WO2005060770A1

WO2005060770A1 - A juice extractor

Info

Publication number: WO2005060770A1
Application number: PCT/IL2004/001164
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yehonatan Lavee
Original assignee: Yehonatan Lavee
Priority date: 2003-12-24
Filing date: 2004-12-23
Publication date: 2005-07-07

Abstract

A juice extractor device for extracting liquids from fruits and/or vegetables. The Juice extractor (10) comprises a bottom filtering member (20) and a top pressing member (30) pivotally connected to each other, the filtering member (20) comprises a concave receiving cup-like chamber (12) having a perforated bottom (15) for allowing liquids to flow therethrough and pulp to be collected therein. The pressing member comprises a pressing surface (32) substantially conforming to and adapted to fit into the receiving chamber for gradually pressing a fruit or a vegetable placed in the receiving chamber.

Description

A JUICE EXTRACTOR

BACKGROUND OF THE INNENTION FIELD OF THE INNENTION

The present invention relates to a method and mechanical devices for

extracting liquids from fruits and/or vegetables.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART Presently, all juice extractors are based on devices having a conically-

shaped extractor wherein a piece of fruit or vegetable is situated on the conically-

shaped top of the extractor and pressure is applied by hand or by other

mechanisms to the top of the fruit or vegetable. Moreover, the fruit must be

twisted on to the conically-shaped extractor in order to extract juice. As a result of

both the force applied and twisting of the piece of fruit or vegetable, juice is

extracted.

Accordingly, there is a need for a juice extractor that extracts more juice

with less effort and force. SUMMARY OF THE INNENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a juice

extractor assembly including a concave bottom filtering and pulp collecting

mechanism and a top pressure extracting mechanism that operatively engages with

the bottom filtering and pulp collecting mechanism. The bottom filtering and pulp

collecting mechanism further includes at least one perforation that allows liquids

to flow therethrough, while allowing pulp to be collected within the bottom

filtering and pulp collecting mechanism. The top pressure extracting mechanism

further includes a protrusion that forces the fruit or vegetable to be turned inside

out upon application of force.

More specifically, the juice extractor device of the invention comprises

a bottom filtering member, and a top pressing member pivotally connected to each

other. The filtering member comprises a concave receiving chamber having a

perforated bottom for allowing liquids to flow therethrough and pulp to be

collected therein. The pressing member comprises a pressing surface substantially

conforming to and adapted to fit into the receiving chamber for gradually pressing

a fruit or a vegetable placed in the receiving chamber. The fruit or vegetable is

placed in the receiving chamber with the peel directed away from the perforated

bottom. Preferably, the dimensions of the pressing surface are slightly smaller than

the dimensions of the receiving cup so as to form a gap between the two when the

device is in a closed position. In accordance with one embodiment of the

invention, the filtering member and the pressing member are further provided with arms extending from an end opposed the pivoted end for gripping the device and

for acting as levers for enhancing the compressing force. Preferably, the concave

receiving chamber and the pressing surface are of a substantially truncated

hemisphere having an upwardly directed opening and a f at bottom. The invention further provides a method for extracting juice from a fruit

or a vegetable. The method comprising the steps of a) placing a fruit or vegetable

or a part thereof in a concave receiving chamber having a perforated bottom with

the peel of said fruit or vegetable directed away from said perforated bottom; and

b) pressing said fruit or vegetable or the part thereof by means of a pressing

surface, the pressing surface is having a curvature adapted to fit into said concave

receiving chamber. Preferably, the fruit or vegetable is cut and the cut fruit or

vegetable is placed in the receiving chamber with the cut facing the perforated

bottom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully

from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in

which: Figs. 1 A and IB are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of

a juice extractor in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention,

showing the juice extractor in an open position;

Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the juice extractor in a closed position;

Fig. 2B is a longitudinal cross-section through the closed juice

extractor;

Figs. 3A - 3D are a side view, a top view, a bottom view and a front

view, respectively, of the closed juice extractor;

Figs. 4A - 4D are a front view, a side view, a top view and a perspective

view, respectively, of the filtering and pulp collecting member; 5 A - 5D are a longitudinal cross section, a front view, a top view and a

perspective view, respectively, of the pressure extracting member;

Figs. 6A and 6B illustrate the operation of the juice extractor of the

invention in a perspective view and a side view, respectively. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INNENTION

Generally, the present invention is directed towards a juice extracting

device. The juice extracting device extracts juice from a fruit or vegetable by

pressing the fruit and by turning the fruit or vegetable inside out, in other words,

the natural concavity of the fruit or vegetable is reversed, for maximizing

extraction.

The present invention can be used in any setting, including, but not

limited to, residential and commercial use. The present invention can be a hand¬

held device or can be adapted to be used in larger fruit extraction machines. In the

hand-held embodiment the device allows for directly extracting the juice onto or

into the designated target, e.g., a salad bowl, a drinking glass, etc., with no need to

use an additional collecting bowl as is usually the case with other manual-

manipulated juicers.

