DESC:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10 and rule 13]

A SINGLE AXIS LOCK & AN AUTOMATIC LIFT MECHANISM

We, Generation Infinite Machines Pvt Ltd, an Indian company, having a registered office at B2, 2nd Floor, B-Block, Mahalakshmi Apartments (Opp. to Raj Theatre), Abdul Razak Street, Anna Nagar, West Saidapet, Tamilnadu, Chennai - 600015, India.

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a mechanism of single axis lock for a grinding container in a grinding machine. Particularly, the present invention relates to a mechanism of automatic lifting of the grinding container to lock the grinding container in its socket and thus enabling connection of the grinding container to a grinding motor, a water conduit supplying water to the grinding container and a flow restriction valve separating a storage container and the grinding container. In short, this invention also relates to a mechanism that ensures that the grinding process may start only if the grinding container is placed rightly in its socket in the grinding machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of it being mentioned in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also correspond to implementations of the claimed technology.
A traditional mixer-grinder is a portable mill that is used in every kitchen for grinding purposes. In the traditional mixer grinder, user has to manually place the traditional mixer-grinder grinding container in the socket, enabling connection between the grinding container and the grinding motor. In a traditional mixer grinder, the user has to rightly adjust and place the grinding container in the socket and then rotate the grinding container to lock the grinding container in its socket to enable the grinding process. This is tedious and difficult as every time the user has to repeat this to rightly place the grinding container in its socket.
Also, in the traditional mixer-grinder, user usually have to hold the lid of the grinding container during the grinding process to prevent the lid from opening and ensuring a safe grinding process. Holding the lid of the grinding container during the grinding process is dangerous and can cause potential harm to the user. In case if the lid (or) the grinding container is not in a good condition because of any physical damage or any wear and tear, it is dangerous for the user to physically hold the grinding container during the grinding process. In case of wet grinding where the grinding process involves water for grinding, there are chances of electric shock to happen when the user continues to hold the lid of the grinding container. Also, it is the difficult for the user to load the grinding container in the socket at the right position every time the user removes and reloads the grinding container.
Also, it is difficult for the user to lift the grinding container containing raw ingredients to place the grinding container in its socket for grinding and to lift and remove the grinding container containing grinded mixture from its socket. This involves physical labour and is difficult to lift the container manually, in case of heavy loads.
Such traditional mixer grinders do not provide a lock mechanism and an automatic lifting mechanism where the physical presence of the user is not required to carry out the grinding process.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a mechanism that reduces or completely eliminates any human labour (or) intervention during the grinding process and completely reduce (or) eliminate afore mentioned difficulties.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a single axis lock & an automatic lift mechanism.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism of single axis lock of a container (or) the grinding container.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic mechanism to lift and lock the grinding container in its socket without any human intervention to ensure a grinding process that can be done hands-free.
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic lift mechanism to lift and lock the grinding container in its socket enabling connection of the grinding container to a grinding motor, a water conduit that supplies water to the grinding container, a storage container that stores raw ingredients to be used in the grinding process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic release mechanism to release the grinding container from its socket after the grinding process is complete.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that ensures that the grinding process may start only if the grinding container is rightly placed and locked in its socket. Only after placing the grinding container locked in its socket and only after enabling connection of the grinding container to the grinding motor, water conduit and storage container, the grinding process may start.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism (or) holding mechanism, to hold the grinding container in its socket and to enable auto-loading of the raw ingredients from the storage container to the grinding container without any human intervention before, during or after the grinding process (or) at any times of the grinding process as required but not limited to these.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism to automatically connect the grinding container to the storage container, water conduit, grinding motor etc. but not limited to these.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism to automatically dis-connect the grinding container from the storage container, water conduit, grinding motor etc. but not limited to these.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism to automatically power on and off the grinding container, a sensor module inside the grinding container etc. The grinding container my power on (or) the grinding process may start only if the grinding container is rightly placed and locked in its socket. If the grinding container is not placed and locked in its socket, it may automatically power off. This is to ensure a safe grinding process in the grinding machine.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism to check the position of the grinding container (i.e.) to check if the grinding container is locked in its socket (or) not.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a base module operated by a motor to lift and lock the grinding container to start the grinding process and to bring down the grinding container after the grinding process is complete.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modular design for the grinding container, base module, sensor module inside the grinding container etc. and all other components involved in the present invention but not limited to these so that they can be easily removed for cleaning, repair (or) other processes and can be easily put back together in the grinding machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simple manner, which is further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject matter, nor to determine the scope of the invention.
