KR101810345B1 - Safety feature for fruit and vegetable juicer - Google Patents

Abstract

A slow type of fruit and vegetable juice with rotating projections is provided with a supply line having safety features arranged in an array around the upper edge.

Description

Safety features for fruit and vegetable juice {SAFETY FEATURE FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICER}

The present invention is directed to fruit and vegetable juices, and more particularly to safety features that limit undesirable access to the inside of the supply tube of the juicer.

There are many forms of fruit and vegetable juice generators or juicers. Common assumptions include a fast or centrifugal juicer and a juicer using a screw-shaped auger, sometimes referred to as a slow juicer. An example of a centrifugal juicer is disclosed in the Applicant's granted Australian Patent 684615. An example of a slow type of juicer can be disclosed in the applicant's Australian patent application no. 2013901411. The contents of the above-mentioned publications are incorporated herein by reference.

The juicers on both sides of the type described above have feed tubes. The fruits and vegetables are introduced into the feed tube and pushed through the feed tube by the pusher. Having a large diameter supply tube is advantageous because the fruit or vegetable can be introduced as a whole without cutting or breaking first. However, the large diameter supply tube may be improperly used, particularly by the ingress of human hands into the supply tube.

It is an object of the present invention to provide safety pins or safety features on a supply tube of a "SLOW" type of fruit and vegetable juice that restrict access into the supply tube.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a ring with the features formed thereon. The ring can be applied to the upper rim of the supply tube of the slow type juicer.

Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided a ring that can be applied to the upper rim of a supply tube of a slow type juicer, said ring having inwardly directed finger portions, said finger portions having upper edges that are tapered downwardly.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a supply tube for a slow type of fruit and vegetable juice wherein the upper rim of the supply tube has integral inwardly facing fins and the fins have an upper edge that is tilted downward.

In yet another embodiment, the ring described above is provided with a pusher guide extending inwardly.

In yet another embodiment, the supply tube described above is provided with an inwardly directed pusher guide.

In yet another embodiment, the supply tube of the slow type juicer has a plurality of inwardly extending safety features and one or more anti-rotation pins located in the supply tube.

In some embodiments, the described features of safety pins and one or more anti-rotation pins are combined with protrusions with a grating disk in a slow type of juicer.

In some embodiments, the above-described features of safety pins and one or more anti-rotation pins are combined with protrusions having a conical top portion with one or more cutting edges in a slow type of juicer.

For a better understanding of the techniques of the present invention, reference is now made to the following drawings, in which:
1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a slow juicer;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a supply tube of a juicer with an inwardly directed safety feature and an inwardly directed pusher guide;
Figure 3 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the device shown in Figures 2 and 3;
5 is a perspective view of the supply tube;
Figure 6 is a bottom perspective view, in partial cross-section, showing a supply tube with a safety indicator and an internal anti-rotation pin;
Figure 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a projection and a helically shaped supply tube with a conical top portion;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the device shown in Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 8;
10 is a cross-sectional view of a helically shaped feed tube with anti-rotation pins;
11 is a cross-sectional view of a helically shaped supply tube with one or more internal anti-rotation pins;
Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the feed tube showing the pusher acting like an internal anti-rotation pin.

1, a juicer 100, such as a slow juicer, has a vertical feed tube 101 with an entry opening 103 and the upper portion 104 of the feed tube is referred to as an inlet region. An inner blade, a pin, a projection or a knife (not shown), which is used to prevent unnecessary rotation of the contents of the supply tube 101 when action is effected by a standard disk or projection The supply tube 101 may have a tube 102 therein.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical feed tube 101 may be formed integrally (or otherwise, as described) with the inwardly facing safety feature 201. In this example, the safety feature 201 is an inwardly directed pin, fingering, protrusion or extension. The radially formed safety pins 201 are chamfered or have sharp upper protrusions so that the pins 201 can be secured to other objects, for example, too large or too hard to pass through the generated disturbance, As a result, access to the inside of the supply tube 101 is restricted and fruits and vegetables can pass through. In the example of FIG. 2, four fins 201 are equally spaced around the inner surface of the supply tube near the filler inlet opening 203. The number of radially inward facing fins 201 may be two or more. The fins 201 may be integrally formed with the supply tube as shown in Fig. 2 or may be formed integrally with the separation ring applied to the upper rim of the supply tube as shown in Fig. In the embodiment in which the pins are carried by the separation ring and subsequently applied to the inlet region of the feed tube 101, the ring 204 is provided with a clip or other mechanical feature (Not shown).

