Patent Publication Number: US-2021186080-A1

Title: Juicing unit and fruit juicing machine that includes said juicing unit

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a squeezer unit and a fruit, principally citrus fruit, juicing machine incorporating said squeezer unit. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Numerous proposals are known for fruit juicing machines which enable the individual squeezing of the fruits (especially citrus fruits) for the immediate, automatic production of juice (e.g. orange juice). 
     WO 2004/052126 A1, disclosing a “Cutting device with a movable blade for a fruit juicing machine” describes a cutting device for a machine of the type formed by two pairs of rotating drums, male and female, for the housing, the guiding toward the cutting stage and the squeezing by pressure of the two resulting halves of the fruits. The blade is disposed on a support which is displaced along a guide in a direction contrary to that of the fruits at the moment of cutting, by the pushing action exerted on the base of the same by a number of protrusions on the female drums which rotate solidarily with the squeezer heads, bringing about the ascent of the blade, the cutting thereby anticipating the separation of the two halves by the roof-shaped component and their subsequent descent due to gravity. The device of this invention enables the fruit to be squeezed to be divided cleanly, preventing tears in the peel caused by the separator component, and without spillage. 
     ES 2189556 A1 relates to an improved juicing machine for oranges and similar fruits, comprising a first carousel with a plurality of peripheral receptacles into which corresponding oranges are accommodated and which, on rotation of the same, are carried against a blade which slices them into two halves, a second carousel with a plurality of pairs of cells which each receive one of the two newly-cut half-oranges from the first carousel, a third carousel with two rotating groups of squeezer heads which rotate at the same time as, and simultaneously squeeze, the two half-oranges travelling in a pair of cells of the second carousel, and a pair of ejectors of the peel of the half-oranges squeezed, which penetrate through corresponding meridian slots in the squeezer heads, on which the shafts of the second and third carousels are mounted in projection and with their free extremities immovably linked by a rigid clamp. 
     ES 2389890 T3 relates to a fruit juicer with a frame, on which parallel shafts are housed, on the one hand for two pressure cylinders operated in opposite directions, disposed on both sides of a blade, with hemispherical presser cut-outs distributed at the edge thereof, and on the other hand, for two pressure-plate heads which may be operated in a direction opposite to that of the pressure cylinders, foreseen below the pressure cylinders, bearing spherical pressure plates distributed at the edge and which collaborate with the presser cut-outs of the pressure cylinders, and a removable safety catch for the extraction of the pressure cylinders and the pressure plate heads axially coupled to their conical shafts, where the extraction safety catch comprises axial stop tabs, rotationally housed on a common support, for the pressure cylinders and the pressure plate heads, and where the support is linked to the frame detachably in the direction of the shafts. 
     Said proposals enable the obtaining of fruit juicing machines which satisfactorily perform their principal function, but in some cases they include additional components which might cause issues such as breakages, losses during assembly and disassembly, the appearance of hollows with dirt, etc. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a squeezer unit enabling the elimination of the drawbacks of the prior art. 
     The invention provides a squeezer unit, comprising:
         two female drums with a central shaft, which can rotate in opposite directions, comprising a number of cavities to house a fruit to be squeezed,   two male drums with a central shaft, located below the female drums, in such a way that each male drum can rotate in a direction opposite to that of the corresponding female drum above the same, the male drums featuring a number of protrusions which can couple with the cavities of the female drums to extract the juice,   a support for the squeezer unit comprising a frontal plate which may be coupled to the male drums and the female drums,
 
where each of the female drums and the male drums comprises a frontal extension which is coaxial with its central axis, each extension being integral with the body of the corresponding drum, and the frontal plate of the support of the squeezer unit comprises, on its side facing the female drums and the male drums, four protrusions, in such a way that in the assembled position of the squeezer unit the extensions of the female drums and the male drums couple with the corresponding protrusions of the frontal plate of the support.
       

     The invention also provides a fruit juicing machine incorporating said squeezer unit. 
     By means of this configuration of the squeezer unit, the inclusion of additional components such as stop tabs is avoided; these may cause the appearance of dirt or remains of fruit in the space located between said component and its shaft. 
     Another advantage of the invention is that with the configuration proposed, a more robust squeezer unit is achieved, while reducing the number of components. 
     Another advantage of the invention is that it reduces the tendency to splay of the shafts or axles of the juicer machine to which the squeezer unit is fitted. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will be inferred from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of its object in relation to the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       What follows is a non-limiting illustration of the object of the present invention, making reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  portrays a perspective view of the squeezer unit of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  portrays a perspective view of a fruit juicing machine with a squeezer unit as in  FIG. 1 , the squeezer unit being separated from the frame of the machine. 
         FIG. 3  portrays the drums of the squeezer unit in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  portrays a male drum of the squeezer unit in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  portrays a front view of the elements of the squeezer unit in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  portrays a rear view of the elements of the squeezer unit in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  portrays a view of the elements of one embodiment of the support for the squeezer unit in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  portrays a view of the elements of another embodiment of the support for the squeezer unit in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional view of the squeezer unit in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  portrays a squeezer unit  1  according to one embodiment of the invention, and  FIG. 2  portrays said squeezer unit  1  located facing the frame  22  of a fruit juicing machine  26 . 
     “Squeezer unit” is understood to mean the set of components of the juicing machine in which the fruit is squeezed, and which form a unit which may be separated from the remainder of the juicing machine, e.g. for the cleaning thereof. 
     In this description, the “front side” is understood to be that which faces the user of the machine. For example, in  FIG. 2  the front side of the frame  22  would be that marked by the arrow corresponding to said frame  22  (that is, that located in the forward position in said figure). Likewise, the front side of the squeezer unit  1  is that which faces the user of the juicing machine  26  once assembled (that is, in the forward position in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). 
     When the juicing machine  26  is to be used, the squeezer unit  1  is coupled to the front side of the frame  22  of said juicing machine  26 .  FIG. 2  portrays the position prior to said coupling or assembly. 
     The fruit juicing machine  26  which incorporates the squeezer unit  1  further comprises a frame  22  from which the following frontally protrude (see  FIG. 2 ):
         two parallel shafts ( 23 ) for the female drums ( 2 ) of the squeezer unit ( 1 ), which can rotate in opposite directions,   two parallel shafts ( 24 ) for the male drums ( 5 ) of the squeezer unit ( 1 ), located below the shafts ( 23 ) for the female drums ( 2 ), in such a way that each shaft ( 24 ) can rotate in a direction opposite to that of the corresponding shaft ( 23 ) located above the same, and   a cutting blade ( 25 ) located between the two female drums ( 2 ) when the squeezer unit ( 1 ) is assembled on the frame ( 22 ).       