The present invention has numerous advantages over the prior art. For

example, the present invention is easy to use and easy to clean. The present

invention extracts more juice than other prior art juice extractions systems.

Moreover, less force and time is required to extract the juice from the fruit or

vegetable.

The present invention can be made of any material known to those of

skill in the art. Materials, include, but are not limited to, aluminum, plastic,

stainless steel, ceramic, chrome, alloys, composites, polymers, combinations thereof, and any other suitable hardened materials known to those of skill in the

art.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the juice extracting

assembly includes a bottom filtering and pulp collecting mechanism that is a

concave device with at least one perforation. Attached to the bottom filtering and

pulp collecting mechanism is a top pressure extracting mechanism. The pressure

extracting mechanism is pivotally connected to the bottom filtering mechanism

through a pivoting mechanism including, but not limited to, a pin, bolt, and the

like. The top pressure extracting mechanism operatively engages the bottom

filtering and pulp collecting mechanism. The top pressure mechanism includes a

protrusion such as an upside down hemisphere that can insert into the bottom

filtering and pulp collecting mechanism in order to turn the fruit or vegetable

inside out and extract juice therefrom. Although an upside down hemisphere is

preferred, any protruding or conically shaped device can be used to turn the fruit

or vegetable inside out.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the bottom filtering

mechanism and top extracting mechanism further includes handles for gripping

and for acting as levers for applying force to the juice extracting assembly. In a

motor-driven mechanical embodiment, the device may comprise a stationary

bottom filtering mechanism and a motor-driven movable top extracting

mechanism. The movable top extracting mechanism may be actuated by a pivotal movement of an arm toward and away from the stationary filter, similarly to the

manual device.

Referring now to the drawings, Figs. 1 - 6 illustrate a hand-held juice

extractor, generally designated 10, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of

the invention. Juice extractor 10 comprises a bottom filtering and pulp collecting

member 20 and an upper pressing member 30. Members 20 and 30 are pivotally

joining together at one end by means of common pin axis 50. Member 20

comprises a concave receiving cup 12 haying a perforated bottom 15 and an arm

22 extending from one end of the upper edge of chamber 12. An extension 26

extends outwardly and upwardly from a second end of cup 12 in opposite direction

to arm 22. The bottom surface 15 of cup 12 is provided with perforations 18.

Member 30 comprises a pressing cup 32 adapted to fit into filtering cup 12, a pair

of laterally spaced extensions 46 extending from one end of cup 32 and an arm 42

extending from an opposed end thereof. Members 20 and 30 are pivotally joined

together by means of common traverse pin 50 inserted through holes 28 and 48 of

extensions 26 and 46, respectively, for allowing a swinging motion of members 20

and 30 toward and away each other. Arms 22 and 42 extending in an opposite

direction to the pivot end allow for gripping device 10 and act as levers for

facilitating exertion pressure on a fruit or vegetable placed in chamber 12. Arms

22 and 24 are substantially of the same size and adapted to come in contact and

substantially overlap each other when the device is closed. In accordance with the

embodiment shown here, lower arm 22 in provided with an enforcing rib 25 (best seen in Fig, 3C) designed to enhance the strength of the device and facilitates

gripping. Also in accordance with the embodiment described here, arms 22 and 42

comprise an external frame which define inners spaces 21 and 42, respectively.

This allows for reducing the weight of the device while mamtaining its strength.

Arms 22 and 42 are further provided with apertures 24 and 44 at the distal ends

thereof for allowing hanging device 10 when not in use.

The upper edge of cup 32 is provided with a peripheral rim 34 having

circumference identical to the most upper circumference of cup 12. The lower

surface 36 of cup 32 closely conforms with the upper inner surface 14 of receiving

cup 12 but is having a slightly smaller dimension. In accordance with embodiment

shown here, both cups 12 and 32 are of a substantially hemisphere shape. When

device 10 is in a closed position, the lower edge of rim 34 comes in contact with

the upper edge of cup 12 while cup 32 is located inside cup 12, as best seen in Fig.

2B. Also seen in Fig. 2B is the gap 60 formed between cups 12 and 32 in the

closed position. Gap .60 allows for the accommodation of the skin, pulp and seeds

of the fruit or vegetable. Preferably the gap is having a cross section in the range 2

-6 mm. In order to enhance the compression force acting on the fruit or vegetable

for maximizing extraction, the bottoms 15 and 35 of cups 12 and 32, respectively,

are flat, thus maximizing the contact surface between fruit and compressing cups.