According to an aspect of the present invention a single axis lock & an automatic lift mechanism is provided. The mechanism comprises a base plate having one or more sockets, connected with an actuator. The actuator is configured to move the base plate up and down, a grinding container, having a gear at bottom of the grinding container, placed above the base plate in a grinding chamber, one or more sensors configured to detect a position of the gear on the one or more sockets, a processing module in communication with the one or more sensors and the actuator, configured to determine an interlocking position of the gear on the one or more sockets based on the detected position by the one or more sensors, move the base plate up and lift the grinding container using the actuator, thereby interlocking the one or more sockets with the gear, and move the base plate down using the actuator and detach the one or more sockets from the gear.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the interlock position is achieved when one or more teeth of the gear are interlocked with the one or more sockets of the base plate.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more sockets of the base plate are connected with a grinding motor configured to rotate the one or more sockets.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the processing module in communication with the grinding motor is configured to actuate the grinding motor when the one or more sockets are interlocked with the gear.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the processing module is configured to stop the grinding motor and move the base plate down when the grinding of the one or more grinding ingredients is complete, thereby detaching the gear from the one or more sockets of the base plate.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the grinding container comprising one or more blades connected with the gear and configured to rotate along with the gear to grind one or more grinding ingredients inside the grinding container.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator is a motor.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more sensors configured to detect presence of the grinding container.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the processing module is configured to refrain motion of the base plate in absence of the grinding container.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the base plate is placed in a grinding chamber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular to the description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
These and other features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following text figure, with like reference numbers referring to like structures across the views, wherein:
Fig. 1 illustrates an environment diagram of a single axis lock & an automatic lift mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 illustrates components of the mechanism as shown in fig. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3a illustrates a base plate moving up, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 3b illustrates a base plate moving down, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the present invention is described herein by way of example using embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further, some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense, (i.e., meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one” and the word “plurality” means “one or more” unless otherwise mentioned. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.
Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in the specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.
The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein reference numerals used in the accompanying drawing correspond to the like elements throughout the description. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is 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. In the following detailed description, numeric values and ranges are provided for various aspects of the implementations described. These values and ranges are to be treated as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In addition, a number of materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates an environment diagram of a single axis lock & an automatic lift mechanism (100) and Figure 2 illustrates components (150) of the mechanism (100) as shown in figure 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 1 and figure 2, the mechanism (100) comprises a base plate (152) having one or more sockets (164), an actuator (154), a grinding container (156), having a gear (158), one or more sensors (104) and a processing module (102). The base plate (152) may be connected with an actuator (154). The actuator (154) may be, but not limited to linear actuator (154), a stepper motor, a servo motor, a hydraulic drive or a pneumatic drive or a combination thereof. Further, the base plate (152) may have the one or more sockets (164) disposed on its surface. The base may have markings on the surface or on the one or more sockets (164). The one or more sockets (164) may be protruded from the surface of the base plate (152). The base plate (152) and the one or more sockets (164) may be made of, but not limited to metal, fibre, plastic, silicon, composite materials or a combination thereof.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the grinding container (156) may be made of non-corrosive, food grade material to accommodate one or more grinding ingredients. The grinding container (156) may be made of, but not limited to, metal such as steel, brass, copper, aluminium, or plastic, glass or glass fibre. Further, at the bottom of the grinding container (156), the may be disposed. The gear (158) may be made of, but not limited to, metal or alloy such as steel, brass, or plastic, Bakelite, glass, fibre glass, etc.
Further, the one or more sensors (104) may be, but not limited to, laser sensor, proximity sensor, acoustic sensor, magnetic sensor, hall sensor, gyros sensor, infrared sensor etc. The one or more sensors (104) may read the markings on the base plate (152) to detect a position of the base plate (152) and the one or more sockets (164).
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the base plate (152) is placed in a grinding chamber (162). The grinding chamber (162) may be adapted to stop any spillage or damage caused by any accident in the grinding container (156). The grinding chamber (162) may be made of, but not limited to, metal such as steel, brass, copper, aluminium, or plastic or glass fibre.
