FR2545712A3 - Electrical household appliance for processing foodstuffs - Google Patents

Abstract

a. Electrical household appliance for the preliminary processing in general of foodstuffs, comprising a motor unit 2, movement transmission members and a vertical-axis power take-off 4 placed inside a vessel 5 for processing and collecting the processed products; b. Appliance characterised in that it comprises mechanically-operating safety members 13, 14 in order to lock the lid 7 into position on the vessel 5, with simultaneous action on the safety microswitch; c. This appliance carries out the preparatory processing of foodstuffs with maximum safety for the operator while switching very simply and rapidly from one processing operation to another.

Description

"Household appliance for the treatment of food products."
The invention relates to a household electrical appliance intended for the preliminary treatment of food products in general, in particular for pressing, scraping or grating, centrifuging, beating or whipping, grinding, chopping, homogenizing and preventively treating foodstuffs in general.

 More specifically, the subject of the invention is an electrical household appliance of the type mentioned above, having an improved conformation and a reciprocal arrangement of the constituent elements, with a view to giving the appliance new utility and uses, as well as '' a particular reliability and security of use.

 We currently know on the market devices comprising a motor unit which can be coupled to a juice collecting tank, in which is disposed a rotary member for scraping and centrifugation, constituted by an abrasive disc and a cylindrical screen, the lower edge of which is in contact with the outer edge of the abrasive disc. The products to be treated are introduced into the rotating scraping and centrifuging element through a supply conduit which includes the cover of the tank and whose lower end comes close to the abrasive disc.

The products inserted in the supply duct are pushed by means of a pushing member, against the abrasive disc which reduces them into small fragments. These fragments, under the effect of the centrifugal form, are pressed against the centrifuge screen which retains the solid parts and ensures the outflow of the juice,
In order for the juice extraction to be complete, it is essential that the centrifuged and pulped fragments are continuously removed from the sieve to release the small holes from it or where the juice must be removed from the fragments as the To this end, dynamic pulp removal devices have been proposed, taking advantage of the particular configuration of the centrifuge screen, to apply an upwardly directed force component to the exhausted pulp, adapted to so as to help this pulp towards the outside of the scraping and centrifuging element, while the juices are collected by means of labyrinth channels.

However, these dynamic devices do not scrape the sieve and they are difficult and tedious to clean, due to their complicated conformation and the presence of the labyrinth channels.

 Other proposals for regulating and eliminating pulp, mechanical, must however be operated manually and there was the need to interrupt the centrifugation operation to remove the accumulated pulp.

 The object of the household appliance according to the invention is to carry out all the preparatory treatments of food products with maximum safety for the operator, and at the same time allowing the passage from a treatment function to another with maximum simplicity and speed.

 The apparatus of the invention further aims to achieve a conformation of the reciprocal fixing devices of its constituent elements which are particularly robust, by eliminating the possibility of starting the apparatus when these constituent elements are not correctly set up and linked together.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical household appliance which is compact and homogeneous and of an extremely limited overall size.
These aims are achieved, in accordance with the invention, by a household appliance comprising a motor unit 9 of the movement transmission members and a power take-off with vertical axis arranged in a tank for processing and collecting the treated products, device characterized in that it comprises mechanically operated safety members for locking the cover in position on the tank with simultaneous intervention on a safety microswitch
In addition, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises an electrical device for regulating the speed of rotation of the motor and a manual device for winding the electrical supply wire enabling this wire to be incorporated into the engine block when the device is not in use.

 if the apparatus is used for centrifugation operations, the invention further provides a device which makes it possible to eliminate the waste from the rotating scraping and centrifuging element, continuously and automatically, without manual intervention and without the need to interrupt the centrifugation treatment.

 This object is achieved by means of a pressing device and at the same time scraper and pulp extractor.

This device consists of a fixed guide member and a movable member with waste collection mouth, the edges of the mouth pass flush with the centrifuge screen as well as the bottom surface of the scraper so as to ensure evacuation automatic waste, without interrupting the centrifugation operation.

 In particular, the udling member is advantageously constituted by the conduit for introducing products into the scraping and centrifuging member, while this movable member is constituted by the pressing element. This msnie're to each phase of scraping and centrifugation of the products, corresponds to a scraping of the centrifugation sieve with a simultaneous evacuation of waste. Among the advantages of the proposed household appliance, there is mainly that of making a blockage simple and 9ex of the cover when it is fixed on the treatment tank and to ensure the collection of the treated products which remain applied on the sieve which, by simultaneously actuating the microswitch connected to the electrical supply network, eliminates all possibility of access to the interior of the container when the engine is running. the electrical device for regulating the speed of the power take-off acts directly on the motor, which ensures the immediate passage of a higher speed of rotation, necessary for example, for the treatment of fruit centrifugation or of green bees, at a slower speed, required for example for the pressing of citrus fruits. This avoids generally complicated and expensive mechanical speed reducers.

