Magnetic flatware retriever

A magnetic device for preventing flatware from falling into a food disposer machine, comprising,

• a non-magnetic collar adapted to be mounted over the mouth of the machine, said collar having an annular wall defining a vertical opening for the passage of food scraps into the machine, and
• at least two magnetic elements mounted by said collar in said opening, each element extending across said opening from one side thereof to an opposite side,
• each element comprising a round, smooth, hollow, cylindrical non-magnetic sleeve containing a series of permanent magnets aligned axially within it, said magnets separated from each other by non-magnetic spacers,
• said collar having mounting means projecting into said opening from said wall, said mounting means positioned and sized for seating and capturing the ends of the respective sleeves, said collar deforming outwardly in a direction parallel to said elements and away from said ends if a compressive force is applied thereto transversely to said elements, thereby to enable said sleeves to be seated on and captured by said mounting means when the compressive force is removed.