Abstract:
A salad processing system including a container with a processing lid thereon includes a gear with a handle driven gear wheel and pinions to provide rotary drives on the bottom side of the lid. A basket couples with one of the drives to spin-dry produce material. Another drive cooperates with a container mountable on the lid to drive chopping and mixing tools. A port through the lid allows access to the mixing container. A passageway through the lid receives a cuttings container and provides a socket for stationary blade tools including a slicer and a grid of knives. A lever pivotally mounted to the lid with a slotted plunger block dices produce through the grid of knives.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of the present invention is salad preparation equipment. 
     Mechanical devices are known for processing food items. Such devices include lettuce spinners, grid choppers, slicers, mixers and the like. Such devices when used fully to prepare a dish such as a green salad, although useful, typically require significant storage, substantial clean up and inconvenience in many kitchens, i.e., more trouble than they are worth. Green salads typically involve a number of processes which might use the devices named. It is often more convenient to prepare salads manually without benefit of several labor-saving devices. Some multifunctional devices have been employed, particularly where a variety of implements may be employed on a single drive or at a single position. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a processing system for preparing foods with coordinated elements specifically useful in the preparation of mixtures of produce such as green salads. A lid for a container includes a gear with one or more outputs for driving culinary tools. Multiple containers may also be employed with the lid. 
     In a first separate aspect of the present invention, the gear includes two output drives powered by a handle eccentrically engaged with a gear wheel. One drive is positioned to engage a basket for rotation to spin-dry lettuce and other produce. The second drive is engagable with a rotary tool. Such tools may include rotary cutters and mixers. The drives can be advantageously placed for best advantage and gear ratios may be selected to accommodate specific functions. A mixing container significantly smaller than the container upon which the lid may be positioned may be fastened to the lid around the second drive to provide a chamber for chopping or mixing. A port through the lid may provide convenient access to the mixing container. 
     In a second separate aspect of the present invention, a mixing container is attachable to the lid to receive driven rotary tools. A passageway is also provided through the lid where a cuttings container is retained. The passageway can receive a slicer and/or a grid of knives for dicing slices. A lever may be pivotally mounted to the lid to mount a plunger block for dicing. 
     In a further separate aspect of the present invention, any of the separate aspects and features may be combined to more advantageous affect. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a processing system for produce with coordinated functions. Other and further objects and advantages will appear hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a processing system. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the processing system of  FIG. 1  taken through the gear axes. 
         FIG. 3  is a detail view of the gear of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the processing system with a slicer attachment. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the device of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the underside of the lid with containers attached thereto. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the underside of the lid in exploded assembly. 
         FIG. 8  is a detailed view of two rotary tools. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the processing system with a dicer attachment. 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective assembly view of the dicer attachment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning in detail to the Figures, a processing system described for preparing salads in this preferred embodiment is illustrated in a first configuration. A container  10 , which may also function as a salad serving bowl, supports a lid  12 . The lid  12  conveniently has a flange  14  about its periphery to mate with a flange  16  on the container  10 . Elements of the lid assembly may extend into the container  10  to insure retention of the lid  12 . Both the container  10  and the lid  12  may be of impact resistant plastic. The container  10  may also be clear to allow observation of contents within the container  10  when the lid  12  is in place. 
     The top side of the lid  12  includes a raised surface  18  with a mounting cavity  20  defined therein. The mounting cavity  20  is cylindrical and receives a gear wheel  22 . The gear wheel  22  is rotatably mounted in a journal bearing  24  provided in the bottom of the cavity  20 . The gear wheel  22  is an internal gear wheel which provides compact gearing within the cavity  20 . Two pinions  26 ,  28  are also rotatably mounted to the lid  12  at the bottom of the mounting cavity  20 . The pinions  26 ,  28  are in continuous engagement with the gear wheel  22 . The pinions  26 ,  28  in this embodiment are shown to be of the same size and, therefore, rotate at the same speed. Various pinion sizes to select gear ratios and numbers of pinions may be designed into the gear to meet positioning needs and intended use of each drive. The gear wheel  22  has a recessed hub  30  to support a central shaft  32  in the journal bearing  24 . A handle  34  is located in the recessed hub  30  where it is rotatably and eccentrically coupled to the hub  30 . The handle  34  may also pivot about an axis perpendicular to its rotational engagement with the recessed hub  30  so that it may lie flush with the raised surface  18 . 
     The first pinion  26  includes a drive  36  integral with the pinion  26 . The drive  36  extends to a hexagonal coupling. The hexagonal coupling is accessible from the bottom side of the lid  12  from which it extends. The second pinion  28  also extends as a second drive  38  from the bottom side of the lid  12  with a hexagonal coupling. Because of the gearing, the drives  36  and  38  rotate upon rotation of the handle  34  about the axis of the hub  30 . 
