Back to results
US 9,402,410 B2Granted
Food processing apparatus
AssigneeKi Mee Metal & Plastic Factory Limited
InventorShun So
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A food processing apparatus has a housing, a basket supported in the housing for rotation about an axis of rotation, and a drive mechanism supported by the housing for rotating the basket to process food in the housing, for example, spinning off water from the food. The drive mechanism has a manual operating lever, a gearwheel rotated by the lever and coupled to the basket for rotating the basket, and a centrifugal clutch between the lever and the gearwheel for transmitting a rotational drive force from the lever to the gearwheel. The food processing apparatus includes a brake mechanism supported by the housing for braking rotation of the basket, the brake mechanism having a braking member frictionally engageable with the gearwheel to stop rotation of the basket.
Claims23
A food processing apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a food processing device supported in the housing for rotation about an axis of rotation;
- a drive mechanism supported by the housing for rotating the food processing device to process food in the housing, wherein the drive mechanism includes
- a manual operating member,
- a gearwheel arranged to be rotated by the manual operating member and coupled to the food processing device for, in turn, rotating the food processing device, and
- a centrifugal clutch located between the manual operating member and the gearwheel for transmitting a rotational drive force from the manual operating member to the gearwheel, wherein
- the centrifugal clutch is in fixed engagement with the manual operating member for simultaneous motion of the manual operating member and the centrifugal clutch, and is in releasable engagement with the gearwheel,
- the centrifugal clutch comprises at least two keying members located between the manual operating member and the gearwheel,
- the at least two keying members are movable outwards by centrifugal action upon rotation of the centrifugal clutch and engagement with the gearwheel, and
- each keying member is supported by a flexible link in a skewed direction such that the flexible link stays and holds the keying member in engagement with the gearwheel in a driving direction of the centrifugal clutch and flexes and disengages the keying member from the gearwheel in a non-driving direction, opposite the driving direction, of the centrifugal clutch;
- and
- a brake mechanism supported by the housing for braking the food processing device, the brake mechanism comprising a braking member frictionally engageable with the gearwheel for stopping rotation of the food processing device.
9 more elements
A food processing apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a food processing device supported in the housing for rotation about an axis of rotation;
- a drive mechanism supported by the housing for rotating the food processing device to process food in the housing, the drive mechanism includes
- a manual operating member,
- a gearwheel arranged to be rotated by the manual operating member and coupled to the food processing device for, in turn, rotating the food processing device,
- a centrifugal clutch located between the manual operating member and the gearwheel for transmitting a rotational drive force from the manual operating member to the gearwheel;
- a train of gears for transmitting the rotational drive force from the centrifugal clutch to the food processing device,
- the gearwheel is a first gear in the train of gears, and
- the train of gears includes at least one other gearwheel, as a last gear in the train of gears and that engages the food processing device for rotating the food processing device;
- and
- a brake mechanism supported by the housing for braking the food processing device, the brake mechanism comprising a braking member frictionally engageable with the gearwheel for stopping rotation of the food processing device.
8 more elements
A food processing apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a food processing device supported in the housing for rotation about an axis of rotation;
- a drive mechanism supported by the housing for rotating the food processing device to process food in the housing, wherein the drive mechanism includes
- a manual operating member,
- a gearwheel arranged to be rotated by the manual operating member and coupled to the food processing device for, in turn, rotating the food processing device, and
- a centrifugal clutch located between the manual operating member and the gearwheel for transmitting a rotational drive force from the manual operating member to the gearwheel;
- and
- a brake mechanism supported by the housing for braking the food processing device, the brake mechanism comprising a braking member frictionally engageable with the gearwheel for stopping rotation of the food processing device, wherein
- the brake mechanism includes a hollow brake body which is attached to the housing and carries the braking member,
- the braking member includes a portion of a wall of the brake body, and
- the wall is partially cut to form a tab that can be pressed inward from outside, against the gearwheel.
8 more elements
A food processing apparatus comprising;
- a housing;
- a food processing device supported in the housing for rotation about an axis of rotation;
- a drive mechanism supported by the housing for rotating the food processing device to process food in the housing, wherein the drive mechanism includes
- a manual operating member,
- a gearwheel arranged to be rotated by the manual operating member and coupled to the food processing device for, in turn, rotating the food processing device,
- a centrifugal clutch located between the manual operating member and the gearwheel for transmitting a rotational drive force from the manual operating member to the gearwheel,
- two gearwheels rotated by the manual operating member in opposite directions and coupled to the food processing device,
- two centrifugal clutches with a respective centrifugal clutch located between the manual operating member and each of the two gearwheels for transmitting the rotational drive force from the manual operating member to the respective gearwheel in the respective direction, and
- a common gear in engagement with both of the two gearwheels and the food processing device for rotating the food processing device in response to the rotational drive force received from the two gearwheels through the common gear for rotating the food processing device;
- and
- a brake mechanism supported by the housing for braking the food processing device, the brake mechanism comprising a braking member frictionally engageable with the gearwheel for stopping rotation of the food processing device.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.