Abstract:
A drainage system for a food processing machine comprises a drain pan located at the base of the machine, the drain pan receiving unwanted liquid from various locations in the machine, and permitting the removal of the unwanted liquid from the machine. In a preferred embodiment, the drain pan is employed in an ice shaver/blender machine and receives unwanted liquid generated by the melting of ice stored in the ice hopper, unwanted liquid spilled in the shaver and blender areas, and unwanted liquid collected within the main body of the machine. The drain pan includes a plurality of outlets which may be selectively chosen to facilitate routing the unwanted liquid out of the machine in a desired direction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to machines for cutting or processing food, and particularly to such machines that require a drainage system to remove unwanted liquids from the machine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many food processing machines produce unwanted liquids that leak, spill, or otherwise find their way onto or into the machine, and it is required that the liquids be drained off promptly to prevent disruption of the machine operation. Drink-making machines that process ice and/or liquids are particularly susceptible to leakage or spillage of liquid. Moreover, in an ice/shaver blender machine, the hopper at the top of the machine is generally kept relatively full of ice so that, when a frozen drink is ordered, the machine can be operated immediately to produce the desired frozen drink. While the ice sits in the hopper, it melts, and the resultant water must be drained from the hopper if the machine is to work properly. 
     The frozen drink machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,030 provides for drainage of the melted ice as well as of other unwanted liquid. Water from melted ice collects in a drip tray located under the ice shaver portion of the machine, the collected water then flowing through a hole in the drip tray downward through a first drainage hose. Liquid spilled in the area of the blender flows through a perforated panel at the front of the machine, onto a drain deck that includes two drain holes attached to a second drainage hose. These two drainage hoses join at a y-connector to feed a third hose exiting from the rear of the apparatus. 
     While drain constructions like that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,030 provide adequate drainage, they present several undesirable drawbacks. Water collected in the drip tray and in the drain deck may not flow immediately out of the machine. Cleaning the drain hoses inside the machine, the drip pan, and the drain deck is troublesome. And the construction of the drain system is relatively complicated, with multiple hoses and connectors. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a drainage system for a food processing machine that quickly and reliably removes the undesirable liquid from the machine. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a drainage system that is compact, easy to clean, and relatively inexpensive to construct and repair. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a drainage system that permits a convenient choice of directions for the drain outlet hose. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The drainage system of the present invention comprises a drain pan located at the base of the machine, the drain pan receiving unwanted liquid from various locations within the machine and permitting the ready removal of the unwanted liquid from the machine. In a preferred embodiment, the drain pan is employed in an ice shaver/blender machine and receives unwanted liquid generated by the melting of ice stored in the ice hopper, unwanted liquid spilled in the shaver and blender areas, and unwanted liquid collected within the main body of the machine. The drain pan includes a plurality of outlets that may be selectively chosen to facilitate routing the unwanted liquid out of the machine in a desired direction. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice shaver/blender machine and a removable blender cup, illustrating in dashed lines the position of the blender cup when it is positioned in the machine. 
     FIG. 2 is a representational sectional view of the shaver/blender machine of FIG. 1, with the blender cup in position under the ice shaver spout, a drainage hose being connected to the drain hole below the shaver mechanism and communicating with an aperture in the top of the drain pan, the drain pan being shown in partial sectional view at the base of the machine. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the principal components of the shaver/blender machine. 
     FIG. 4 a  is a perspective view of the top of the housing for the ice shaver motor, which motor housing is attached to the bottom of the ice shaver base. 
     FIG. 4 b  is a front elevation view of the housing for the ice shaver motor in the area of attachment to the ice shaver base. 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the drain pan for the machine, in position under the base of the machine. 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the machine, with the drain pan in position, and with two of the drain pan outlets plugged, while the third is ready for connection to an exit drain hose. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Machine  10  for making frozen drinks, depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises an ice shaver shown generally at  12 , mounted above a blender assembly shown generally at  14 . A blender cup  25  may be positioned in machine  10  by sliding the base  28  of the blender cup toward the back of the blender platform  35 . As illustrated in FIG. 1, a shoulder  36  projecting upwardly around the perimeter of blender platform  35  has rounded outer ends  36   a  that cooperate with a flat area  28   a  on each side of blender cup base  28  to guide blender cup  25  into proper position as it is slid into the machine. Shoulder  36  further includes straight sections  36   b  that cooperate with flat areas  28   a  on blender cup base  28  to prevent cup  25  from rotating or otherwise moving when the blender is operated. Inwardly curved portions  36   c  on each side near the back of the blender platform  35  serve as a stop against further inward movement of blender cup  25 , thereby ensuring proper final positioning of the cup under ice chute  24  (FIG.  2 ). A drain hole  37  (FIG. 5) located at the bottom of a recessed area  37   a  just in front of shoulder rear wall  36   d  (FIG. 1) permits any spilled liquid to drain off into drain pan  90 , described in detail below. 
