess 304. Blade assembly 20 may be securely mounted to base 30 by rotating blade assembly 20 such that blade support protrusions 216 slide into recesses 304.

Referring now to fig. 10 and 11, a blender 40 according to the present invention has at least a first safety mechanism 220. The function of first safety mechanism 220 is to ensure that container 10 is securely attached to blade assembly 20 before blade assembly 20 can be mounted to base 30.

Referring again to fig. 5 and 6, an embodiment of the first safety mechanism 220 includes a blocking member 218. The blocking member 218 is located adjacent one of the blade holder projections 216 as shown in fig. 9. The blocking member 218 is movable between a blocking position, as shown in fig. 10, and a non-blocking position, as shown in fig. 11. In the blocking position shown in fig. 10, the blocking member 218 functions to block the blade holder protrusion 216 from sliding into the recess 304 of the ramp 302 to prevent the blade assembly 20 from being mounted to the base 30.

More specifically, the blocking member 218 is connected to a first spring-loaded tab 222. The first spring-loaded tab 222 may be a spring or any other resilient material, such as a plastic polymer, that may be compressed to move the blocking member 218. The top of first spring-loaded tab 222 protrudes from an opening in channel 207 adjacent collar 208 of blade assembly 20, as shown in fig. 10.

When the first spring-loaded tab 222 is in its default position (i.e., uncompressed state), as shown in fig. 10, the blocking member 218 is in the "blocking" position because it is not aligned with the blade holder protrusion 216. When container 10 is attached to blade assembly 20, as shown in fig. 11, rim 102 depresses first spring-loaded tab 222. Depressing the spring-loaded tab 222 moves the blocking member 218 to an "unblocking" position in which the blocking member 218 is substantially aligned with the blade holder protrusion 216. If container 10 is disengaged from blade assembly 20, first spring-loaded tab 222 returns to its default "blocking" position of FIG. 10.

Accordingly, when container 10 is attached to blade assembly 20, blade assembly 20 is mounted to base 30 only by rotating blade holder projections 216 into recesses 304 (shown in fig. 14 and 15). The blade holder protrusion 216 may enter the recess 304 only when the rim 102 of the container 10 depresses the first spring-loaded tab 222 to move the blocking member 218 into alignment with the blade holder protrusion 216. If container 10 is disengaged from blade assembly 20, blocking member 218 returns to the default position depicted in FIG. 10, thereby blocking blade holder protrusion 216 from entering recess 304.

The embodiment of blender 40 also has a second safety mechanism 230, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The function of second safety mechanism 230 is to ensure that the motor in base 30 is only accessible when container 10 and blade assembly 20 are securely mounted to base 30.

As shown in fig. 12 and 13, the second safety mechanism 230 includes an emitter 232 in the blade holder 202 and a corresponding detector 310 in the base 30. Transmitter 232 may be a magnet, a laser, or any similar device capable of transmitting a signal, such as radio frequency. The second safety mechanism 230 is movable between a "closed" position, as shown in fig. 12, and an "open" position, as shown in fig. 13. In the "on" position, the emitter 232 is aligned with the detector 310 to enable the motor in the base 30 to be activated. In the "off" position, the emitter 232 is not aligned with the detector 310, which causes the motor to be turned off.

Referring more specifically to fig. 12, the emitter 232 is connected to a second spring-loaded tab 234, the second spring-loaded tab 234 protruding from an opening in the groove 207 adjacent the top collar wall 210 of the blade mount 202. In one embodiment, the second spring-loaded tab 234 is adjacent the first spring-loaded tab 222. The second spring-loaded tab 234 may be a spring or any other resilient material, such as a plastic polymer, that may be compressed to move between a "closed" position (fig. 12) and an "open" position (fig. 13).

The emitter 232 can interact with the detector 310 in the base 30 to activate the motor. The detector 310 is a component capable of receiving a magnetic signal, an optical signal, or a radio signal from the emitter 232. For example, if emitter 232 is a magnet, detector 310 may be a corresponding reed switch. In a preferred embodiment, the detector 310 is located at the terminal end of the recess 304 in the ramp 302, such that the emitter 232 is aligned with the detector 310 only when the blade holder protrusion 216 is fully inserted into the recess 304.

In the default "off position as shown in fig. 12, detector 310 does not receive a signal from emitter 232 because emitter 232 is not aligned with detector 310. Thus, when the emitter 232 is not aligned with the detector 310, the motor in the base 30 may not be energized. To energize the motor, it is necessary to move the emitter 232 into alignment with the detector 310, as shown in FIG. 13. When the second spring-loaded tab 234 is fully depressed, the emitter 232 moves into alignment with the detector 310. As shown in fig. 13, when container 10 is mounted on blade assembly 20, rim 102 of container 10 depresses second spring-loaded tab 234 to move emitter 232 into alignment with detector 310, thereby switching second safety mechanism 230 to the "open" position. When the second safety mechanism 230 is in the "open" position, the detector 310 receives a signal from the emitter 232 to activate the motor in the base 30.

If container 10 is removed from blade assembly 20, second spring-loaded tab 226 will return to its default "off" position and emitter 232 will be misaligned with detector 310, causing the motor to automatically shut down.

First safety mechanism 220 and second safety mechanism 230 work in concert and are redundant to ensure that container 10 is properly secured to blade assembly 20 before the motor in base 30 can be or remains energized. For example, when container 10 is mounted on blade assembly 20, rim 102 of container 10 will depress first spring-loaded tab 222 and second spring-loaded tab 234 simultaneously. As a result, the first safety mechanism 220 will be switched to the "non-blocking" position and the second safety mechanism 230 will be simultaneously switched to the "open" position to activate the motor in the base 30. The second safety mechanism 230 is redundant to the first safety mechanism 220 in that if the container 10 becomes disengaged from the blade assembly 20 when the blade assembly 20 is mounted on the base 30, the second safety mechanism 230 will be "closed" in that the rim 102 of the container 10 will no longer depress the second spring-loaded tab 234. Thus, if the container 10 becomes disengaged during operation of the blender 40, the redundant safety feature will shut down the motor in the base 30.

In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig. 9, blade assembly 20 includes at least one retractable ball 240 protruding from bottom collar edge 212 of blade assembly 20. A retractable ball 240 is connected to the second spring-loaded tab 234 in the collar 208.

When blade assembly 20 is secured to base 30 by rotating blade holder protrusion 216 into recess 304, retractable ball 240 slides along top surface 306 before contacting at least one tab 312 on top surface 306, as shown in fig. 17. The bump is positioned on the top surface 306 such that when the blade holder protrusion 216 reaches the terminal end of the recess 304, the retractable ball 240 contacts the bump 312. As the retractable ball 240 passes the nub 312, it retracts and then springs back into place, producing an audible sound, such as a "click". The audible sound informs the user that the blade holder protrusion 216 has reached the terminus of the recess 304 and thus a secure connection has been made between the blade assembly 20 and the base 30. The user may confirm that blade assembly 20 is secured to base 30 by an audible "click" sound from retractable ball 230.

Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, it is to be understood that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include all such modifications.