     The first pinion  26  is employed to drive a basket  40 . The basket  40  is designed with interstices thereabout such as the vertical slots  42  in the basket of the preferred embodiment. The basket  40  further includes a rotatable engagement with the container  10 . A pin  44  centrally located on the bottom of the basket  40  extends to a cavity  46  on the inner side of the bottom of the cavity  10 . The hexagonal coupling on the drive  36  is engageable with a wheel  48  seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The wheel  48 , in turn, is engaged with the periphery of the basket  40  at its upper edge. The wheel  48  includes a rim  50 , a hub  52  and spokes  54  therebetween. The first drive  36  has a groove  56 . The hub  52  includes axially extending fingers  58  and a socket  60 . The groove  56  of the drive  36  is retained by teeth at the ends of the axially extending fingers  58  with the hexagonal coupling in the socket  60 . There may be a chamfer in the engagement of the groove and the teeth of the fingers  58  to facilitate disengagement as needed. This allows the basket  40  to be easily removed from the lid  12  when spin-drying of produce is not required or has been completed. The basket  40  is designed to substantially fill the container  10  yet has areas outside the basket to collect water expelled through the slots  42  during spinning. 
     The second drive  38  is accessible to the bottom side of the lid  12  to receive a rotary tool. Examples of such rotary tools are illustrated in  FIG. 8 , which include a chopping tool  62  having chopping blades  64  on a shaft  66  and a mixing tool  68  having cavitation blades  70  on a shaft  72 . The shafts  66  and  72  have hexagonal sockets to releasably engage the drive  38  for use. 
     A mixing container  74  is attachable to the bottom side of the lid  12 . This mixing container  74  concentrically receives the rotary tools employed with the second drive  38 . The periphery of the mixing container is shown in this embodiment to engage with the lid  12  using bayonet engagements therebetween. Other engagements such as magnets, locking or sliding pins or a threaded coupling may be employed to releasably engage the mixing container  74 . An access port  76  through the lid  12  and directed to inwardly of the periphery of the mixing container  74  provides for convenient charging of liquids such as oil and vinegar, seasonings and finely chopped ingredients. A cup  77  is formed to be positioned in the access port  76 . The placement of the cup  77  in the port  76  closes the opening to keep items being chopped from flying out of the mixing container  74 . Further, the cup  77  may have gradations for use as a measuring device. 
     The lid  12  includes the gear wheel  22  and the second drive  38  in a first region substantially to one side of the centrally mounted first pinion  26  and first drive  36 . A second region of the lid  12  is positioned to the other side of the first drive  36  which includes a rectangular passageway  78  through the lid  12 . This passageway  78  has a planar margin  80  thereabout. The passageway  78  also includes a rectangular socket  82  therein for tools and an inwardly extending lip  84  thereabout to receive a cuttings container  86 . The cuttings container  86  includes a flange  88  about its rim for engaging the lip  84 . The cuttings container  86  is placed through the passageway  78  to depend below the bottom side of the lid  12 . The socket  82  may then receive a stationary cutting tool. 
     A slicer as illustrated in  FIG. 5  is one such stationary cutting tool. The slicer  90  includes a blade  92  roughly flush with or slightly above the planar margin  80 . A guide surface  94  may angle downwardly or the blade elevated to define a slicing thickness with the blade  92 . Slices of produce may be created with the slicer  90  which fall into the cuttings container  86  beneath the blade. Various slicing thicknesses may be defined by a set of such slicers  90  for use when placed in the socket  82 . 
     A guard plate  96  may also be used with the slicer  90 . The guard plate  96  includes at least one runner (not shown) to cooperate with at least one track which may be the outer edge of the slicer  90  or a feature in the planar margin  80 . The guard plate  96  is shown in this embodiment to include a handle  98 . 
     With the slicer  90  and guard plate  96  removed, the cuttings container  86  can be removed and the slices of produce collected. The cuttings container  86  may be replaced if desired in the passageway  78  and a grid of knives  100  placed in the socket  82 . A set of such knives may be associated with the processing system to provide various sized pieces of produce. A lever  102 , pivotally mounted to the lid  12  for selective extension over the passageway  78 , includes a plunger block  104  with slots therein to receive the grid of knives  100  when the lever  102  is forced down upon the lid  12 . A set of such plunger blocks  104  to match the set of knife grids  100  is contemplated. Sliced produce placed on the grid of knives  100  can then be diced by manipulation of the lever  102 . 
     To facilitate use of the stationary cutting tools, the lid  12  has a recessed area to make clearance for the handle portion of the lever  102 . A clip  106  may be associated with each slicer  90  and each grid of knives  100  to engage the lid  12  so that the grid of knives  100  will not lift out of the lid  12  when the lever  102  is retracted. Further, the lever  102  may include pivot slots to engage pivot pins on the lid  12  such that the lever  102  may, when fully pivoted away from the grid of knives  100 , be released from the lid  12  to allow room for other operations or for cleaning. 
     Thus, a reasonably contained processing system with a plurality of cooperative processing elements has been disclosed. While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.