Abstract:
A food processor of one design includes a housing including a motor and a coupling for rotating a food processing implement. The housing receives a feed chute assembly with a receiving chute for food to be processed. The feed chute assembly also includes an aligned discharge chute communicating with a processing implement, such that food is processed linearly from the receiving chute to the discharge chute. The housing has an open front for receiving containers for food processed by said food processor. This results in a smaller food processor which is capable of directly feeding processed food into a container separate from the food processor itself.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present application generally relates to a food processor. 
     Food processors, such as those employed in the home environment for food preparation such as slicing, chopping, cubing, and dicing of food items, typically have a work bowl with a cylindrical projection extending upwardly from the floor and surrounding a drive shaft to which different implements can be attached for the different processes as desired. The processed food is typically directed to the sides via an impeller or the like and then resides in the work bowl. The work bowl has a cover with a feed chute and pusher member to force the food being processed into the processing implement. With respect to such conventional food processors where food is thrown to the side outlet via an impeller, one drawback is that the food typically is redirected downwards via an angled wall. With the food being ejected at high velocity, this angled wall can tend to cause extra vibration to the machine and can also bruise or damage softer foods. 
     When using such a conventional food processor, it is necessary to transfer the processed food from the work bowl to whatever cooking or further food processing container is being employed with the recipe being used. Additionally, it is difficult for the user to be able to inspect processed ingredients between runs for desired thickness or size, unless the cover is removed and the processing disk is removed. The work bowl, the cover, and the processing implement, together with the drive mechanism, frequently become covered with residue which can be difficult to clean. Also, due partly to the design of the work bowl and its drive mechanism, conventional food processors are somewhat bulky and heavy. Such large food processors typically do not reside on a countertop but must be stored, occupying significant cabinet space. 
     Reducing the size, weight, and cost of such food processors, as well as facilitating not only their use but the cleaning of their components, would be a significant improvement to existing designs. The linear path food processor also provides the benefit of reduced machine vibration without bruising of the food. 
     SUMMARY 
     A food processor of one design includes a housing including a motor and a coupling for rotating a food processing implement. The housing receives a feed chute assembly with a receiving chute for food to be processed. The feed chute assembly also includes an axially aligned discharge chute and a processing implement, such that food is processed linearly from the receiving chute to the discharge chute. The housing has an open front for receiving containers for food processed by said food processor. This results in a smaller food processor which is capable of directly feeding processed food into a container separate from the food processor itself. Also, it is easy to inspect ingredients during or between processing runs, either into a collection bowl or onto the hand of a user. More specifically, the legs of the food processor define a concave curved space between them. The space allows for the discharge of processed food into the hand of a user for inspection of the processed ingredient. 
     These and other features, advantages, and objects of the design will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a frontal perspective view of a food processor embodying the present design; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the food processor shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a left side elevational view of the food processor shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the food processor shown in  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the housing for the food processor shown in the previous figures; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the feed chute assembly for the food processor shown in  FIGS. 1-4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the food processor, taken along section lines VII-VII of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevational view of alternative accessories which can be associated with the housing of the food processor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     For purposes of description herein the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the present application as oriented in  FIGS. 1-4 . However, it is to be understood that the application may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification are exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1-4 , there is shown a linear food processor  10  embodying the present design. The food processor has two major components, a housing  20  comprising upper and lower sections  22  and  24 , respectively, and a removable feed chute assembly  30 . Housing  20  is shown in the exploded view shown in  FIG. 5 , while the removable feed chute assembly is illustrated in the exploded view of  FIG. 6 . Details of both components are shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 7 . 
     The housing  20  of the food processor includes a base plate  26  ( FIG. 5 ) with four feet  27  for providing support for the food processor during use and storage. The base plate, together with lower housing  24 , defines, as best seen in  FIGS. 1-4 , a pair of outwardly diverging legs  50  and  52  with a concave wall  51  therebetween for receiving, as an example, a container, such as a bowl  53  (shown in phantom form in  FIG. 3 ). As also illustrated in  FIG. 3 , as well as  FIG. 5 , the lower housing  24  has a concavely curved wall  55 , while the upper housing  22  has concave, upwardly curved edges  56  covered by bezel  18  as described below. This shape allows the entry of a container, such as bowl  53 , to be positioned in an operative position, as seen in  FIG. 3 , for receiving processed food in a generally linear vertical path from feed chute assembly  30  through the discharge chute  40 . The linear path is illustrated by the axis A shown in  FIG. 7  and is a direct path from feed chute  34  to discharge chute  40  with at least one processing implement  46  ( FIG. 6 ) interposed in the pathway. The housing  20  has a curved rear surface  13 , such that the food processor  10  can be conveniently positioned in the corner of a walled countertop. 