2, the upper surface or the upper edge of the safety pin 201 is inclined downward and thereby inclined from horizontal. Figure 2 shows a horizontal line 206 intersecting the vertical plane of the pin 207 and located directly over it. The top edge or top surface 208 of each safety pin 201,207 is tilted 209 relative to the horizontal line 206. As such, the radially inner portion of each fin 201 is lower than the radially outer portion of the upper edge 208 of each fin. This inclination of the upper edges of the pins allows larger fruits such as apples to be stably supported thereon and can be stably supported and centered by the fins without falling to such a time that the fruit is pressed past the fins .

As shown in FIG. 3, safety pins 201 of the type described with respect to FIG. 2 may be integrally formed with the supply tube about the inner surface of the supply tube adjacent the upper inlet opening 203.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the safety pins may be provided with an inner pusher engagement feature 210 on the inside of the ring formed thereon, or on the inner surface of the supply tube. In these examples, the coalescing feature 210 is a projection having equivalent lengths of sides that act like one or more slots or grooves formed on the outer surface of the pusher that act like a feed tube. The co-operation between the coalescing feature 210 and the interaction slot of the supply tube ensures that the correct orientation is maintained, if necessary, between the supply tube and the pusher.

As shown in FIG. 5, the pusher 500 is provided with vertical arrays or peripheries of slots 501. These grooves or slots 501 align and cooperate with the safety pins 502 located at the upper end of the supply tube 503. These grooves or slots 501 align and interact with the safety pins 502 located at the upper end of the supply tube 503. In some embodiments of the present invention, the supply tube also has an internal anti-rotation pin, knife or blade 504. 2 and 4 shows that the anti-rotation feature 504 is securely aligned vertically with one of the one or more safety pins 505, and that each of the vertical grooves or slot 501 is secured to the safety pin 505, Anti-rotation feature 502, 505, and anti-rotation feature 504. As such, the supply tube 500 may be inserted into a specific orientation and remove each of the safety pins 502, 505 and the anti-rotation feature 504.

As shown in FIG. 6, the supply tube 600 of the fruit and vegetable juice is equipped with a safety feature 601 of the type previously described in connection with FIGS. 2-5. Each safety feature or pin 601 is received in a vertical slot 602 of the supply tube 603. The feed tube 600 also has an inner anti-rotation knife pin 604 therein. In this example, the pin knife 604 is larger than the safety feature 601 and extends further in the radial direction toward the center of the supply tube. To accommodate the larger antirotation pin 604, each vertical groove 602 is provided with an extension 605 at its lower end. The extension is configured to receive both anti-rotation pins 604 therein. One of the extensions 605 can receive the anti-rotation pin 604 when the supply tube 603 is fully inserted into the supply tube 600. 6, each extension 605 has an oblique upper edge 606 at the same angle as the upper edge 607 of the anti-rotation pin 604. In the example of FIG. In this example, the lowermost opening or receiving slot 605 of each groove 607 is wider than the thickness of the anti-rotation fin 604 and adjacent to the outer surface of the supply tube from the tightest portion 609 near the center of the supply tube And may be tapered to the maximum light portion 610. The lower edge of the receiving slot 605 may be rounded to better pass over the anti-rotation fin 604 when the supply tube is inserted. With this arrangement, the pusher 603 can be inserted into the supply tube 600 at a number of orientations, in particular at a bearing number such as the number of safety features 601.

As shown in FIGS. 7-12, a slow or augur-based fruit and vegetable juice 700 may have a helical feed tube 701. The helical supply tube 701 has a straight, cylindrical upper portion 702 leading to a helical or curved lower portion 703. The lower opening 704 of the supply tube 702 is formed, for example, immediately adjacent to the projection or standard disk. 7-9, the protrusion 705 has a top portion 706 shaped like an inverted conical shape and a bottom portion 707 having generally a machined threaded portion 708 of variable pitch. In some embodiments, the conical upper portion 706 can be independently rotated at a different speed than the lower portion 707. In other embodiments, the upper and lower portions 706 and 707 are then formed into an integral unit and rotate together.

Upper portion 706 is conical or inverted conical. In this example, the upper portion 709 is flat and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 710 of the feed tube 702. The upper end of the shaft 711 that supports the upper portion 706 may be limited by the bearing 712 or other fixed to the lid 713 of the juicer 700. [ The upper portion 706 may have one or more cutting edges 713 extending from the top of the top portion 706 to the bottom. Each cutting edge 713 is engaged with a tapered groove 714 and thereby acts to break food passing through the upper portion 706 towards the lower portion 707.

As shown in Fig. 8, the lid 801 conforms to the shape of the upper portion 706 and integrally formed with the entire supply tubes 701 and 703 therein.