Further, as shown in figure 2, the grinding container (156) may comprise one or more blades (160). In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more blades (160) may be, but not limited to, wet grinding blade, dry grinding blade, chutney grinding blade, mincer blade, slicing disc or shredding disc etc. The one or more blades (160) may be connected with a grinding shaft and a grinding motor configured to rotate the one or more blades (160) to grind the one or more grinding ingredients. Moreover, in an alternate or additional embodiment the grinding container (156) may be in connection with an RO water purifier unit, configured to receive water for the grinding. The grinding container (156) is configured to receive the raw ingredients to grind for preparing grinded mixtures to be used in the recipe.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the processing module (102) is envisaged to include computing capabilities such as a memory unit (1022) configured to store machine readable instructions. The machine-readable instructions may be loaded into the memory unit (1022) from a non-transitory machine-readable medium, such as, but not limited to, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and Flash Drives. Alternately, the machine-readable instructions may be loaded in a form of a computer software program into the memory unit (1022). The memory unit (1022) in that manner may be selected from a group comprising EPROM, EEPROM and Flash memory. Then, the processing module (102) includes a processor (1024) operably connected with the memory unit (1022). In various embodiments, the processor (1024) may be a microprocessor selected from one of, but not limited to an ARM based or Intel based processor or in the form of field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a general-purpose processor and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
Further, the processing module (102) further may comprise a communication module (1026) configured for enabling connection of the processor (1024), the grinding container (156), the one or more sensors (104), the base plate (152), the grinding motor, and the actuator (154). The connection may be wired or wireless. In that sense, the communication module (1026) may include Power over Ethernet Switch, USB ports etc. These may allow transferring of data to and from the processing module (102) and among the grinding container (156), the one or more sensors (104), the base plate (152), the grinding motor, and the actuator (154)) via ethernet cable, USB cable etc.
Additionally, or alternately, the communication module (1026) may be an Internet of Things (IOT) module, Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth module, RF module etc. adapted to enable a wireless communication between the grinding container (156), the one or more sensors (104) , the base plate (152), the grinding motor, and the actuator (154) via a wireless communication network (110). The wireless communication network (110) may be, but not limited to, Bluetooth network, RF network, NFC, WIFI network, Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). The wireless communication network (110) may be implemented using a number of protocols, such as but not limited to, TCP/IP, 3GPP, 3GPP2, LTE, IEEE 802.x, etc. In one embodiment, the all the components of the mechanism (100) are connected with each other via the communication network (110).
The mechanism (100) may also include a user interface. The user interface module may include a display envisaged to show the data received from the one or more sensors (104), the storage container (156) the actuator (154), the grinding motor and the processing module (102). The display may be, but not limited to Light-emitting diode display (LED), electroluminescent display (ELD), liquid crystal display (LCD), Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) & AMOLED display. Furthermore, the user interface may include accessories like keyboard, mouse etc. envisaged to provide input capability to enable a user to enter a command or a recipe. In another embodiment, the user interface may be a touch input-based display that integrates the input-output functionalities.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism (100) may also include a data repository (106). The data repository (106) may be a local storage (such as SSD, eMMC, Flash, SD card, etc.) or a cloud-based storage. In any manner, the data repository (106) is envisaged to be capable of providing the data to the processing module (102), when the data is queried appropriately using applicable security and other data transfer protocols. The data repository (106) may store past performances of the mechanism (100). In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing module (102) may include AI and deep learning-based trained models using the above data, so as to monitor and learn mixing of ingredients.
Furthermore, in an embodiment the mechanism (100) may further comprise a power module to power all the components of the mechanism (100) such as, but not limited to the grinding container (156), the one or more sensors (104), the base plate (152), the grinding motor, the actuator (154) and the processing module (102). The power module may be an AC or DC power module, a non-rechargeable battery or a rechargeable battery. In one embodiment, the power module is a self-sustainable battery that makes the mechanism (100) a self-powered device.
The invention works in following manner:
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the grinding container (156) having the gear (158) at bottom is placed above the base plate (152) in the grinding chamber (162). Later, the one or more sensors (104) may be configured to detect a position of the gear (158) on the one or more sockets (164). In an additional or alternative embodiment, the one or more sensors (104) configured to detect presence of the grinding container (156) in the grinding chamber (162). In absence of the grinding container (156), the processing module (102) may be configured to refrain motion of the base plate (152) and the one or more sockets (164).
Further, the processing module (102) in communication with the one or more sensors (104) and the actuator (154) is configured to determine an interlocking position of the gear (158) on the one or more sockets (164) based on the detected position by the one or more sensors (104). The interlock position may be achieved when one or more teeth of the gear (158) are interlocked with the one or more sockets (164) of the base plate (152).
Further, figure 3a illustrates the base plate (152) moving up, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 3a, the processing module (102) is configured to move the base plate (152) up (movement shown by upward dashed arrows) and lift the grinding container (156) using the actuator (154), thereby interlocking the one or more sockets (164) with the gear (158). The one or more sockets (164) of the base plate (152) are connected with the grinding motor configured to rotate the one or more sockets (164). The processing module (102) in communication with the grinding motor is configured to actuate the grinding motor when the one or more sockets (164) are interlocked with the gear (158). Further, the one or more blades (160) connected with the gear (158) and configured to rotate along with the gear (158) to grind one or more grinding ingredients inside the grinding container (156). In an additional or alternative embodiment, the RO water purifier unit attached to purify the water to be used in cooking and which can also be used for other purposes like drinking etc.