     The base plate  26 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , includes mounting ferrules  28  for receiving fasteners, such as threaded screws, which extend upwardly through plate  26  through similar mounting ferrules  29  in the lower housing section  24 , which are aligned with mounting ferrules  28 . Lower housing  24  includes mounting ferrules  29  for receiving fasteners which extend upwardly through lower housing  24  through similar mounting ferrules (not shown) in upper housing  22 , which are aligned with mounting ferrules  29 . It being understood that there are four such threaded mounting bosses aligned with ferrules  28  and that there are four such threaded mounting bosses aligned with ferrules (not shown) to secure the upper and lower housings together with their operating mechanism for driving a food processing implement. Bezel  18  includes ferrules  18 A of a similar arrangement which are aligned with mounting ferrules  25  in upper housing  22 . Lower plate  26  also includes a motor fan-receiving vented cylindrical housing  21  having vents  23  through the bottom, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Printed circuit board  63  is provided for motor power control and includes heat sink  64  mounted to the printed circuit board  63  in the conventional manner. A mounting ferrule extends downwardly from lower housing  24  for receiving threaded fastener  62  for mounting printed circuit board  63  to lower housing  24 . 
     As seen in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , a drive motor  60  with a rotary drive shaft  62  is secured to the upper housing  22  by fasteners that extend upwardly through multiple mounting holes  70 A in motor mounting bracket  70 . The drive shaft  62  of motor  60  extends through a lower bearing  66  ( FIG. 7 ) and to a fan  68  mounted in the vented cylindrical housing  21  to provide cooling through openings in the floor of base plate  26  upwardly and around the motor and motor  60  and heat sink  64 . The motor mounting bracket  70  is secured to the upper end of motor  60 , as best seen in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . Bracket  70  is conventionally secured to the housing of motor  60  by fasteners (not shown) and to mounting flanges (not shown) within housing  24  to secure the motor in place. Bracket  70  includes mounting bosses  72  for receiving fasteners  74  ( FIG. 7 ) for securing a drive plate  80  to the mounting bracket  70 . The drive plate  80  serves to provide mounting for bushing  81 . An offset drive for the lower drive coupling  90  for the food processing implement is now described. 
     Motor drive shaft  62  is secured to a first drive gear  82 , and the same shaft is rotatably mounted to a bushing  81  ( FIG. 7 ) in drive plate  80 . Gear  82  has teeth coupled to teeth of a drive belt  84 , in turn, coupled to a second drive gear  86 . Gear  86  is threadably coupled to the lower drive coupling  90  extending through opening  91  in upper housing  22  and a surrounding cylindrical clearance opening  93 , as best seen in  FIG. 7 . Gear  86  is mounted to drive shaft  87 , which is supported at its lower end by a bushing  88  in mounting bracket  70 . Thus, rotation of motor drive shaft  62  rotates the lower coupling  90  of the housing  20  which drives, as described below, a food processing implement, such as a cutter disk  46 , of feed chute assembly  30 . 
     The upper housing  22  likewise has a pair of spaced-apart curved edges  56  corresponding to the curvature of wall  55  of lower housing  24  and joining walls  51  of the base plate  26  to provide a generally concave curvilinear front surface for the food processor  10 . The upper housing  22  includes a recess  92  surrounded by a rim  94  for receiving the feed chute assembly  30 . Upper housing  22  also includes a generally oval-shaped aperture  96  for receiving the discharge chute  40  of the feed chute assembly  30  when positioned on housing  20 , as seen in  FIGS. 1-4  and  7 . 
     The upper housing  22  includes a forward upper projection  11  for receiving a touch switch control pad  15  associated with the electronic control  17  for controlling the operation of the drive motor  60  from off to low and high speeds or pulsed operation. The electrical circuit  17  is enclosed by a bezel  18  having an aperture  19  aligned with aperture  96  for the food discharge chute  40 . Bezel  18  has a curvature conforming to the curved edges  56  of the upper housing and is mounted thereto in a conventional manner. 