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the upper end or inlet region of the supply tube 702 may include an array 715, which may be integrally or separately applied to the inwardly projecting safety feature 716. The array 715 may be in the form of a ring 717. The ring preferably has an upper flange 718 that is fixed within the feed tube 702 and forms the uppermost surface of the feed tube. In this example, the inwardly directed safety feature includes blade-shaped protrusions in the inlet region having respective upper edges 719 that are downwardly sloped.

As shown in Fig. 9, the supply tube may be secured with anti-rotation knives, blades or fins 901 along its inner surface. The upper region or array 715 of feed tubes 702 may also include inwardly projecting feed tube fitting features 902. The coalescing feature 902 acts as a longitudinal groove of the pusher associated with the inventive device.

As shown in FIG. 10, the supply tube 701 has an inner anti-rotation pin 1000 having an upper edge 1001 that is downwardly sloping. In this example, the upper region of the pin 1002 is located approximately midway of the cylindrical portion 702 of the supply tube. The pin 1000 reaches the lowermost point 1003 inside the supply tube. The pin 1000 has a vertical edge 1004 extending from the lowermost point 1001 of the edge to the bottom of the supply tube 1003 to the point where the pin reaches. The attachment between the fin 1000 and the supply tube 701 includes a curved interface 1005. In the example of FIG. 10, the projection 1006 is connected to the rotation standard disk 1007. However, the protrusion 1006 may be provided with a conical upper portion 706 as shown in FIG.

11, the inner anti-rotation pin 1100 may be exceptionally positioned along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 702 of the supply tube 701. [ In the example of Figure 11, the pin 1100 is shown on the inner surface of the supply tube opposite the lower opening 1101 to the protuberance or conical top 706, 707. In other embodiments, the anti-rotation pin 1102 may be located above the lower opening 1101. The supply tube may include two or more internal anti-rotation pins 1101 and 1102.

As shown in FIG. 12, the supply tube 1200 may include an inwardly projecting safety feature 716 and a vertical groove 1201 for receiving the alignment feature 902. In the example of FIG. 12, the pusher 1200 also has one or more vertical grooves 1202 for receiving one or more anti-rotation pins 1203. The pins for receiving the grooves or grooves 1202 do not have to extend over the entire length of the supply tube 1200 so that the supply tube 1200 extends below the upper portion of the projection and the upper portion 1204 of the conical portion 706 And the lower region of the pusher has a recess or scallop 1205 that allows the projection to rotate without interfering with the supply tube 1200. The lower region of the supply tube is also chamfered, beveled or radiused 1206 so that the lower end portion 1207 of the supply tube 1200 can enter the bending or helical portion 703 of the supply tube.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of ordinal prepositions, such as "first", "second", "third", etc., Is intended merely to indicate other examples and not to imply that the objects being described should be in a certain order, temporally or spatially, graded, or otherwise.

Throughout this specification, the phrase "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an example" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment Which is included in one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase " in one embodiment "or" in an example "in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example, can do.

In addition, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Similarly, in describing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention above, it is believed that various aspects of the invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art from a detailed description of a single embodiment, figure, It should be understood that the description can be distinguished as follows. However, the method of disclosure of the present invention should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than those explicitly stated in each claim. Rather, as set forth in the following claims, aspects of the present invention reside in features that are smaller than all features of the embodiments disclosed before singular. Certain claims subsequent to the detailed description are expressly incorporated herein in this detailed description, and each claim is set forth as its separate embodiment of the present invention in its own right.

It is also to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, all of the other features included in other embodiments, and combinations of features of other embodiments, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, Are intended to be within the scope of the present invention and form another embodiment. For example, in the following claims, some of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that other embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, It is intended to include all such variations and modifications falling within the scope.

While the invention has been described with reference to particular details of construction, it is to be understood that they have been provided by way of example and that no limitations are intended as to the scope or spirit of the invention.

100: Juicer 101: Feed tube

Claims (7)

A rotating augur,
A grating disc positioned above the rotation protrusions,
A feed tube having an interior to reach the standard disk and the rotation protrusion;
The supply tube having an upper end forming a mouth area;
A safety pin array protruding inwardly from the surface of the inlet region of the supply tube:
And at least one anti-rotation pin located below the safety pin array in the supply tube, the slow juice device comprising:
Wherein said safety finger array permits pressing of fruits and vegetables while restricting access to objects that can not pass impedances generated by said safety pin array into the supply tube. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the safety pin array is formed on a ring secured to an upper end of the supply tube. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the inlet region is aligned with an inwardly directed supply tube. delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Characterized in that the safety pin array has a downwardly sloping upper edge and the radially inner portion of the upper edge is lower than the radially outer portion of the upper edge (208).

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