FOOD PROCESSOR AND ADJUSTABLE CUTTING ASSEMBLY

• US 20140061344A1
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: CONTI, MICHAEL P., GUSHWA, DAVID J., KOBOS, DUANE M., GILLETTE, THOMAS, ROBERTS, ANTHONY, STUART, NICHOLAS
• Granted Patent: US 9,522,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 241/100
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/0722 Mixing, whipping or cutting tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/255 with grating discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 7/14 Adjusting, applying pressure to, or controlling distance between, discs

Abstract

A food processor includes a bowl with a removable lid. Food items are advanced into the bowl through a feed tube formed in the lid where they are cut by a cutting assembly. The cutting assembly is positionable between a plurality of cutting positions to produce cut food items of varying thicknesses. The food processor includes an adjustment assembly operable to move the cutting assembly between the plurality of cutting positions. The adjustment assembly includes a user-operated control device that is secured to the cutting assembly. The user-operated control device extends through a slot defined in the removable lid such that an upper end of the user-operated control device is positioned outside of the processing chamber.

Claims

1. A cutting assembly for a food processing device, comprising:

a planar disk having an upper surface, and

a plurality of cutting teeth that extend through a plurality of slots defined in the planar disk, each cutting tooth having a cutting edge that defines an opening in the cutting tooth,

wherein (i) the cutting edge of each cutting tooth has a tip positioned above the upper surface of the planar disk, (ii) a distance is defined between the upper surface of the planar disk and the tip, and (iii) the planar disk is movable between a plurality of positions to adjust the distance to produce cut food items of varying thicknesses.

2. The cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein the cutting edge of each cutting tooth includes a first section extending downwardly from the tip to define a first side of the opening and a second section extending downwardly from the tip to define a second side of the opening.

3. The cutting assembly of claim 2, wherein the opening of each cutting tooth is a trapezoidal-shaped opening.

4. The cutting assembly of claim 2, wherein the opening of each cutting tooth is a rectangular-shaped opening.

5. The cutting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a support disk positioned below the planar disk, the support disk having the plurality of cutting teeth extending upwardly therefrom.

6. The cutting assembly of claim 5, wherein each cutting tooth has an inner wall that extends inwardly from the opening to define a channel extending downwardly through the support disk.

7. The cutting assembly of claim 5, wherein the cutting teeth are arranged in a number of staggered rows, each staggered row of cutting teeth being positioned along a radial line extending outwardly from the center of the support disk.

8. The cutting assembly of claim 5, wherein the support disk is removably coupled to the planar disk.

9. The cutting assembly of claim 5, further comprising:

a hub secured to the planar disk, the hub having a base and a platform formed at an upper end of the base,

wherein the support disk is positioned between the platform of the hub and the planar disk.

10. The cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein each slot has an oblong-shaped opening in the upper surface of the planar disk.

11. A food processing device comprising:

a base having a motor positioned therein,

a removable bowl coupled to the base,

a removable lid coupled to the bowl so as to define a processing chamber, the lid having a feed tube that opens into the bowl,

a cutting assembly positioned in the processing chamber and driven by the motor to cut food items advanced through the feed tube, the cutting assembly including (i) a plurality of cutting teeth, each cutting tooth having a tip, (ii) a planar disk having an upper surface, the planar disk being upwardly and downwardly moveable relative to the cutting teeth to adjust a distance defined between each tip of the cutting teeth and the upper surface of the planar disk to produce food items of varying thicknesses, and

an adjustment assembly including a lever extending outwardly from the base, the lever being operable to move one of the planar disk and the cutting teeth relative to each other, wherein the cutting assembly is driven by the motor.

12. The food processing device of claim 11, wherein the cutting teeth extend through a plurality of slots defined in the planar disk, and each cutting tooth has a cutting edge that defines an opening in the cutting tooth.

13. The food processing device of claim 11, wherein the cutting assembly further includes a support disk positioned below the planar disk, the support disk having the plurality of cutting teeth extending upwardly therefrom.

14. The food processing device of claim 13, further comprising a drive stem coupled to an output shaft of the motor and the support disk.

15. The food processing device of claim 14, further comprising an adaptor removably coupled to the planar disk, wherein:

the adjustment assembly further comprises a screw-type drive assembly coupled to the adaptor and the lever,

movement of the lever in a first direction causes the screw-type drive assembly to move the planar disk downward relative to the cutting teeth, and

movement of the lever in a second direction causes the screw-type drive assembly to move the planar disk upward relative to the cutting teeth.

16. A food processing device comprising:

a base having a motor positioned therein,

a removable bowl coupled to the base,

a removable lid coupled to the bowl so as to define a processing chamber, the lid having a feed tube that opens into the bowl,

a cutting assembly positioned in the processing chamber and driven by the motor to cut food items advanced through the feed tube, the cutting assembly including (i) a planar disk having an upper surface, (ii) a support disk positioned below the planar disk, the support disk having a plurality of cutting teeth extending upwardly through the planar disk, and

an adjustment assembly coupled to the cutting assembly, the adjustment assembly including a user-operated control device positioned outside of the processing chamber,

wherein (i) each cutting tooth has a tip positioned above the upper surface of the planar disk, (ii) one of the support disk and the planar disk is moveable to adjust a distance defined between each tip of the cutting teeth and the upper surface of the planar disk to produce food items of varying thicknesses, and (iii) the user-operated control device is operable to move the one of the support disk and the planar disk while the cutting assembly is driven by the motor.

17. The food processing device of claim 16, wherein the user-operated control device is a lever extending outwardly from the base, the lever being operable to move the support disk while the cutting assembly is driven by the motor.

18. The food processing device of claim 16, wherein the cutting teeth extend through a plurality of slots defined in the planar disk, and each cutting tooth has a cutting edge that defines an opening in the cutting tooth.

19. The food processing device of claim 18, wherein:

the processing chamber has an upper compartment and a lower compartment, and

each cutting tooth has an inner wall that extends inwardly from the opening to define a channel extending downwardly through the support disk to advance food items cut by the cutting tooth from the upper compartment to the lower compartment.

20. The food processing device of claim 18, wherein the opening of each cutting tooth is a trapezoidal-shaped opening.