Abstract:
A multi-functional food processor contains a machine body and a top cover. It further includes a container and a driving device. The drive shaft of the driving device is extended to the container, and a juicer shredder, a vegetable shredder or a meat grinder blade are selectively installed in the transmission shaft, which is connected to the drive shaft. The top cover is provided with two feed tubes, where the first feed tube is use for feeding vegetables and fruits in conjunction with a first pusher. The second feed tube is used for feeding vegetables or meat, and uses a vegetable shredder or a meat grinder blade in conjunction with push of the second pusher. A safety switch is mounted between the feed tubes, and it allows only one pusher to operate in each sole feed tube thus avoiding the food being fed into the wrong feed tube.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a food processor with multi-functional capabilities such as juice extraction, dicing vegetables, and grinding meat, etc. 
         [0003]    2. The Prior Arts 
         [0004]    A conventional food processor normally has only one single function. If more functions are needed to be added on to it, its total volume will accordingly be increased substantially due to housing more components to be contained in the body of the food processor, and thus will also cost more to manufacture. For example, a conventional juicer has the sole function of extracting juice, and does not possess the capabilities for shredding vegetables and grinding meat. If a food processor is required to have the three previously-mentioned functions simultaneously, three different forms of shredding/slicing tools must be installed in the food processor body thereof, which thus makes the total size of the entire food processor to be gigantic and relatively heavy. 
         [0005]    Moreover, conventional food processors provides only a single feed tube. If different food materials need to be processed, the top cover of the feed tube in different locations is required to be changed. The reason for this is that the food is placed at the center of the shredding/slicing disk when performing juice extraction as the food is being cut and grinded; therefore, the feed tube is commonly formed on the top cover located at the center portion corresponding to the center of the shredding/slicing tools, while the feed tube is commonly installed at a region further away from the center of the shredding/slicing tools when dicing vegetables or grinding meat, due to the centrifugal effect and the requirement of being cut by the knife-edge so as to allow the vegetables and meat to be easily cut after they fall into the container through the feed tube. Meanwhile, the vegetable shredder needs to be in a suspended state for allowing the food material to fall underneath the vegetable shredder. Additionally, the cutting/shredding/slicing tools of the conventional juicer as well as the sole feed tube at the top cover both could not be changed, thus, its function is rather limited. If the user requires to use different shredding/slicing functions, they must change into different top covers or different machines, thus causes inconvenience in usage. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a multi-functional food processor, which resolves the drawbacks of conventional designs that have more complicated structures and higher manufacturing costs due to having added functions. 
         [0007]    One characteristic of the present invention is that the multi-functional food processor is based on the structure of conventional juicer, and having several designed interchangeable cutting/shredding/slicing tools for different purposes, thus allowing the user to choose the proper tool according to the food material that is needed to be shred/sliced. 
         [0008]    Another characteristic of the present invention is that two feed tubes are provided at the top cover of the multi-functional food processor; where one of which is used for feeding vegetables and for use in juice extraction incorporating the juicer cutting/shredding tools; the other feed tube is used for feeding vegetables or meat, and to cut vegetables or grind meat respectively in conjunction with the juicer shredder or the meat grinder blade. 
         [0009]    Another characteristic of the present invention is that the two feed tubes are respectively configured to possess different sizes of inside diameters, and are respectively matched with pushers having different sizes of outside diameters. The two pushers could not extend into the other feed tube except for the feed tube of which it is corresponding to, thereby avoiding operational mistakes. 
         [0010]    Another characteristic of the present invention is that a safety switch is mounted between the two feed tubes, where the two “pushers” respectively extends into the two feed tubes, by using the safety switch, one of the pushers may be fixed at the feed tube where it is located, and only the other pusher is operable in order to avoid food being fed into the wrong feed tube. 
         [0011]    Based on the aforementioned, the multi-functional food processor of the present invention comprises a machine body and a top cover disposed over the machine body; the machine body further comprise a container and a driving device under the container; the drive shaft of the driving device extending to the container may selectively install a shredding/slicing accessory, or assemble another shredding/slicing tool in the transmission shaft after which the drive shaft is connected to the transmission shaft; for example, a juicer shredder may be directly installed to the drive shaft; or after the drive shaft is connected to a transmission shaft, then a vegetable shredding blade or meat grinder blade is assembled to the transmission shaft, thus providing the slicing/shredding of different food materials; the aforementioned top cover is provided with a first feed tube and a second feed tube, in which the first tube is used for feeding vegetables and fruit to be used in conjunction with the push of the first pusher for extracting juice using the juicer shredding blade; the second feed tube is used for feeding vegetables or meat, and for shredding vegetables using the vegetable shredder or for grinding meat using the meat grinder blade in conjunction with the push of the second pusher. 
