Kitchen equipment

• US 6,035,771 A
• Filed: 06/17/1999
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William Levene Ltd. (DKH Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: William Levene Ltd. (DKH Holding AG)
• Inventors: O'Connor, Joseph Patrick, Conran, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMONE, TIMOTHY F
• Application Number:
  US09/269,772
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 99/348, 99/492, 99/495, 99/509-513, 99/623-631, 241/92, 241/93, 241/37.5, 241/68, 241/282.1, 241/282.2, 241/199.12, 241/101.2, 241/285.1, 241/280, 241/166, 83/355, 83/356.3, 83/592, 83/326, 83/423, 83/932, 83/435.2, 366/197, 366/307, 366/314, 366/244-254, 366/341
• US Class Current: 99/510
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/082 for machines with tools driven from the upper side A47J43/087, A47J43/09 take precedence

Abstract

A food processor has a handle (4) connected to a gear assembly (G1, G2, G3, G4) by which different rotary tools (B) connected to the end (10) of a central shaft (8) in the processor may be rotated (FIG. 3). Different sets of the gears are engaged according to the speed with which the selected tool is to be rotated.

Claims

1. A hand operated food processor comprising a container for the food to be processed;

a plurality of rotary tools each for processing food;

each tool individually releasably engaged with engaging means connected to a gear assembly, the engaging means comprising one end of a first shaft carrying a gear which engages a gear wheel connected to a drive shaft for a rotary handle, by which the processor is hand operated;

a third shaft carrying two spaced apart gears of different diameters adjacent the other two, the four gears forming the gear assembly, arranged so that in one condition the first gear engages the drive shaft gear and the gears of the third shaft are idle and the tool connected to the engaging means is rotatable at a relatively slow speed and in a second condition the first shaft gear engages the wider diameter gear on the third shaft and the narrower diameter gear engages the drive shaft gear, whereby the tool connected to the engaging means is rotatable at a relatively faster rate.

2. A food processor according to claim 1, wherein the shaft is normally urged into a seating and is located there in the first condition and in the second condition the tool engaged with the first shaft moves the shaft away from the seating so that the first shaft gear can engage the wider diameter gear.

3. A food processor according to claim 2, wherein a spring biases the shaft downwardly when the tool is in the first condition and is compressed when the tool is in the second condition.

4. A hand operated food processor according to claim 1, including a lid detachably engagable with the bowl, a generally central hole in the lid, the first shaft extending through the hole into the bowl, the shaft being urged downwardly into the bowl by the spring means, the drive shaft being offset from the central shaft, the gears being interengagable to co-operate so that hand rotation of the handle rotates the central shaft, the third rotary shaft being mounted on the lid with the gears being vertically spaced apart, the upper gear being of a greater diameter than the lower.

5. A food processor according to claim 4, wherein the lid comprises a floor and a dome, the centre shaft is generally vertical and the compressible spring is biased between the upper end of the shaft and the overlying ceiling portion of the dome.

6. A food processor according to claim 1, including a set of tools each releasably engagable with the lower end of the shaft and the bowl is dimensioned so that the tools collectively may be stored in the bowl.

7. A food processor according to claim 6, including a blade carrier mountable on the lower end of the central shaft, the blade carrier having an enclosed radial slot to receive a blade tool for rotation in the second condition.

8. A food processor according to claim 7, wherein the tool has side fins and is mountable on the lower end of the shaft which is urged upwardly against the downward bias of the spring to move the gear assembly to the second condition.

9. A food processsor according to claim 8, including a central projection in the base of the bowl to engage the lower end of the stem of the tool mounted thereon and to cause compression of the spring.

10. A food processor according to claim 4, wherein a hole is present in the dome of the lid, to receive a plunger member.

11. A food processor according to claim 10, wherein a small hole is present in the base of the plunger member whereby small doses of liquid may be added to the bowl.