     The squeezer unit ( 1 ) of the embodiment ( FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 , for example) comprises:
         two female drums ( 2 ) with an internal cavity ( 3 ), with a central shaft, which can rotate in opposite directions, comprising a number of cavities ( 4 ) to house a fruit to be squeezed,   two male drums ( 5 ) with an internal cavity ( 6 ), with a central shaft, located below the female drums ( 2 ), in such a way that each male drum ( 5 ) can rotate in a direction opposite to that of the corresponding female drum ( 2 ) located above the same, the male drums ( 5 ) comprising a number of protrusions ( 7 ) which can be coupled to the cavities ( 4 ) of the female drums ( 2 ) to squeeze out the juice,   a support ( 8 ) for the squeezer unit ( 1 ) comprising a frontal plate ( 9 ) which can be coupled to the male drums ( 5 ) and the female drums ( 2 ),
 
Each of the female drums  2  and the male drums  5  of the squeezer unit  1  features a frontal extension  10  which is coaxial with its central axis, each frontal extension  10  being integral with the body of the corresponding drum  2 ,  5 , and the frontal plate  9  of the support  8  of the squeezer unit  1  comprises, on its side facing the female drums  2  and the male drums  5 , four protrusions  12 ,  15  ( FIGS. 7 and 8 ), in such a way that in the assembled position of the squeezer unit  1  the extensions  10  of the female drums  2  and the male drums  5  couple with the corresponding protrusions  12 ,  15  of the frontal plate  9  of the support  8 .
       

     The protrusions  7  of the male drums  5  may feature a shape complementary to that of the cavities  4  of the female drums  2 . For example, they may feature a convex spherical shape, facing a concave spherical shape of the cavities  4 . 
     The frontal extensions  10  of the female drums  2  and of the male drums  5  may feature a truncated conical shape (as may be seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , for example), but they may also feature other shapes (e.g. cylindrical). 
     In  FIG. 7  it may be seen that the protrusions of the frontal plate  9  of the support  8  of the squeezer unit  1  may be housings  12  with a hollow cylindrical shape. On coupling the frontal plate  9  to the female drums  2  and the male drums  5 , the extensions  10  of said female drums  2  and male drums  5  couple within the housings  12  with a hollow cylindrical shape  8  (for example, as in  FIG. 1 ). 
     Likewise, as may be seen in  FIG. 7 , the housings  12  of the frontal plate  9  of the support  8  may present a chamfered free edge  13 , and the housings  12  of the frontal plate  9  of the support  8  may have a joint  14  to the frontal plate  9  in a chamfered manner, in order to prevent the accumulation of dirt and thus to improve the cleanliness in those areas. 
     In  FIG. 8  it may be seen that the protrusions of the frontal plate  9  of the support  8  of the squeezer unit  1  are shafts  15 , directed inward (that is, toward the frame  22  in its assembled position). On coupling the frontal plate  9  with the female drums  2  and the male drums  5 , these shafts  15  couple with the extensions  10  of said female drums  2  and male drums  5 , being inserted into their respective internal cavities  3 ,  6 . 
     In  FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6  a number of lateral wedges  16  may be seen; these, being associated with the male drums  5 , are for the extraction of the peel of the squeezed fruit. 
       FIG. 9 , which is a cross-sectional view of the squeezer unit  1  in  FIG. 1 , reveals that within the internal cavities  3 ,  6  of the female drums  2  and of the male drums  5  there is at least one truncated-conical section  17 , and that said cavities  3 ,  6  narrow toward the frontal part of the squeezer unit  1 . 
     The support  8  of the squeezer unit  1  may further comprise a rearward plate  18  ( FIGS. 5-8 ) with a number of orifices  19  which, when the squeezer unit  1  is assembled, surround the corresponding central shafts and internal cavities  3 ,  6  of the female drums  2  and of the male drums  5 , the male drums  5  and the female drums  2  being located between the frontal plate  9  and the rearward plate  18 . The rearward plate  18  is attached to the frontal plate  9  by linking means. 
     The support  8  comprises removable linking means  20  which may be attached to the frame  22  of the juicing machine  26  to which the squeezer unit  1  is coupled. 
     Likewise, the frontal plate  9  of the support  8  of the squeezer unit  1  may comprise lateral handles  21  to facilitate the grasping of the squeezer unit and its removal, when applicable. 
     Any modifications comprised within the scope defined by the following claims may be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention described above.