 The manual device for winding and incorporating the electrical supply wire into the engine block makes it possible to store the appliance with a minimum of space and avoids the annoying presence of a wire leaving the appliance and continuously unwound .

The fundamental characteristics of the household appliance in accordance with the invention are described below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device according to the invention with the engine block, the tank for the treatment and the collection of the treated products, and the associated cover in the position where iS are reciprocally presented before their fixing,
- Figure 2 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the apparatus of Figure 1 with a citrus pressing device arranged inside the tank and connected to the PTO, showing in detail the manual winding of the electrical supply wire,
FIG. 3 is a top view, partially in section, of the apparatus of FIG. 9 with the cover ready to be fixed on the tank, and the safety pusher in the open position,
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, with the cover fixed on the tank, the safety pusher being in the closed position,
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of an electrical household appliance for slugging and centrifugation with the pressing, scraping and elimination element placed on the supply channel,
FIG. 6 is a top view and partially in section of the apparatus of FIG. 1,
- Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the top of the lid of the juice collecting tank, the pressing element, scraping and removal and the scraping and centrifuging element, as they present each other.

 In the figures, similar references apply to equivalent particular bodies.

 Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the household appliance 1 consists essentially of an engine block 2 comprising a support base 3 provided with a PTO 4 with vertical axis connected to the engine by transmission members movement, a tank 5 for the treatment and the collection of the treated products, provided with a central mouth 6, intended to adapt co-axially on the PTO 4 and a cover 7 for the container.

 When the tank 5 has been inserted co-axially on the PTO 4, the devices 8 for processing the product may further be introduced into the container 5 and between connected, passing through the mouth 6, to the PTO 4 (FIG. 2 ). The engine block 2 is established so as to partially surround the lateral surface of the container 5, and to comprise two vertical grooves 9 which facilitate the grip of the device by the user.

On a side wall of the engine block 2 is disposed a switch 10 with several switching positions for controlling the motor at its speed of rotation, while the side wall opposite to the container 5 is slightly folded down on its lower edge.

 The tank 5 may Other fixed to the support base 3 by means of the stick coupling of the pins II and the corresponding slots 12, -provided respectively on the support base 3 and on the lower part of this tank 5.

 The cover 7 may further be fixed to the tank 5 by means of a bayonet engagement of hooks 13 provided on the outside edge of the cover 7, with corresponding tabs 14 on the outside top edge of this tank 5.

 Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the outer edge of the container 7 is provided with a fin 30 extending radially, while the engine block 2, on the wall which is adjacent to the container 5, has a slot 15, arranged at the same height as the fin when the cover 7 is inserted co-axially on the tank 5.

The engagement of the fin 30 in the slot 15 is controlled by a safety pusher 16 connected to a lever 17 provided with a hinge at 18 and subjected to the action of a spring 19 (FIG. 4)
To carry out the locking in the working position of the cover 7 on the tank 5, it is necessary to place the cover on the container so that the fin 30 is in front of the slot 15. At this moment, pushing the latch 16 outwards by overcoming the action of the spring, the slot 15 is released and the fin 30 can be inserted therein. The latch 16 can then between released, and under the action of the spring 19, its tette 20 will act on the fin 300 The locking position of the cover is ensured by the particular conformation of the t8te 20 of the pusher 16, which has a notch 21 able to hang a seat 22 provided on the fin 20. The engagement between the boss 21 and the seat 22 is opposed to any relative movement between these two elements, and, consequently, to any movement of the cover 7 .To separate the container lid, simply push the push-button 16 outwards and rotate the lid in the opposite direction.

 When the cover 7 is correctly fixed to the tank 5, the eaglet 30 is completely inserted into the slot 17 and acts on a strip 23 for controlling a safety microswitch 24 which is connected to the electrical supply network. In this way, the push-button 16, in addition to prohibiting a movement of the cover when the latter is fixed on the tank 5 in the working position, ensures, thanks to the action of the spring 19, the contact between the fin 30 and the strip 23 of the microswitch 24, and thus the supply of electric current to the killer.

 It should be noted that the safety pusher 16 also ensures the maintenance in the working position of the tank 5 itself, because the direction of rotation which engages the bayonet couplings of the container is the same as that of the cover.

