Food processor with strainer and trash basket means

• US 5,433,144 A
• Filed: 12/05/1994
• Issued: 07/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lee, Chin-Lung
• Original Assignee: Lee, Chin-Lung
• Inventors: Lee, Chin-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US08/354,011
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• Field of Search: 99/495, 99/509-513, 99/484, 99/536, 99/537, 210/360.1, 210/380.1, 210/369, 241/37.5, 241/92, 241/282.1, 241/282.2, 366/314
• US Class Current: 99/512
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 19/027 Centrifugal extractors
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/046 with tools driven from the bottom side

Abstract

A food processor including a motor housing base to hold a motor, a work bowl mounted around a top support on the motor housing base and having a front opening, a strainer basket fastened to a lid and turned within the work bowl by the motor, a cutter disposed within the strainer basket and turned by the motor, a top cover covered on the work bowl, a trash basket pivoted to the motor housing base and supported on a platform on the motor housing base adjacent to the front opening of the work bowl to collect trash from the work bowl, and a scraper slidably fastened to the top cover and by sliding block for removing trash from the strainer basket.

Claims

1. A food processor comprising:

a motor housing base holding a driving motor, said motor housing base comprising a top support, a lid covered on said top support and turned about said top support by said driving motor, and a platform attached to said motor housing base, said lid having an upright screw rod screwed up with a cap nut;

a trash basket supported on said platform, said trash basket having one end pivoted to said motor housing base and defining a top open chamber for collecting trash;

a work bowl mounted on said motor housing base around said top support, said work bowl comprising a center mounting hole, which receives said top support and said lid, an annular vertical wall located around the outer periphery of said work bowl, a front opening made on said annular vertical wall and facing said top open chamber of said trash basket for letting trash be moved out of said work bowl to said trash basket, an annular inside flange raised from said annular vertical wall on the inside, a juice chamber defined within said annular inside flange around the center mounting hole of said work bowl, a juice outlet for guiding juice out of said juice chamber, a packing ring supported on said annular inside flange within said annular vertical wall, said packing ring defining a strainer basket mounting hole and having an outward projecting strip covered over said juice outlet and a flat outward flange covered over the front opening of said work bowl;

a strainer basket mounted on said strainer basket mounting hole around said upright screw rod of said lid and supported above said packing ring and turned by said driving motor through said upright screw rod, said strainer basket having a center through hole through which said upright screw rod of said lid passes, and a meshed peripheral wall through which juice flows to said juice chamber;

a circular cutter blade mounted around said upright screw rod of said lid and disposed inside said strainer basket and turned by said driving motor through said upright screw rod to cut and crush fruits and vegetables into juice, said circular cutter blade having a center through hole through which said upright screw rod of said lid passes; and

a top cover covered on said annular vertical wall of said work bowl, said top cover comprising a feed tube through which fruits and vegetables are put into said strainer basket for cutting and crushing by said circular cutter blade, a top sliding hole, a sliding block moved in said top sliding hole and retained to said top cover by spring means, a scraper fastened to said sliding block and moved by said sliding block toward said strainer basket to remove trash from said strainer basket, and a front flange covered over said top open chamber of said trash basket.

2. The food processor of claim 1 wherein said trash basket has a downward axle and an upward axle vertically aligned at one end thereof and respectively turnably fastened to the axle housings on said top cover and said motor housing base.

3. The food processor of claim 2 wherein said trash basket has a retainer rod at one end opposite to said downward axle;

said motor housing base has a retaining hole, which receives said retainer rod of said trash basket when said trash basket is supported on said platform of said motor housing base.

4. The food processor of claim 1 further comprising two handles bilaterally connected between said motor housing base and said top cover.

5. The food processor of claim 4 wherein said motor housing has two plug holes at two opposite sides for mounting said handles;

said top cover has two side recesses defining a respective retaining hole for mounting said handles;

said handles each has a plug rod at one end turnably inserted into one plug hole on said motor housing base, and a mounting rod at an opposite end detachably fitted into one side recess on said top cover, said mounting rod having a projecting portion detachably fitted into the retaining hole on the corresponding side recess on said top cover.

6. The food processor of claim 1 wherein said platform of said motor housing base comprises a side recessed hole and a motor control switch protected inside the side recessed hole on said platform of said motor housing base for controlling the operation of said driving motor.

7. The food processor of claim 1 wherein said sliding block defines a bottom track;

said scraper comprises a T-flange raised from a top side thereof and fastened to said bottom track of said sliding block, and spring means connected to said top sliding hole of said top cover.