     The feed chute assembly  30  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ) includes a lid  32  having a food feed chute  34  and a removable food pusher  36 . A telescoping secondary food pusher  36 A extends into the central area of food pusher  36 . Lid  32  is removably locked to a generally cylindrical base  38  with a bayonet-type mount including L-shaped slots  37  in base  38  and mating tabs  35  in lid  32 . The base  38  includes a downwardly projecting food discharge chute  40 , having an open mouth  42  within base  38  for receiving processed food. Chute  40  extends through aperture  96  in the upper housing  22  and aperture  19  in bezel  18  and has a lower output end  41 , as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 7 , which positions the lower or exit end of food discharge chute  40  immediately above an awaiting container, such as  53  shown in  FIG. 3 , for food which is processed linearly along an axis identified by arrow A in  FIG. 3  and axis A in  FIG. 7 , such that food entering the feed chute  34  is processed and directly flows along the axis A in a linear direction to the output  41  of food discharge chute  40 . Between the base  38  and lid  32  of feed chute assembly  30  are food processing implements, such as a rotating cutter disk  46 , which includes a cutter knife  43  adjacent an inclined ramp  44 , with a blade depth adjustment knob  47  which may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2011/0265666, published Nov. 3, 2011, and entitled A DJUSTABLE  F OOD  P ROCESSOR  W ITH  G UIDE  R AMP , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     In addition to the cutting disk  46 , the processor may include a cubing and dicing grid  100  which has a central aperture  102  extending over a drive bushing  104  which is keyed to the drive shaft  106  as described below. The cubing and dicing grid  100  includes a cubing side  101  with larger opening grates and a dicing side  105  with smaller grates to cube or dice food being sliced by the cutting disk  46 . The cubing/dicing grid  100  is keyed to the base  38  by slots  107 A in the outer diameter of grid  100  which align and engage inwardly extending ribs  39  on the inner diameter of base  38  so that the cubing grid is indexed in the cubing or dicing position under cutting disk  46 . Apertures  107  are provided as finger-holes to aid in insertion and removal of grid  100  from base  38 . 
     The rotary motion from the lower coupling  90  of the housing  20  is applied to the drive shaft  106  through a mating upper coupling  110 , which is fixedly coupled by threads to the lower end of shaft  106 . A Teflon® washer  111  is interposed between coupling  110  and a threaded nut  126  secured to a feed-through bushing  120 . Bushing  120  extends through an aperture  48  in base  38  and is sealed by means of a rubber seal  121  to the floor  49  of base  38 . The threaded lower end  122  of bushing  120  extends through aperture  48  and through a stainless steel flat washer  124  and is secured to the base  38  by a threaded nut  126 . The upper end of drive shaft  106  extends through the bushing  120  through a rubber seal  128  and into a drive bushing  104  having a flat  108  thereon for keying to the drive hub  48  of cutting disk  46 . The drive hub  48  includes a keyed slot for receiving the bushing  104 , as best seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The drive bushing can be locked to the flat  103  on the upper end of drive shaft  106  by means of a suitable set screw. The lower end of drive bushing  104  includes an annular flange  109  to affect the seal between the rotary shaft  106 , the stationary bushing  120 , the rotary drive bushing  104 , and rubber seal  128 . 
     The food processor of this application can also be employed with a variety of food processing implements, such as slicing disks, shredding disks, dough blades, multipurpose blades, and the like. In addition, it is particularly well adapted for other implements which can employ conventional bowls positioned in the area between the legs  50  and  52  of the housing in the concave area  51 .  FIG. 8  illustrates one appliance, such as a stirring unit  130  having a stirring rod  131  coupled to a stirring implement  132  and driven by a right-angle power beater head  134  having a coupler  136  which mates with the lower coupling  90 . Thus, the stir unit  130  can be lowered onto the base to the housing  20  and controlled with the same control panel  15  as employed with the food processor described earlier. Additionally, the open area between legs  50  and  52  can accommodate a resistance-type heater or a Peltier-type hot or cold plate  140  coupled by a power supply through contacts  142  which may optionally be included in the lower housing  24  for either heating or cooling items being stirred by stirring implement  132 . For example, an ice cream bowl  144  for mixing ice cream may be placed on plate  140  in the cold mode of operation and the stirring unit  130  lowered onto the housing  20  and actuated for making ice cream, as only an example of the universal applicability of the linear feature of the processor  10 . 
     It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the described food processor and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein. 
     For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated. 
     It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations. 
     It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present application. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting. 
     It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present application, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise. 
     The above description is considered that of the illustrated embodiments only. Modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the food processor. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above is merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the application, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the Doctrine of Equivalents.