     Ice cubes or chips contained in hopper  16  are driven by rotating pusher blade  18  powered by motor  20 , the cubes or chips striking shaving blade  22 , all in known fashion. The shaved ice particles travel through attached chute  24  into blender cup  25  though an aperture  40  in the cover  30  seated on blender cup  25 . When the machine is activated, d.c. motor  34  causes magnetizable disk  33 , housed in blender cup base  28  and axially attached to shaft  32 , to rotate, causing impeller  31  attached to shaft  32  to likewise rotate within container  26  of blender cup  25 , to blend the shaved ice particles and other drink ingredients that have been introduced into the blender cup. Upon completion of the desired blending, blender cup  25  may be removed from the machine, and the blended drink served to customers. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the machine principally comprises a machine base  60  and an ice shaver base  62  attached to and spaced apart by four vertical support rods or columns (not shown). Front panel  64 , rear panel  66 , and two side panels like that shown at  68  in FIG. 1, mate with machine base  60  and ice shaver base  62  to form an enclosure for the machine motors and electronics. Side panel  68  is removable to permit ready access to drain hose  80  and the interior of the machine. A similar panel on the opposite side of the machine is likewise removable to allow access to an electronic control board mounted just behind that panel. Pusher blade  18  is attached to rotating shaft  69  of motor  20 , the shaft projecting through aperture  63  in shaver base  62 , and through the center aperture in conical shaver pan  19  affixed to shaver base  62  and within which the pusher blade  18  rotates. Shaver blade  22  projects upwardly into shaver pan  19  through the slot  19   a  in pan  19 . 
     Ice hopper  16  seats within ice shaver base  62  atop shaver pan  19  and pusher blade  18 , the aperture  17  in hopper  16  permitting the ice cubes or chips to fall into contact with pusher blade  18 . The bottom of hopper  16 , shaver pan  19 , and the bottom of ice shaver base  62  are relatively steeply pitched toward the center of the machine to ensure good drainage of liquid. Hopper cover  15  sits atop hopper  16 . The machine base  60 , the front, back, and side panels  64 ,  66 , and  68 , shaver base  62 , hopper  15 , and hopper cover  16  are made of high impact plastic, hopper  15  and hopper cover  16  preferably being transparent. Pusher blade  18  and shaver pan  19  are preferably made of die-cast aluminum. 
     FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  depict the top of housing  70  of motor  20 , which housing is affixed to the underside of ice shaver base  62  by means of fasteners attached through flanges  72 . As seen in FIG. 3, the front edge of aperture  63  in ice shaver base  62  is substantially parallel with the front of the machine, and fits tightly against edge  75  on housing  70 ; likewise the curved portion of housing  70  aligns with and fits tightly to the remaining curved portion of aperture  63 , so that, when housing  70  is attached to ice shaver base  62 , an adequate seal is obtained. The upper surface  74  of housing  70  is inclined toward shaft  69 , the shaft being surrounded by a recessed area  76  having a drain hole  78 , the recessed area itself also being pitched toward drain hole  78 . Unwanted liquid in ice hopper  16  will flow through aperture  17  into recessed area  76 ; unwanted liquid in shaver pan  19  and ice shaver base  62  will flow onto surface  74  and then into recessed area  76 . All unwanted liquid will then flow out drain hole  78  and into drain hose  80 , attached under drain hole by force fit onto tubular collar  73  surrounding drain hole  78  and extending downwardly from housing  70 . Drain hose  80  directs this unwanted liquid to drain pan  90 , as explained below. 
