GB2174893A

GB2174893A - A hand held kitchen appliance

Info

Publication number: GB2174893A
Application number: GB08603050A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jose Maria Pujol Gibert
Original assignee: Industria Auxiliar Manodomesticos SA
Current assignee: Industria Auxiliar Manodomesticos SA
Priority date: 1985-04-17
Filing date: 1986-02-07
Publication date: 1986-11-19
Also published as: DE3604950A1; ES286102U; IT8620065A0; NL8600927A; IT8620065A1; IT1191727B; ES286102Y; GB8603050D0; FR2580486A1

Abstract

A hand held kitchen appliance, for use in the performance of various food processing operations, comprises a body means 1 for supporting a container means 3. A box means 2 provided with working tools e.g. 14, 15 may be mounted on the body means 1 in a plurality of positions placing a different working tool uppermost in an operative position in each of them. The body means 1 is provided with a portion 6 which lies flush with the chosen operative tool in the box means 2 and with a cover means 4 covering the container means 3. The cover means 4 may also be provided with tools 27, 28. A guard means 5 is provided to slide over the appliance to urge the food products against the tools. A portion (24, Figure 5) of the container means extends into the interior of the box means for receiving processed food. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A hand held kitchen appliance This invention relates to a hand held kitchen appliance, for use in the preparation of food by way of operations such as grating, scraping, cutting and the like.

The appliance is particularly appropriate for performing at will operations such as grating, chopping, scraping, peeling or slicing. Apart from the wide range of applications thereof, the appliance is outstanding for its carefully studied design affording firm, convenient holding and handling and also affording complete collection of the resulting processed items, be they crumbs, slices, flakes or other forms of food. The appliance is useful for preparing various products ordinarily used in kitchen art, such as green vegetables, fruits or tubers, with the advantage of allowing complete processing and appropriate protection for the hands of the user.

In accordance with the present invention, a hand held kitchen appliance, for use in the preparation of food by way of operations such as grating, scraping, cutting and the like, comprises: - a body means provided, in a lengthwise direction, successively with a base having first seat means and second seat means; and intermediate wall generally normal to said base and having first retaining means; a portion generally parallel to said base; and holding means; - a container means for said food, capable of being mounted on said first seat means and provided on a wall thereof to be opposed to said intermediate wall with a gapped portion, from which extends a sloping wall emerging from the container means; and - a box means comprising a hollow body having the form of a right prism, capable of receiving said sloping wall and of being mounted on said second seat means such that one of the side walls of the box means lies flush with said portion of the body means; each of said side walls of the box means being provided with an appropriate tool suitable for said operations; and the box means having a coupling surface provided with second retaining means which, on engagement with said first retaining means, allows a number of mounting positions for the box means equal to the number of said side walls of the box means.

A cover means may be provided which is capable of engaging the container means in a position flush with said portion of the body means and with said one of said side walls of the box means, said cover means having ribs adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof and also having orifices for use in grating or a similar operation. The cover means may also be provided with a cutting tool. A guard means may be provided which is capable of sliding on said cover means and the remaining surfaces flush therewith, said guard means having a lower toothed portion, upper holding tabs and lateral guide tabs. In a preferred embodiment, said first retaining means comprises a vertically orientated slot terminating in a widened portion, while said second retaining means comprises a pin having a head.The box means may be provided with an even number of said side walls and each of them is provided with ribs for engagement with said second seat means. Preferably, said portion of the body means is provided with ribs disposed longitudinally relative to the body means.

A hand held kitchen appliance, in accordance with the present invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a hand held kitchen appliance according to the invention; tion; Figure 2 is a plan view of the appliance; Figure 3 is a side elevation view of just the body means; Figure 4 is a cross section view on the line IV-IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a side elevation view, partly in section, of just the container means; Figure 6 is a cross section view on the line VI-VI of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a side elevation view, partly in section, of just the box means; Figure 8 is a rear view showing the coupling side of the box means of Figure 7; Figure 9 is an underneath view of just the guard means; and Figure 10 is a side elevation view, partly in section, of the guard means of Figure 9.

The kitchen appliance of the invention comprises a body means 1, a box means 2, a container means 3, a cover means 4 and a guard means 5, which parts preferably individually moulded from synthetic resin.

The body means 1, because of it having to fulfil different functions, has a complex design and comprises an upper portion 6 which is provided with longitudinally extending ribs 7 and from which extends a holding means 8; an intermediate wall 9; and a base 10 with housing and seat means 11 for the box means 2 and further housing and seat means 12 for the container means 3.

