Abstract:
A salad spinner is disclosed, comprising an outer bowl; an inner basket receivable in the outer bowl; a lid placed over the outer bowl; a drive and brake mechanism combination comprising a rotary drive plate, a drive assembly engageable with the rotary drive plate, and a brake assembly; and a foldable handle operatively connected with the drive and brake mechanism combination, wherein the handle is allowed to be folded up to a locked position where the brake assembly interferes with the rotary drive plate to prevent spinning operation of the inner basket, and to be opened to an unlocked position where the brake assembly disengages from the rotary drive plate and manipulation of the handle in a horizontal direction enables the drive assembly to cause rotation of the driving rotation of the rotary drive plate and the inner basket.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This non-provisional application claims priority from provisional application No. 60/796,552, filed on May 2, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to food appliances and, more particularly, to a salad spinner with integration of a drive assembly for rotating basket and a brake system for stopping basket rotation. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    While a variety of salad spinners are known in the art, for example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0037211A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,988 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,109, none are available which provide the user with the ease and simplicity of manipulation of the salad spinner, such as is the subject of the present invention. 
         [0004]    Salad spinners in the prior art typically consist of an outer bowl, an inner perforated basket adapted to nest within the outer bowl, a drive assembly for rotating the basket to attain water removal by centrifuge action. Some of them are further fitted with a brake assembly which is, however, of complicated construction. 
         [0005]    U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0037211A1 discloses a drive mechanism having a rotary drive plate with a cord drum and a pull cord, rotational movement of the drive mechanism by a pull grip enables the spin-drier basket to rotate. However, a separate brake mechanism is required to stop the rotation of the spin-drier basket in this patent. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,988 illustrates a drive assembly which includes a conversion mechanism for transmitting axially reciprocating movement of a plunger to rotational movement of a lid relative to a cover. The cover carries a radial movable latch engageable with the drive assembly for latching the plunger in a downward or retracted position. In this patent, a manually depressible brake is provided for frictional engagement with the lid to brake rotation of the lid. This brake is however not easy to operate and requires a substantial amount of effort to stop spinning operation. 
         [0007]    The salad spinners disclosed in the above two patents are operated atop the lid of the salad spinners. While U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,109 discloses a drive mechanism for salad spinner, comprising a drive gear associated with a handle laterally mounted on the lid and a pinion gear which meshes with the drive gear whereby lateral movement of the handle allows for spinning of the inner basket. Similarly, there is no brake system in this patent, application of force on the drive mechanism is required to rapidly stop the spinning operation or the inner basket is allowed to slowly come to a halt. 
         [0008]    These salad spinners fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, but these spinners and the known products on the market require either application of force on the drive assembly or a separate brake system to stop spinning operation. Therefore, there exists a need for a salad spinner which is easy to spin and convenient to stop the spinning. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention has been developed to fulfill the need noted above and therefore has a principle object of the provision of a salad spinner a drive and brake mechanism combination to provide the convenience of rotating and stopping the salad spinner. 
         [0010]    Another object of the invention is to provide a salad spinner which is low force activated, ergonomically improved and takes up less space. 
         [0011]    These and other objects and advantages of the invention are satisfied by providing a salad spinner comprising: 
         [0012]    an outer bowl having an open top and a closed bottom with a central pivot; 
         [0013]    an inner basket having a bottom portion carrying a central bearing recess engageable with the central pivot upon insertion into the outer bowl and provided with a plurality of spaced circumferential ribs; 
         [0014]    a lid placed over the outer bowl; 
         [0015]    a drive and brake mechanism combination comprising a rotary drive plate rotatably engageable with the inner basket and having a raised ring portion at its one side, a plurality of spaced circumferential tabs which mesh with the ribs of the inner basket, and a central hub member; a drive assembly engageable with the central hub member of the rotary drive plate for rotating the rotary drive plate which in turn rotates the inner basket by meshing engagement of the tabs with the ribs; and a brake assembly including a movable brake pad capable of engaging with the raised ring portion of the rotary drive plate; and 
         [0016]    a foldable handle operatively connected with the drive and brake mechanism combination, wherein the handle is allowed to be folded up to a locked position where the brake pad of the brake assembly interferes with the raised ring portion of the rotary drive plate to prevent spinning operation of the inner basket, and to be opened to a unlocked position where the brake pad of the brake assembly disengages from the raised ring portion of the rotary drive plate and manipulation of the handle in a horizontal plane enables the drive assembly to cause rotation of the rotary drive plate and the inner basket. 
         [0017]    The lid may define a slot in which the foldable handle moves back and forth. The lid may further define an undercut portion in which the handle is recessed and flush with the lid in a stored status in order to provide a flat stacking surface and reduce the overall storage space of the salad spinner. 
         [0018]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drive and brake mechanism combination further comprises a turning arm on which the drive assembly and the brake assembly are supported and carried respectively, said turning arm being operatively connected with the handle. The drive assembly comprises a drive gear engageable with the hub member of the rotary drive plate, and a gear rack arranged on the turning arm and engageable with the drive gear, whereby movement of the handle enables rotation of the drive gear which drives the rotary drive plate to cause rotation of the inner basket relative to the outer bowl. 
