FOOD PROCESSOR WITH DICING TOOL

• US 20100154658A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: KABALA, KEELEY M., CONTI, MICHAEL P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,122,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/537
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/0711 mixing, whipping or cutting tools
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/29 with cutting member mounted in the plane of a rotating disc, e.g. for slicing beans
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 3/185 Grid like cutters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 83/932 Edible
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/023 With infeeding of work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/222 With receptacle or support for cut product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6595 With means to move tool laterally of feed direction during cutting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/7793 Means to rotate or oscillate tool

Abstract

A food processor defining a food processing path through which are movable a cutting tool and a dicing tool for processing a food item. The dicing tool has multiple dicing elements selectively movable through the food processing path, between the cutting tool and the receptacle, to dice the food cut by the cutting tool.

Claims

1. A food processor comprising:

a receptacle configured to receive processed food;

a food guide configured to receive food for processing and in communication with the receptacle to at least partially define a food processing path from the food guide to the receptacle;

a cutting tool selectively movable through the food processing path to cut food as it passes through the food processing path;

a dicing tool having multiple dicing elements selectively movable through the food processing path, between the cutting tool and the receptacle, to dice the food cut by the cutting tool; and

a drive mechanism coupled to the dicing tool to selectively move the multiple dicing elements through the food processing path.

2. The food processor according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiple dicing elements are dicing grids comprising intersecting cutting elements defining openings.

3. The food processor according to claim 2, wherein each of the dicing grids are of different sizes as determined by the opening size.

4. The food processor according to claim 3, wherein the dicing tool is a rotatable disc and the dicing grids are formed in the disc.

5. The food processor according to claim 4, wherein the drive mechanism is one of an electric motor having a drive shaft coupled to the rotatable disc and a ratchet mechanism.

6. The food processor according to claim 5, wherein the cutting tool is a rotatable disc having at least one cutting blade.

7. The food processor according to claim 1, further comprising a housing in which the food processing path is located.

8. The food processor according to claim 7, wherein the housing comprises a bowl and a lid, which is removably mounted to the bowl, with the bowl defining the receptacle and the lid defining at least a portion of the food guide.

9. The food processor according to claim 1 wherein the drive mechanism is an electric motor and a coupler selectively coupling the electric motor to the cutting tool to move the cutting tool through the food processing path.

10. The food processor according to claim 9 wherein the drive mechanism further comprises a drive shaft coupling the electric motor to the cutting tool and the coupler comprising a sleeve slidable along the drive shaft, whereby slidable movement of the sleeve couples and uncouples the sleeve to the body and rotation of the drive shaft rotates the sleeve to move the dicing tool when the sleeve is coupled to the dicing tool.

11. The food processor according to claim 10 wherein the drive mechanism further comprises an actuator for slidably moving the sleeve relative to the drive shaft.

12. The food processor according to claim 1 wherein the drive mechanism is a manually-actuable lever coupled to the body.

13. The food processor according to claim 12 wherein the drive mechanism further comprises a ratchet mechanism coupling the lever to the body.

14. The food processor according to claim 13 wherein one of the lever and the ratchet mechanism has a predetermined range of motion indexed relative to the dicing elements to effect positioning the dicing elements within the food processing path.

15. A food processor comprising:

a bowl terminating in a lip and defining a receptacle configured to receive processed food;

a lid removably mounted to the bowl, with the bowl and lid collectively forming a food processing chamber in which the receptacle is located;

a food chute in communication with the food processing chamber to at least partially define a food processing path from the food chute to the receptacle;

a cutting tool located within the food processing chamber and selectively movable through the food processing path to cut food as it passes through the food processing path;

a dicing tool carried by at least one of the bowl and lid and having multiple dicing elements selectively movable through the food processing path, between the cutting tool and the receptacle, to dice the food cut by the cutting tool; and

a drive mechanism coupled to the dicing tool to selectively move the dicing elements through the food processing path.

16. The food processor according to claim 15 wherein the dicing tool comprises a frame configured to mount to one of the bowl and lid, and a body rotatably mounted to the frame, with the dicing elements formed in the body.

17. The food processor according to claim 16 wherein the frame is a ring and the body is a disc.

18. The food processor according to claim 17 wherein at least a portion of the frame is received within the bowl.

19. The food processor according to claim 18 wherein the at least a portion of the frame is press-fit against the lip.

20. The food processor according to claim 17 wherein the cutting tool is a disc having at least one cutting blade.

21. The food processor according to claim 16 wherein the drive mechanism is an electric motor and a coupler selectively coupling the electric motor to the body to rotate the body.

22. The food processor according to claim 21 wherein the drive mechanism further comprises a drive shaft coupling the electric motor to the cutting tool and the coupler comprising a sleeve rotatably mounted to the drive shaft and slidable along the drive shaft, whereby rotation of the drive rotates the sleeve and slidably of the sleeve couples and uncouples the sleeve to the body.

23. The food processor according to claim 22 wherein the drive mechanism further comprises an actuator for slidably moving the sleeve relative to the drive shaft.

24. The food processor according to claim 16 wherein the drive mechanism is a manually-actuable lever coupled to the body.

25. The food processor according to claim 24 wherein the drive mechanism further comprises a ratchet mechanism coupling the lever to the body.

26. The food processor according to claim 25 wherein the lever extends through aligned openings in the frame and the bowl.

27. The food processor according to claim 25 wherein one of the lever and the ratchet mechanism has a predetermined range of motion indexed relative to the dicing elements to effect positioning the dicing elements within the food processing path.