US 12,329,320 B2
Modular blender with improved water heating and light beam detection
Steven T. Connell, Oakland, CA (US); John Diemer, Lafayette, CA (US); Kathleen A. Scheible, San Francisco, CA (US); Kurt J. Ahmann, San Francisco, CA (US); Patrick M. Goebel, San Francisco, CA (US); Shek Fai Lau, Foster City, CA (US); and Curtis Tom, San Mateo, CA (US)
Assigned to F'real! Foods, LLC, Emeryville, CA (US)
Filed by F'real! Foods, LLC, Emeryville, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/156,952.
Application 17/156,952 is a division of application No. 15/353,656, filed on Nov. 16, 2016, granted, now 10,898,031.
Prior Publication US 2021/0212519 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. A47J 43/044 (2006.01); A47J 31/42 (2006.01); A47J 43/07 (2006.01); B01F 27/805 (2022.01); B01F 27/806 (2022.01); B01F 33/83 (2022.01); B01F 35/10 (2022.01); B01F 35/11 (2022.01); B01F 35/60 (2022.01); A61L 2/07 (2006.01); B01F 33/80 (2022.01); B01F 101/13 (2022.01)
CPC A47J 43/044 (2013.01) [A47J 31/42 (2013.01); A47J 43/0755 (2013.01); B01F 27/805 (2022.01); B01F 27/806 (2022.01); B01F 33/83 (2022.01); B01F 35/11 (2022.01); B01F 35/1452 (2022.01); B01F 35/6052 (2022.01); A47J 2043/04454 (2013.01); A61L 2/07 (2013.01); A61L 2202/11 (2013.01); B01F 33/83611 (2022.01); B01F 2101/13 (2022.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a blender having a rotatable cutting blade in a food preparation chamber and a cupholder configured to receive a cup containing food to be blended, comprising:
providing a sensing light assembly;
generating a first sensing light beam and a second sensing light beam with the sensing light assembly;
determining if a foreign object is located below the rotatable cutting blade using the first sensing light beam;
generating a first error signal if the foreign object crosses the first sensing light beam;
preventing or stopping rotation of the cutting blade in response to the first error signal;
determining whether the cup is correctly seated in the cupholder using the second sensing light beam; and
generating a second error signal if the cup is not correctly seated in the cupholder.