Juice extractor including frictional shaft-hub couplings for drive cams and related methods
AssigneeFMC Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDennis Klipp, Francisco Brocchetto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A juice extractor may include a juice extraction assembly and a drive assembly connected thereto. The drive assembly may include a shaft, at least one cam having a hub, and a shaft-hub coupler frictionally securing the shaft and the hub of the at least one cam together. For example, the at least one cam may include at least one cup-drive cam. Each of the shaft and the hub of the at least one cup-drive cam may be cylindrically shaped and devoid of keying. Accordingly, the cup-drive, shaft-hub coupler permits ready attachment of the cup-drive cam to the drive shaft. One or more orifice tube-drive cams may be similarly secured to the shaft with a frictional shaft-hub coupler.
Claims32
A juice extractor comprising:
- a plurality extractor cups arranged in pairs for squeezing fruit therebetween;
- a motor;
- a shaft connected to said motor;
- at least one cup-drive cam having a hub;
- a cup-drive, shaft-hub coupler frictionally securing said shaft and the hub of said at least one cup-drive cam together;
- and
- at least one cup-drive member connected between said at least one cup-drive cam and said extractor cups.
A juice extractor comprising:
- a plurality extractor cups arranged in pairs for squeezing fruit therebetween;
- a motor;
- a shaft connected to said motor;
- a plurality of cup-drive cams, each having a hub;
- a respective cup-drive, shaft-hub coupler frictionally securing said shaft and each hub of said cup-drive cams together;
- each of said plurality of cup-drive cams further comprising at least one alignment feature for facilitating the relative alignment thereof;
- each of said shaft and the hubs of said cup-drive cams being cylindrically shaped and devoid of keying;
- and
- at least one cup-drive member connected between said cup-drive cams and said extractor cups.
A juice extractor comprising:
- a juice extraction assembly and a drive assembly connected thereto;
- said drive assembly comprising
- a shaft,
- at least one cam having a hub, and
- a shaft-hub coupler frictionally securing said shaft and the hub of said at least one cam together.
A method for making a juice extractor comprising a juice extraction assembly and a drive assembly connected thereto, with the drive assembly comprising a shaft and at least one cam having a hub, the method comprising:
- frictionally securing the shaft and the hub of the at least one cam together using a shaft-hub coupler.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.