         [0019]    The brake assembly further comprises a moving plate on which the brake pad is arranged and a spring means connected to the moving plate for assisting in opening the handle. The spring means may be comprised of two springs disposed within their respective spring holders. One or more cords may be provided to link the handle and the moving plate for actuating movement of the moving plate along with the handle. 
         [0020]    In one preferred embodiment, the handler of the salad spinner is folded up by 90 degrees to reach the locked position and by further 90 degrees to reach a full-stop and stored position. In another embodiment, the handler is folded up by 180 degrees to reach the locked and stored position. 
         [0021]    To have a better understanding of the invention reference is made to the following detailed description of the invention and embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a salad spinner consistent with an embodiment of the invention in foldable state. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the salad spinner of  FIG. 1  in unfoldable state. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the salad spinner of  FIG. 1  in the foldable state with a lid and an outer bowl being removed. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the salad spinner of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a rotary drive plate of the salad spinner of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a drive and brake mechanism combination employed by the salad spinner of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 8  is a bottom perspective view of the drive and brake mechanism combination in the unfoldable state. 
           [0030]      FIG. 9  is a bottom perspective view of the drive and brake mechanism combination in the foldable state. 
           [0031]      FIG. 10  is a partial cross-sectional view of the salad spinner of  FIG. 1  in the unfoldable state showing that the brake assembly disengages from the rotary drive plate. 
           [0032]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged view of section B of  FIG. 10 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 12  is a partial cross-sectional view of the salad spinner of  FIG. 1  in the foldable state showing that the brake assembly is interfering with the rotary drive plate. 
           [0034]      FIG. 13  is an enlarged view of section C of  FIG. 12 . 
           [0035]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the drive and brake mechanism combination and the handle shown in the unfoldable and foldable states. 
       
    
    
       [0036]    In the various figures of the drawings, like reference numbers are used to designate like parts. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0037]    A salad spinner embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and designated in its entirety by reference numeral  10  will be described with reference to the drawings and particularly to  FIGS. 1-14  thereof. While this invention is illustrated and described in a preferred embodiment, the salad spinner may be produced in many different configurations, forms and materials. 
         [0038]    Referring firstly to  FIGS. 1-5  of the drawings, the salad spinner  10  comprises a transparent or opaque outer bowl  100  having an open top and a closed bottom and a perforated inner basket  200  disposed in the outer bowl  10 . The outer bowl  100  has a solid wall construction and a central pivot  110  in its bottom that acts as a bowl pivot. The inner basket  200  has a bottom portion carrying a central bearing recess  210 . When the inner basket  200  is inserted into the outer bowl  100 , the bearing recess  210  mates with the pivot  110  so as to nest and spin the basket  200  within the bowl  100 . It can be seen from  FIG. 4  that the basket  200  are provided with a plurality of spaced circumferential ribs  220  at the inner surface of its top edge. These ribs  220  will be described in detail hereinafter. 
         [0039]    The salad spinner  1  also comprises a removable lid  500  which is placed over a top edge of the outer bowl  100 . As best shown in  FIG. 4 , the lid  500  defines a slot  510  along a part of its perimeter and an undercut portion  520  on its top surface. The slot  510  and the undercut portion  520  are arranged at the same end of the lid  500 . The lid  500  as well as the bowl  100  and the basket  200  may made of a plastic material. 
         [0040]    A drive and brake mechanism combination employed by the salad spinner  10  comprises a rotary drive plate  310 , a drive assembly  330  and a brake assembly  350 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the rotary drive plate  310  which has a raised ring portion  312  at its one side, a plurality of spaced circumferential tabs  314  directed towards the inner basket  200  and mating with the ribs  220 , and a central hub member  316 . The tabs  314  create a meshing engagement with the ribs  220  of the basket  200  for converting the rotatable movement of the rotary drive plate  310  to the spinning motion of the basket  200 . 
         [0041]    In  FIGS. 7 to 9 , the drive assembly  330  and the brake assembly  350  are shown in more detail. The two assemblies both are supported and carried on a turning arm  370 . The turning arm  370  has one end secured on the lid  500  as a supporting point of the turning arm  370  and the other end extending outwardly from the slot  510  of the lid  500 . The drive assembly  330  includes a drive gear  332  engageable with the hub member  316  of the rotary drive plate  310  by use of an actuator  336 , and a variable depth gear rack  334  arranged on the turning arm and engageable with the drive gear  332 . The gear rack  334  engages with the drive gear  332  that produces a proper torque to rotate the rotary drive plate  310  which in turn rotates the inner basket  200  relative to the outer bowl  100 . In the salad spinner of this embodiment, the drive assembly  330  is quite similar in structure to the drive mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,109, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It would be appreciated that the drive assembly  330  may be of any design that is associated with the rotary drive plate  310  and the brake assembly  350 . 