         [0012]    The safety switch mounted between the first feed tube and the second feed tube is provided with a first protruding key and a second protruding key. By rotating the safety switch, the first protruding key is allowed to be extended into the first feed tube, and is thereby engaged with the first pusher; or the second protruding key is allowed to be extended into the second feed tube and is thereby engaged with the second pusher. 
         [0013]    Moreover, the present invention provides a first pusher with an adjustable length thereof, when juice extraction is required to be performed, the first pusher may be integrated into a longer length for pushing the vegetables and fruit to the juicer shredding blade disposed inside a deeper region; while when vegetable shredding or meat grinding is required to be performed, due to the higher displacement of the vegetable shredder or the meat grinder blade, the first pusher may be first shortened and then to be fixed inside the first feed tube, and using only the second pusher, the vegetables or meat is pushed to the vegetable shredder or the meat cutting/grinder blade. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective assembled view showing a multi-functional food processor in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective exploded view showing a top cover and a second pusher of a multi-functional food processor in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2B  is a perspective exploded view showing the top cover and a first pusher of the multi-functional food processor in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2C  is a perspective exploded view showing the assembling of the components for the first pusher in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a partial enlarged sectional view showing a safety switch on the top cover of the multi-functional food processor in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a side sectional view showing the multi-functional food processor in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a side sectional view showing the multi-functional food processor in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a side sectional view showing the multi-functional food processor in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    With reference to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 , a multi-functional food processor constructed in accordance with the present invention includes a machine body  20  and a top cover  10  mounted on the machine body  20 , in which a first feed tube  11  and a second feed tube  12  are adjacently disposed at the top cover  10 , the hollow first feed tube  11  is extended into a first pusher  110 , the hollow second feed tube  12  is extended into a second pusher  120 , and a safety switch  13  is mounted between the first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12 . 
         [0024]    The machine body  20  includes a container above it, and a driving device  21  under the container. The driving device  21  is assembled with a drive shaft  22  extending upwards to the container, and a cutting device  23  may be mounted on the drive shaft  22 . The cutting device  23  includes a transmission shaft  232  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) and a plurality of cutting tools. One or more of the cutting/shredding tools may be directly installed onto the drive shaft  22 . The other cutting tools may be installed to the transmission shaft  232 , and then to connect the transmission shaft  232  to the drive shaft  22 . For example, the cutting tools may comprise a juicer shredder  230  (refer to  FIG. 4 ), a vegetable shredder  233  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) and a meat grinder blade  234  (refer to  FIG. 6 ); the transmission shaft  232  and the juicer shredder  230  may be respectively directly installed to the drive shaft  22 ; the vegetable shredder  233  and the meat grinder blade  234  may be respectively installed to the transmission shaft  232 . The upper end of the transmission shaft  232  is assembled with a locating protruding portion  235 , and the lower end thereof may be locked to the drive shaft  22 . The top cover  10  includes the first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12 . When the top cover  10  is mounted on the machine body  20 , the first feed tube  11  is near to the center of the driving device  21  in axial direction, and the second feed tube  12  is away from the center of the driving device  21  in axial direction as compared to the first feed tube  11 . The first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12  respectively are extended into the first pusher  110  and the second pusher  120 . 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 2A ,  FIG. 2A  shows a preferred embodiment of the second pusher  120 . A second slot  121  is disposed on the surface of the side wall of the second pusher  120 . Referring to  FIG. 2B  and  FIG. 2C , the first pusher  110  includes an upper portion  111  and a lower portion  112 . A first slot  113  is formed on a appropriate location on the surface of the upper portion  111 ; an inside diameter is formed at the upper end of the lower portion  112 , and an outside diameter corresponding to the aforementioned inside diameter is formed at the lower end of the upper portion  111 . A plurality of latch holes  1110  may be formed on the outside diameter, and a plurality of elastic latches  1120  corresponding to the latch holes  1110  may be formed on the inside diameter. The elastic latches  1120  are mated with the latch holes  1110  to integrate the upper portion  111  and the lower portion  112  into the intact first pusher  110  when the outside diameter and the inside diameter are joined together. A locating indented hole  1112  (refer to  FIG. 4 ) for fixing the locating protruding portion  235  of the transmission shaft  232  may be formed on the bottom surface of the upper portion  111 . A keyed portion  1111  (refer to  FIG. 2C ) may be further formed at the outside diameter surface of the lower end of the upper portion  111 , and a notch  1121  corresponding to the keyed portion  1111  is disposed at the side wall of the upper edge of the lower portion  112 . The position where the keyed portion  1111  is corresponded to the notch  1121  is the very position that the elastic latches  1120  are corresponding to the latch holes  1110  by means of guiding with the keyed portion  1111  and the notch  1121 , where the elastic latches  1120  are allowed to mate with the latch holes  1110  easily. 