Further in order to increase the pressure, a flat annular portion 37 is projecting

upwardly from bottom 35 (best seen in Fig. 5 A) such that the lower part of

pressing surface 36 assumes the shape of an upside-down cut cone. As best seen in Figs. 6, portion 37 of pressing cup 32 is the first portion to come in contact with

the fruit placed inside cup 12. This allows for applying the extracting pressure in a

gradual manner for enhancing ease of operation -and for maximizing the amount of

extracted juice. In operation, a fruit or a vegetable is placed in cup 12 with its curved

surface directed upwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Preferably, the fruit or vegetable

is first cut into halves and the fruit or vegetable 70 is placed in cup 12 with the cut

facing the perforated bottom 15 and with peel directed upwardly. It will be

realized that in most cases, when the fruit or vegetable is initially placed in cup 12,

the cut is not yet in contact with bottom 15 and that initially the fruit is stopped by

the inwardly slopped walls of the cup to be positioned at a certain height above

bottom 15. However, as pressing cup 32 applies pressure on the upper surface of

the fruit, the natural concavity of the fruit is reversed and the fruit's peel is turned

inside out. It will be realized that the unique curvature of cups 12 and 32 as well

as their conformation to each other and the dimension of gap 60 formed between

the cups maximize the compressing force applied to the fruit or vegetable and

forces it to turn inside out. Furthermore, the force applied on the fruit at the final

stage of the extraction, i.e. when the peel is already turned inside out, presses all

the remaining parts, such as pulp and seeds, into the peel so that all the remains

can be collected as a one piece with no leftovers sticking to the walls of the cups

or clogging perforations 18. In order to further reduce the stickiness of leftovers

and to facilitate ease of cleaning after use, the inner surface 14 of cup 12 is a smooth non-sticking surface and/or may be covered with a smooth non-sticking

food-compatible layer, such as lacquer, a teflon etc.

It will be appreciated that device 10 can be provided at various sizes and

shapes. It will be also appreciated that cups 12 and 32 may be designed to assume

size and curvature adapted to fit a specific type of fruit or vegetable. In particular

device 10 may be used for extracting juice from citrus fruits such as lemon,

tangerine, etc. In order to enhance the appearance of the device, the external

surface 16 of cup 12 may be provided with decorative design. The design may be

directed at resembling the appearance of a fruit or a vegetable, for example a

design of citrus fruit segments as illustrated in the drawings, for insinuating the

use of the device.

It will be appreciated that the invention has been described in an

illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology, which has been

used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of

limitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention

are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that

within the scope of the described invention, the invention may be practiced

otherwise than as specifically described.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the

present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described

hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present invention is defined only by the

claims which follow.

Claims

1. A juice extractor device comprising a bottom filtering member and a top pressing member pivotally connected to each other, the filtering member

. comprises a concave receiving chamber having a perforated bottom for -allowing liquids to flow therethrough and pulp to be collected therein, the pressing member comprises a pressing surface substantially conforming to and adapted to fit into the receiving chamber for gradually pressing a fruit or a vegetable placed in the receiving chamber.

2. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein the top pressing member further comprises an arm extending from an upper edge of said pressing surface, said arm serves as a lever for enhancing the downward force of the pressing surface.

3. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein filtering member and the pressing member are pivotally connected to each other at a first end and wherein each of the members further comprises an arm extending from a second end opposed to said first end, the arms allow for gripping the device and for acting as levers for enhancing compressing force.

4. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein said concave receiving chamber and said pressing surface are each having a substantially hemisphere shape.

5. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein the dimensions of the pressing surface are slightly smaller than the dimensions of the receiving cup so as to form a gap between the two when the device is in a closed position.

6. The juice extractor of claim 5 wherein said gap is in the range 2- 6 mm.

7. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein said perforated bottom is flat.

8. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein said pressing surface is having a flat bottom.

9. The juice extractor of claim 6 wherein the bottom of said pressing surface is an upside down truncated cone.

10. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein the device is manually manipulated.

11. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein the device is motor-driven.

12. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein the fruit or vegetable is placed in the receiving chamber with the peel directed away from the perforated bottom.

13. The juice extractor of claim 1 wherein the receiving chamber is having a smooth non-sticking inner surface for enhancing ease of cleaning.

14. A hand-held juice extractor for extracting juice from fruits and vegetable, in particular for extracting juice from citrus fruits and more particularly from a lemon, the juice extractor comprising: a lower filtering member comprising a concave receiving chamber having a perforated bottom and a first arm extending from a first end of the receiving chamber; and a press member pivotally mounted to a second end of said receiving chamber opposed to said first end, the press member comprising a curved upside-down pressing surface operatively engaged with the. receiving chamber and a second arm aligned with the first arm.

15. The juice extractor of claim 12 wherein the receiving chamber and the pressing surface are having a flat bottom.

16. A method for extracting juice from a fruit or a vegetable comprising: placing a fruit or vegetable or a part thereof in a concave receiving chamber having a perforated bottom with the peel of said fruit or vegetable directed away from said perforated bottom; and pressing said fruit or vegetable or the part thereof by means of a pressing surface, the pressing surface is having a curvature adapted to fit into said concave receiving chamber.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising cutting the fruit or vegetable prior to placing the fruit or vegetable in the receiving chamber and wherein the cut fruit or vegetable is placed in the receiving chamber with the cut facing the perforated bottom.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising taming the fruit or vegetable inside out upon application of pressure for maximizing extraction.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said fruit or vegetable is a citrus fruit.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein said fruit or vegetable is a lemon.