         [0042]    The exposed end of the turning arm  370  is formed with a bore in which the brake assembly  350  is located. The brake assembly  350  includes a moving plate  352  having a brake pad  354  such as a rubber head at its one end, and a spring means  356  having one end attached to the moving plate  352 . The moving plate  352  carrying the brake pad  354  is mounted movably left and right in the bore of the turning arm  370  by use of two location blocks  358 . The brake pad  354  is capable of interfering with the raised ring portion  312  of the rotary drive plate  310  to stop the spinning of the inner basket  200 . The spring means  356  is comprised of two springs  360  disposed within their respective spring holders  362 . The springs  360  can store energy in the locked position. 
         [0043]    The salad spinner  10  includes a handle  400  which has a hinge means  410  at its one end through which the handle  400  is pivotally connected with the exposed end of the turning arm  370 . It is clear from  FIG. 4  that the hinge means  410  includes a hinge support  412  with a through hole, a hinge axis  414  passing through the through hole, and a hinge cover  416  on the hinge support  412 . The hinge means  410  allows the handle  400  for pivoting upon the turning arm  370 , i.e. the handle  400  is allowed to be folded up and opened relative to the turning arm  370  pivotal upon the hinge means  410  and to move horizontally and integrally with the turning arm  370 . One may move the handle  400  back and forth along with the turning arm  370  in a horizontal direction within the slot  510  in the unfoldable or unlocked position. Such movement of the handle  400  causes motion of the gear rack  334  which drives the drive gear  332  to rotate due to the pinion engagement as mentioned above, by which the rotary drive plate  350  is actuated to rotate. 
         [0044]    A cord  380  such as a nylon rope is used to connect the handle  400  and the moving plate  352 , such that the moving plate  352  carrying the brake pad  354  is actuated to move towards or away from the raised ring portion  312  of the rotary drive plate  310  by pivotal movement of the handle  400  in order to effect spinning or stop the spinning. 
         [0045]    The hinge means  410  allows the handle  400  to be folded up by 90 degrees to the locked position where the brake pad  354  is interfering with the raised ring portion  312  of the rotary drive plate  310 , so as thereby to stop the spinning. The handle  400  is further folded up by 90 degrees to reach a full stop position where the handle  400  is recessed in the undercut portion  520  of the lid  500  and flush with the top to provide a flat stacking surface, as clearly shown in  FIGS. 9 ,  12  and  13 . Referring to  FIGS. 8 ,  10  and  11 , when the handle  400  is raised, the cord  380  draws the moving plate  352  to move away from the raised ring portion  312  and the springs  360  also automatically push the moving plate  352  into the unlocked position where the brake pad  354  disengages from the raised ring portion  312 , so as thereby to permit free spinning of the rotary drive plate  310  which in turn rotates the inner basket  200 . That is, the brake assembly  350  can translate into the locked and unlocked positions with the pivoting of the handle  400 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 14  illustrates the drive and brake mechanism combination and the handle shown in the locked and unlocked positions. 
         [0047]    With collective reference to  FIGS. 10 to 14 , when it is desirable for spinning operation, the handle  400  is opened pivotal upon the hinge means  410  by 180 degrees, which causes the moving plate  352  to move away from the rotary drive plate  310  so that the brake pad  354  on the moving plate  352  does not rub against the raised ring portion  312  of the rotary drive plate  310 . Consequently, no friction is applied to the rotary drive plate  310 , as is apparent from  FIG. 11 . The spring force generated in the foldable state automatically provides the compression energy help for opening the handle  400 . In the unfoldable state of the handle  400 , moving the handle back and forth within the slot  510  in a horizontal plane causes the drive gear  332  to rotate by means of the pinion engagement with the gear rack  334 , which subsequently drives the rotary drive plate  310  to rotate. With the meshing engagement of the ribs  220  of the inner basket  200  with the tabs  314  provided on the rotary drive plate  310 , the rotation of the drive plate  310  effects the purpose that the inner basket  200  spins relative to the outer bowl  100 . Continuous movement of the handle  8  in the horizontal plane leads to continuous spinning of the inner basket  3 . 
         [0048]    In order to stop the spinning of the inner basket  200 , folding up the handle  400  causes the moving plate  352  to move towards the rotary drive plate  310  so that the brake pad  354  on the moving plate  352  rubs against the raised ring portion  312  of the drive plate  310 . Consequently, friction between the brake pad  354  and the raised ring portion  312  is generated to stop rotating. In the foldable state of the handle  400 , the salad spinner  10  is intended for storage with the handle  400  receivable in the undercut portion  520  and the springs  360  are compressed by the moving plate  352 , which can store energy. With the handle  400  being recessed in the undercut portion  520  and flush with the lid  500 , the salad spinner takes up less space and provides the convenience of storage. 
         [0049]    As discussed above, a significant feature of the invention is the construction of the brake assembly  350  and the handle  400 , which enables to easily and conveniently stop the spinning of the salad spinner where necessary. This was not accomplished by the prior art food appliances including salad spinners. 
         [0050]    While the embodiment described herein is intended as an exemplary salad spinner for drying food articles, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited for drying food articles, and may be employed for drying other household items. 
         [0051]    It is understood that many other embodiments of the present invention are also possible, and many corresponding modifications as well as variations can be made by those skills in the art as according to the disclosure of the present invention and without departing from the spirits and essentials thereof, while such modifications and variations fall into the scope of the claims of the present invention.