The box means 2 is a right prismatic shaped hollow body, the polygonal profile of which in the present embodiment is four/ sided, and is provided with a recess 13 for the working tools, such as a slicer 14 (Figure 1), a grater or scaper 15 (Figure 2) and others. The axial edges of the box means 2 form ribs 16 for mounting in the seat means 11 of the body means 1, and the rear coupling face 17 of the box means 2 is provided in the centre thereof with an axially extending pin 18 having a head or cap 19.

In a preferred embodiment, the container means 3 is a rectangular based prismatic cup shaped body whose front face 20 is outwardly sloping (Figure 1). The bottom region 21 is provided on three faces with a peripheral recess for mounting in the seat means 12 of the body means 1, the side walls 22 are otherwise generally vertical and the rear wall 23 is provided with a substantial gap from which extends a sloping surface 24 which penetrates within the box means 2. The container means 3 is provided with an outwardly extending lip 25 around the upper end thereof.

The cover means 4 is a sheetlike flat member provided with ribs 26 adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof, and grating orifices 27, and engages the lip 25 of the container means 3. Furthermore, in the front portion thereof, the cover means 4 is provided with a large gap containing a blade 28 for peeling potatoes or the like (Figure 2).

The guard means 5 is a bridge shaped part, to be fitted over the upper portion 6, the box means 2 and the container means 3 with the cover means 4 thereof, and comprises a peripheral part 29, upper holding tabs 30, side tabs 31 for mounting and guiding over said members, and a lower toothed portion 32 for retaining the food which is to be processed.

The appliance is assembled by placing the box means 2 and container means 3 on their respective seat means 11 and 12, the cover means 4 on the container means 3 and the guard means 5 over the unit formed by said members. From this position, it is easy to place the produce to be processed, particularly fruit, tubers and the like on the grooved surface 6 which produce, being guided and pressed by the guard means 5 moved by hand, is moved over the box means 2 and over the cover means 4. At each stroke, the produce is cut, grated or subjected to a similar operation, whereby the cut material falls onto the sloping surface 24 and from there into the container means 3. If the blade 28 is used, the material falls directly into the container means 3.

Since the box means 2 may be used in different positions, namely, by placing the corresponding tool on the top in each case, this is the first operation to be carried out. To this end, the box means 2 is provided with the pin 18 which is inserted in a slot 33 in the intermediate wall 9 (Figure 4) which slot 33 extends vertically and terminates at the upper end thereof in a wider portion 34 allowing the head 19 of the pin 18 to pass therethrough. Thus, to change the position of the box means 2, it is lifted to disengage it from the seat means 11 of the body means 1 and it is removed when the head 19 can pass through the wider portion 34. Thereafter, after being duly reorientated, the box means 2 is mounted by first inserting the head 19 and then sliding it vertically downwards until it is engaged in said seat means 11. The box means 2 is preferably provided with an even number of side walls.

Claims

1. A hand held kitchen appliance, for use in the preparation of food by way of operations such as grating, scraping, cutting and the like, comprising: - a body means provided, in a lengthwise direction, successively with a base having first seat means and second seat means; an intermediate wall generally normal to said base and having first retaining means; a portion generally parallel to said base; and holding means; - a container means for said food, capable of being mounted on said first seat means and provided on a wall thereof to be opposed to said intermediate wall with a gapped portion, from which extends a sloping wall emerging from the container means; and - a box means comprising a hollow body having the form of a right prism, capable of receiving said sloping wall and of being mounted on said second seat means such that one of the side walls of the box means lies flush with said portion of the body means; each of said side walls of the box means being provided with an appropriate tool suitable for said operations; and the box means having a coupling surface provided with second retaining means which, on engagement with said first retaining means, allows a number of mounting positions for the box means equal to the number of said side walls of the box means.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein a cover means is provided which is capable of engaging the container means in a position flush with said portion of the body means and with said one of said side walls of the box means, said cover means having ribs adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof and also having orifices for use in grating or a similar operation.

3. The appliance of claim 2, wherein said cover means is provided with a cutting tool.

4. The appliance of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein a guard means is provided which is capable of sliding on said cover means and the remaining surfaces flush therewith, said guard means having a lower toothed portion, upper holding tabs and lateral guide tabs.

5. The appliance of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first retaining means comprises a vertically orientated slot terminating in a widened portion, while said second retaining means comprises a pin having a head.

6. The appliance of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the box means is provided with an even number of said side walls and each of them is provided with ribs for engagement with said second seat means.

7. The appliance of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said portion of the body means is provided with ribs disposed longitudinally relative to the body means.

8. A hand held kitchen appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.