A centrifuge comprising a basin (9) adapted to receive centrifuged juice and in which is disposed a basket (1) comprising a perforated screen (2) and a lower ring (3) which is adapted to couple in rotation with a drive (4) secured to a motor shaft (5) and which comprises a skirt (8) extending downwardly and outwardly. The basin (9) has in its lower portion a gutter (11) limited toward the drive (4) by a small circular collar (12) extending upwardly between the drive (4) and the skirt (8). The skirt (8) of the basket (1) has on its lower wall (15) vanes (16) adapted to create, during rotation of the basket (1), an air current directed downwardly and toward the periphery (14) of the basin (9), so as to retain the juice in the gutter (11).

The invention relates to centrifuges for domestic use, used to extract 
fruit juice, vegetable juice or the like. 
The invention relates more particularly to a centrifuge comprising a basin 
adapted to receive the juice from centrifugation and in which is disposed 
a basket comprising a perforated screen and a lower ring which is adapted 
to couple in rotation with a drive secured to a motor shaft and which 
comprises a skirt extending downwardly and outwardly, the basin providing 
in its lower portion a gutter limited toward the drive by a small circular 
collar extending upwardly between the drive and the skirt. 
In known centrifuges, the small circular collar serves to prevent the juice 
from reaching the motor when passing below the drive and through the 
opening through which passes the shaft provided in the base supporting the 
basin, and thus to protect the motor. Nevertheless, this small collar is 
not always as effective as could be wished. Thus, during rotation at high 
speed of the basket, the juice has a tendency to be drawn along the length 
of the small collar and it can overflow, causing great damage to the 
motor. It is moreover very difficult and troublesome to provide a sealed 
joint at the level of the opening because of the high speed of rotation 
(about 12,000 rpm). 
The present invention has for its object to overcome this drawback and to 
provide an apparatus which prevents the overflow of the liquid above the 
small collar. 
According to the invention, the sleeve of the basket comprises on its lower 
wall dynamic means adapted to create, during rotation of the basket, an 
air current directed downwardly and toward the periphery of the basin, so 
as to retain the juice in the gutter. 
The present invention therefore makes use of the reaction of the air on the 
dynamic means driven at high speed to create, during rotation of the 
basket, an air current which forces the liquid from the region of the 
small collar and retains the juice in the bottom of the gutter.

The centrifuge shown in FIG. 1 comprises a basket 1 having a perforated 
screen 2 and a lower ring 3 which is adapted to couple in rotation with a 
drive 4 secured to a motor shaft 5 which passes through an opening 6 
provided in a base 7 containing a motor (not shown). The lower ring 3 of 
the basket 1 comprises a skirt 8 extending downwardly and outwardly. The 
basket is disposed in a basin 9 adapted to receive the juice from 
centrifugation. The basin 9 is supported removably by the base 7 and 
comprises an opening 10 for passage of the drive 4. The basin 9 has in its 
lower portion a gutter 11 limited toward the drive 4 by a small circular 
collar 12 extending upwardly between the drive 4 and the skirt 8. An 
outlet 13 for evacuation of juice is provided in the bottom of the gutter 
11 adjacent the periphery 14 of the basin 9. According to the invention, 
the skirt 8 of basket 1 comprises on its lower wall 15 dynamic means 16 
adapted to create, during rotation of the basket 1, a current of air 
directed downwardly and toward the periphery 14 of the basin 9, so as to 
retain the juice in the gutter 11. The dynamic means 16 are perferably 
constituted by a series of vanes directed downwardly, each extending in a 
vertical plane in the vicinity of the periphery 17 of the skirt 8 toward 
the drive 4 and oriented in the direction of rotation F at an acute angle 
a relative to the tangent T at the periphery 17. 
Thus during high speed rotation of the basket 1, the reaction of the air 
against the vanes 16 creates an air current which drives the liquid from 
the region of the small collar 12 where it has the tendency to be drawn 
and which thus retains the juice in the bottom of the gutter 11. 
Overflowing above the small collar 12 is thus rendered impossible. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the angle a made by each vane 16 with a tangent T at 
the periphery 17 of the skirt 8 is between 30 and 40.degree. preferably 
equal to about 35.degree.. 
As is shown particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3, each vane 16 is comprised of two 
contiguous parts, a first part 18 adjacent the periphery 17 of the skirt 
8, which has a substantially horizontal lower edge 19, and a second part 
20 spaced from periphery 17, which has a chamfered lower edge 21 whose 
inclination is directed both toward the drive 4 and toward the first part 
18. 
This arrangement permits increasing the air current produced during 
rotation. 
In operation, the drive 4 secured to the motor shaft 5 drives in rotation 
at high speed the basket 1 containing fruit or the like. By centrifugal 
force, the juice passes through the perforated screen 2 and falls in the 
gutter 11 of the basin 9. The juice has the tendency to be drawn along the 
length of the small collar 12 then along the motor shaft 5 under the 
suction created by the rotating parts of the motor. The air current 
produced by the vanes 16 opposes this draft and drives the juice from the 
region of the small collar 12 and retains it in the bottom of the gutter 
11 toward the periphery 14 of the basin 9, thus preventing the juice from 
overflowing the small collar 12. Moreover, the flow of the juice through 
the outlet 13 is promoted.