In correspondence with the side wall of the engine block 2 which is opposite to the tank 5, there is provided a seat 25 provided with a pivot 26 with a horizontal axis on which a coil 27 is axially inserted. The electric supply wire 28 is inserted in the engine block opposite an opening 29 provided in this seat 25. The coil can also be extracted from seat 25 to allow the winding on it of wire 28 At the end of this operation, the coil can be inserted again in the seat 25 so as to incorporate the wire 28 into the engine block 0
Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, the device intended for the extraction of fruit and vegetable juices by a grating and centrifugation treatment has a rotary element 1059 arranged inside. of the tank 5 and driven by the PTO shaft 4. The cover 7 of the container is provided with a mouth e 7 ′ for loading the products. The rotary element 105 consists of an abrasive disc 108 and a cylindrical screen 109 whose lower edge 110 is in contact with the outer edge 111 of the abrasive disc 108. The loading mouth 7 ′ is formed by the channel or conduit 112 whose lower end 113 passes flush of the abrasive disc 108.

A pusher 114 can be inserted into the channel 11.2 to push the products to be treated against the abrasive layer 108e
According to the invention, the product supply conduit 112 is disposed on the cover 7 so as to cut the centrifuge screen 109 and is notched along a plane parallel to its longitudinal axis 115 and along the junction of the points of intersection between this duct and the centrifuge screen 109.

In this way, the lateral surface of the duct 112 which is between the cover 7 and the abrasive disc 108, has an opening 116 whose edges 117 are adjacent to the centrifuge screen.
The pusher 114 is constituted by a tubular body closed at its lower end by a plane 118 and it is notched at its lower part so as to present an opening 119 corresponding to the opening 116 which is formed in the pipe 112, and whose edges 120, 121 pass flush with the centrifuge screen 109. In particular, the edge 120 which is oriented in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the sieve is sharpened so as to scrape the waste.

 The other edge 121 of the pusher 114 and the edges 117 of the conduit 112 exert a preliminary scraping action of the pulp by distributing it uniformly, thus avoiding dynamic imbalances of the rotary element 105, which would cause vibrations and stops of the device 1.

 In this way, each time the product is introduced into the conduit 112, the pusher 114 automatically braces the screen 109 and detaches the centrifuged waste which collects in the mouth 119 provided in the pusher itself. Consequently, with each new introduction of feed products from the apparatus, it is possible to remove the spent pulp from the pusher, without interrupting the centrifugation treatment. The pusher 114 is guided axially and so as not to rotate in the conduit 112, by cooperation between a boss 122 and a guide 123 provided respectively on the pusher and on the conduit.

 In the inner part of the cover 7 are arranged two blades 124 which extend downwards and are oriented in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the scraping and centrifugation element 105, so as to send towards the pusher scraping and extraction 114, the waste which tends to move towards the upper edge of the screen 109 and to adhere to the cover.

 In accordance with the present invention, in summer 114, in an extremely simple and effective manner, simultaneously performs the function of product pusher and automatic scraper and waste extraditor so much that this waste can be eliminated from element 105 of scraping and centrifugation without having to interrupt the centrifugation operation.

Claims (5)

EVE N D I C A T I O NS  1.- Device characterized in that the reduction of the speed of rotation to the values required for the use of the device as a citrus press, is obtained by means of an electric regulation device acting on the engine, which eliminates mechanical speed reducers.  2.- Apparatus according to claim l, characterized in that it comprises a pressing device and simultaneously scraping and extraction of waste for rSclage and centrifugation of fruit and vegetables, consisting of a fixed guide member and a movable member with waste loading mouth, the edges of the mouth passing flush with the centrifuge screen and the bottom plane of the pressing member, so as to ensure automatic extraction of the waste without interruption of the centrifugation operation.  3.- Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the guide member of the pressing device is constituted by the conduit (112) for introducing products into the scraping and centrifuging assembly and in that this conduit cuts the centrifuge screen and is notched, in its part between the cover and the abrasive disc, along a plane parallel to its longitudinal axis and passing through the points of intersection between the screen and the conduit itself.  4.- Apparatus according to one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the movable member of the device is constituted by the pusher element of the products and by a tubular body whose lower end is closed by a plane and whose the lateral surface is profiled in correspondence with the profiled part of the guide member, this movable member being axially movable, without possible rotation, in the guide member, so as to continuously scrape the waste which accumulates on the centrifuge screen.  5. ^ Apparatus according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, in the inner surface of the neck cover of the juice collecting container, are provided fixed blades (124) extending downward, and oriented in direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the centrifuge screen, and one end of which passes flush with the inner side surface of the centrifuge screen.