Next, the processing module (102) is configured to stop the grinding motor and move the base plate (152) down when the grinding of the one or more grinding ingredients is complete, thereby detaching the gear (158) from the one or more sockets (164) of the base plate (152). Figure 3b illustrates the base plate (152) moving down, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The one or more sensors (104) may detect the completion of the mixing and grinding. As shown in figure 3b, the processing module (102) is configured to move the base plate (152) down (shown as downward arrows in the figure 3b) using the actuator (154) and detach the one or more sockets (164) from the gear (158).
The present invention offers a number of advantages. Firstly, it provides a cost-effective and technologically advanced solution to the problems of the prior art, the solution provided herein is easy to understand and implement. Then, the present invention provides a single-axis lock mechanism (100) of the grinding container (156) by the user and to automatically lift the grinding container (156) to lock the grinding container (156) in its socket to start and perform the grinding process without any manual intervention. Further, the present invention provides a mechanism (100) to keep the grinding container (156) locked in its socket during the grinding process without any manual intervention. Further, the present invention provides a mechanism (100) for automatically releasing and bringing down the grinding container (156) from its socket after the grinding process is complete. Additionally, the present invention provides a modular design for the grinding container (156), base module etc. and all components involved in the invention but not limited to these so that it can be easily removed for cleaning, repair and other purposes and fit back inside the grinding machine. It will be appreciated by a skilled addressee that the present invention may also be used in applications other than the grinding machine that may require lifting and keeping the container (156) locked in its socket (or) in its right place until the desired function is completed and bringing down the container (156) after the desired function is complete without departing from the scope of the present invention..
In general, the word “module,” or “unit” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be appreciated that modules may comprised connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device.
Further, while one or more operations have been described as being performed by or otherwise related to certain modules, devices or entities, the operations may be performed by or otherwise related to any module, device or entity. As such, any function or operation that has been described as being performed by a module could alternatively be performed by a different server, by the cloud computing platform, or a combination thereof. It should be understood that the techniques of the present disclosure might be implemented using a variety of technologies. For example, the methods described herein may be implemented by a series of computer executable instructions residing on a suitable computer readable medium. Suitable computer readable media may include volatile (e.g., RAM) and/or non-volatile (e.g., ROM, disk) memory, carrier waves and transmission media. Exemplary carrier waves may take the form of electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals conveying digital data steams along a local network or a publicly accessible network such as the Internet.
It should also be understood that, unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "controlling" or "obtaining" or "computing" or "storing" or "receiving" or "determining" or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that processes and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing broadest scope of consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims.
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A single axis lock & an automatic lift mechanism (100), the mechanism (100) comprising:
a base plate (152) having one or more sockets (164), connected with an actuator (154), wherein the actuator (154) is configured to move the base plate (152) up and down;
a grinding container (156), having a gear (158) at bottom of the grinding container (156), placed above the base plate (152);
one or more sensors (104) configured to detect a position of the gear (158) on the one or more sockets (164);
a processing module (102) in communication with the one or more sensors (104) and the actuator (154), configured to:
determine an interlocking position of the gear (158) on the one or more sockets (164) based on the detected position by the one or more sensors (104);
move the base plate (152) up and lift the grinding container (156) using the actuator (154), thereby interlocking the one or more sockets (164) with the gear (158); and
move the base plate (152) down using the actuator (154) and detach the one or more sockets (164) from the gear (158).
2. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interlock position is achieved when one or more teeth of the gear (158) are interlocked with the one or more sockets (164) of the base plate (152).
3. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more sockets (164) of the base plate (152) are connected with a grinding motor configured to rotate the one or more sockets (164).
4. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing module (102) in communication with the grinding motor, is configured to actuate the grinding motor when the one or more sockets (164) are interlocked with the gear (158).
5. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing module (102) is configured to stop the grinding motor and move the base plate (152) down when the grinding of the one or more grinding ingredients is complete, thereby detaching the gear (158) from the one or more sockets (164) of the base plate (152).
6. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grinding container (156) comprising one or more blades (160) connected with the gear (158) and configured to rotate along with the gear (158) to grind one or more grinding ingredients inside the grinding container (156).
7. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator (154) is a motor.
8. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors (104) configured to detect presence of the grinding container (156).
9. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing module (102) is configured to refrain motion of the base plate (152) in absence of the grinding container (156).
10. The mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base plate (152) is placed in a grinding chamber (162).

Dated this the 18th day of January 2022.
[VIVEK DAHIYA]
AGENT FOR THE APPLICANT – IN/PA 1491