     Turning to FIG. 5, the upper side of machine base  60  includes a recessed area  82  having large aperture  84  and small aperture  85  therethrough, the purpose of which apertures will be explained below. Circular collar  86  surrounds a third aperture  88  through recessed area  82 , this third aperture being aligned with drain hole  78  in motor housing  70  so that drain hose  80  attached below drain hole  78  may pass through machine base  60  via aperture  88 , with circular collar  86  preventing dislodgement or sideways movement of hose  80 . Drain pan  90  is attachable to the underside of machine base  60  (see FIG. 6) and comprises an upper section  92  matable with a lower section  91 , each molded of high impact plastic. These sections may be welded together, or alternatively will be held together when drain pan  90  is affixed to the underside of machine base  60  via fasteners introduced through the holes in flanges  97  of lower section, and into corresponding projections from machine base  60  (not shown). When drain pan  90  is so attached, the upper circular rim at the top of upper section  92  is flush with the underside of machine base  60 . As made clear in FIG. 6, drain pan  90  is positioned so that aperture  93  in upper section  92  is centered on aperture  84  of machine base  60 . 
     When upper section  92  and lower section  91  of drain pan  90  are mated, curved portion  98  and square portion  99  remain open at their tops, the top edge of each portion being substantially flush against the underside of machine base  60  when drain pan  90  is attached. Curved portion  98  receives the lower end of drain hose  80  so that unwanted liquid from the ice shaver portion of the machine is delivered into drain pan  90 . Square portion  99  is located under drain hole  37  at the rear of blender platform  35 , so that unwanted liquid spilled in the blender area will flow into recessed area  37   a  of at the rear of blender platform  35 , then through hole  37  into drain pan  90 . The recessed area  82  of machine base  60  is pitched toward aperture  84 , so that unwanted liquid that collects in the machine base flows or falls into recess  82 , then flows through aperture  84  onto circular rim  100  and then through aperture  93  into drain pan  90 . 
     Thus the drainage system of the instant invention, in the particular embodiment here illustrated and described, permits unwanted liquids to be drained from ice hopper  16 , shaver pan  19 , and ice shaver base  62 , from blender platform  35 , and from machine base  60 , the unwanted water being directed into drain pan  90  and then out of the machine. Since it may be desirable, depending on the location of the machine on a bar counter or other table, to drain off the unwanted water in a particular direction, in the embodiment here shown, drain  90  is provided with three outlet arms  95 . By stoppering one or more of the outlet arms by means of soft rubber caps  101  that may be removably fitted over the arms, the user may choose the direction for the outflow of liquid; the unplugged outlet arm or arms may each receive an exit drain hose  102  (as shown in FIG. 2) through which the unwanted liquid may be removed. T-shaped channel  94  in drain pan  90  assists in directing the unwanted water out of the machine. 
     The drainage system further includes several “emergency” exits for unwanted liquid, should drain pan  90  become clogged or should exit drain hose  102  become crimped or otherwise stop functioning. Lower section  91  of drain pan  90  includes a notched area  96  at the inner edge of square portion  99 , which notched area remains open when drain pan  90  is attached to machine base  60 . Thus should the level of liquid in drain pan  90  rise above the lowest point of that notched area  96 , the liquid will begin to spill out of drain pan  90  and onto the countertop or table on which the machine sits. Moreover, if, for some reason the unwanted liquid begins collecting in recessed area  82  of machine base  60 , small aperture  85 , located on the upper pitch of recessed area  84 , serves as a “safety valve” to allow this collected liquid to exit the machine and to spill out onto the countertop. It is not anticipated that these two “emergency” routes for disposal of the unwanted liquid will be often needed, since the drainage system here described is simple in construction and not likely to become clogged during ordinary usage of the machine. 
     In the preferred embodiment here described, drain hose  80 , which is attached to the underside of shaver motor housing  70 , is a standard flexible plastic hose having an inner diameter of 1½ inches and a length of about 10½ inches. Drain hole  78  has a diameter of 1¼ inches. In the machine base  60 , large aperture  88  is 3 inches in diameter, aperture  84  is 2 inches in diameter, and small aperture  85  is ¾ inch in diameter. Drain hole  37  at the rear of blender platform  36  is substantially rectangular, of dimensions ⅜ inch by ⅞ inch. 
     Turning to drain pan  90 , the circular portion of upper section  92  is 3 and ⅜ inches in outer diameter, and has an aperture  93  that is 1 and ⅜ inches in diameter. Curved portion  98  of lower section  91  has a diameter of about 1¾ inches, and square portion  99  is about 2 inches square. Outlet arms  95  have an inner diameter of about ¾ inch. Drain pan  90  is about 1 and ⅞ inches in height. 
     It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiments herein shown and described. Accordingly, variations may be made from the embodiments described herein which are within the scope of the accompanying claims, without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.