         [0026]    Also referring to  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 3  shows a preferred embodiment of the safety switch  13  in accordance with the present invention. The safety switch  13  is mounted between the first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12  through a pivot. A first protruding key  130  and a second protruding key  131  are respectively disposed on the two sides of the safety switch  13 . A first mounting hole and a second mounting hole are respectively formed on the side wall of the first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12 ; and the first protruding key  130  and a second protruding key  131  are respectively corresponding to the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole. The first slot  113  on the surface of the first pusher  110  may allow the first protruding key  130  to engage with, and the second slot  121  on the surface of the second pusher  120  may allow the second protruding key  131  to engage with. After the first pusher  110  and the second pusher  120  are respectively extended into the first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12  entirely, the first slot  113  and the second slot  121  are respectively corresponded to the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole. When the safety switch  13  is rotated around the coupling joint, the first protruding key  130  is allowed to be engaged with the first slot  113  through the first mounting hole, thereby disallowing the first pusher  110  to be pulled out, or allowing the second protruding key  131  to be engaged with the second slot  121  through the second mounting hole, thereby disallowing the second pusher  120  to be pulled out. 
         [0027]    Additionally, a preferred embodiment of the present invention allows the first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12  to respectively have different sizes of inside diameters, thereby allowing the first pusher  110  and the second pusher  120  to be able to extend only into the first feed tube  11  and the second feed tube  12 , respectively, thus avoiding operating error. 
         [0028]    Also referring to  FIG. 4 , in the case that the present invention is used as a juicer, a filter mesh is first installed to the rear of the container of the machine body  20 , and then the juicer shredder  230  is directly installed to the drive shaft  22 . At this time, the upper portion  111  and the lower portion  112  of the first pusher  110  are integrated in becoming one long pusher, and the user needs to turn the safety switch  13  to allow the second protruding key  131  to engage with the second slot  121  of the second pusher  120 , thereby making the first pusher  110  extending into the first feed tube  11  only after the first protruding key  130  is moved out from the inside diameter of the first feed tube  11 , thus to push the vegetables and fruit for extracting the juice. 
         [0029]    Also referring to  FIG. 5 , in the case that the present invention is used as a shredder, the filter mesh and the juicer shredder should first be removed, and then the transmission shaft  232  is installed onto the drive shaft  22 , and the vegetable shredder  233  is installed onto the transmission shaft  232 . At this time, since the vegetable shredder  233  is located at the upper part of the transmission shaft  232 , the upper portion  111  and the lower portion  112  of the first pusher  110  therefore must be detached, and only the upper portion  111  is extended into the first feed tube  11 . At the same time, the locating protruding portion  235  on the upper end of the transmission shaft  232  is engaged with the locating indented hole  1112  on the bottom surface of the upper portion  111  to avoid the wobbling of the vegetable shredder  233 ; and the safety switch  13  should be rotated by the user to make the first protruding key  130  to be engaged with the first slot  113  of the upper portion  111 , thus allowing the second pusher  120  to extend into the second feed tube  12  only after the second protruding key  131  is moved out from the inside diameter of the second feed tube  12 , so as to push the vegetables to perform shredding. 
         [0030]    Also referring to  FIG. 6 , in the case that the present invention is used as a meat grinder, the meat grinder blade  234  is installed onto the transmission shaft  232 . The installation method of the meat grinder blade  234  is the same as that of the vegetable shredder mentioned above, with only the upper portion  111  to be extended into the first feed tube  11 . At the same time, the locating protruding portion  235  on the upper end of the transmission shaft  232  is engaged with the locating indented hole  1112  on the bottom surface of the upper portion  111  for avoiding the wobbling of the meat grinder blade  234 ; and the safety switch  13  should be turned by the user to make the first protruding key  130  to be engaged with the first slot  113  of the upper portion  111 , thus allowing the second pusher  120  to extend into the second feed tube  12  only after the second protruding key  131  is moved out from the inside diameter of the second feed tube  12 , so as to push the meat for grinding. 
         [0031]    Foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiment is used for further understand the feature and sprit of the present invention, not to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be appreciated that there are many modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention which is defined by the appended claims.