Other

Cuisinarts, Inc.

Carl G Sontheimer

Richard D Clare

Allen F Podell

James E Williams

William R Smith-Vaniz

A friction braking system located entirely inside an induction motor of an appliance quickly stops rotation of the rotor in the appliance motor, for example such as a food processor, whenever the A.C. electrical power is turned off. Thus, rotation of any tool being operated in the appliance is quickly stopped, whenever the electrical power is interrupted. The rotor in the induction motor is axially slidably mounted on the motor shaft and is keyed to the shaft for permitting axial shifting displacement of the rotor relative to the stator while preventing any angular displacement of the rotor relative to the shaft. Consequently, the rotor and shaft always turn and stop as a function unit. A friction brake lining is affixed within the motor housing offset from the axis of the motor shaft as far as practicable. A disc brake mounted onto the rotor has an annular friction braking surface positioned for engagement against the brake lining. The rotor is arranged for an axial thrust to shift the rotor in an axial direction away from its normal operating position aligned with the stator, whenever the electrical power is interrupted, thereby applying friction braking action quickly and at a relatively large moment arm as compared with the radius of the rotor for effective braking. The brake disc may include motor-cooling fan blades. An inverted V-shaped brake surface configuration is also shown for enhancing braking action.

Friction braking system and apparatus for appliance induction motor drive

A salad spinner dryer attachment is provided for a food processor having a base housing containing an electrical motor drive with a deck located on top of the base housing for removably mounting a working bowl thereon in predetermined engaged fixed position and having a tool drive shaft projecting vertically above the deck which drive shaft is rotatable by the motor drive at a first rotational speed around a main vertical axis of rotation. The attachement has an upstanding auxiliary bowl removably mountable upon the deck in place of the working bowl in the predetermined engaged fixed position. This auxiliary bowl has an uninterrupted side wall and a bottom trough for catching and holding any water which drains down its inside surface. A slotted basket is rotatably mountable in the auxiliary bowl to rotate around the main vertical axis at a second rotational speed substantially less than the first rotational speed of the tool drive shaft. A removable coupling sleeve is engageable with the tool drive shaft for rotating thereby about the main axis and has an exterior friction drive surface concentric with the main vertical axis with a radius 'r' from this vertical axis. The auxiliary bowl carries a plurality of rotatable wheels whose perimeters roll against said exterior frictional drive surface. A driven rotor member is rotatable about the main axis and has an interior friction drive surface concentric with the main axis with a radius 'R' larger than radius 'r' of the exterior drive surface on the coupling sleeve. The perimeter of the wheels rolling against the interior friction drive surface of radius R turns the driven rotor member at a reduced second rotational speed which is considerably less than the first rotational speed as a function of radius r divided by radius R. Accordingly, components of salads such as lettuce, spinach and other greens, deposited in the rotatably basket are spun by the basket with water therefrom being thrown against the side wall of the auxiliary bowl to be deposited in the trough thereion for drying the salad.

Salad spinner dryer apparatus rotated by speed reducing friction drive

A safety switch for automatically interrupting a circuit when its main contacts are fused or stuck together in the 'ON' position comprises a housing containing a pair of main contacts and auxiliary safety contacts which are normally closed but are automatically opened when the main contacts fuse together. One main contact is an 'ON' contact, and the other main contact is carried by a movable switch arm. A first spring in the housing mechanically coupled to the movable switch arm normally urges the movable main contact into open position away from the engagement with the ON contact. Switch operating means include a movable actuator to overcome the biasing force of the spring for moving the movable main contact to closed position into engagement with the ON main contact for energizing a circuit controlled by the main contacts. The auxiliary safety contacts become opened in response to abnormal movement of the switch arm under influence of the spring when the actuator is moved to OFF position, but the movable main contact remains fused or stuck to the ON main contact. In their operation, a second pre-stressed spring continuously biases the auxiliary safety contacts toward open position, and they are automatically triggered and immediately are moved from closed to open position by this pre-stressed spring for interrupting the controlled circuit when the actuator is moved to Off position but the main contacts remain fused or stuck together in ON relationship.

Switch for automatically interrupting a circuit when its contacts are

A convenient feedtube protector and single-motion cover lifting structure is provided for a food processor of the type including a housing containing an electric motor drive and control means for rendering the motor drive inoperative unless the control means are actuated. The food processor can be actuated when and only when both the cover and the feedtube protector are properly positioned, such that the control means become actuated to permit operation of the motor drive, thereby preventing inadvertent insertion of a hand or foreign object through the feedtube while the tool is being driven. The feedtube protector and the cover are separate items, and therefore the normal procedure for removing the cover from the bowl is to remove the feedtube protector first and set it down on a counter and then to remove the cover. In accordance with the present invention, a lateral access opening is provided in the outer sleeve of the feedtube protector for exposing the feedtube to the grasp of the user. Accordingly, when the protector is grasped with the thumb on one side and with the fingers on the other, either the thumb or the fingers press directly through the lateral access opening onto the feedtube. Thus, when the hand is raised, the cover is automatically and simultaneously lifted together with the feedtube protector in a single, convenient motion using one hand.

Convenient feedtube protector and single-motion cover lifting structure

There is disclosed method and apparatus for recording and retrieving video information in two modes on a single laser recording disc. An annular portion of the disc carries still frame information recorded at a constant angular velocity. One still frame occupies a track or groove extending around exactly one full revolution of the disc recorded at constant angular velocity. Thus, any given still frame is presented on the video screen by repeatedly scanning one track for so long as that particular still frame is desired to be shown on the video screen. Another annular portion of the disc carries video information, i.e. the dynamic parts of a video program, recorded at constant linear velocity along the track or groove being scanned on the disc. A scanning head may be selectively shifted beween the two annular regions in order to incorporate predetermined still frames into the video program at desired spots during the program. The disc drive speed is adjusted to provide the correct angular or linear velocity depending upon the portion of disc being played back at any instant. If desired, a controller automatically can fill the video screen with pertinent or interesting presentations during the brief time intervals whenever the scanning head is being shifted fron one portion of the disc to another.

Method and apparatus for recording and retrieving video information in

Safety interlock method and apparatus employing magnetic effects for food processors having a base enclosing a motor drive, working bowl detachably mountable on the base for receiving various rotatable tools removably installable on drive means in the bowl, with removable cover for the bowl. Such food processors normally include a hopper or feed tube on the cover with manually operated pusher for feeding food items down it to the rotating tool. The safety interlock in one embodiment prevents actuation of the drive to prevent tool rotation unless two conditions are met: (1) the working bowl is in proper position and (2) the cover is in proper position. The safety interlock in another embodiment prevents actuation of the motor drive unless three conditions are met: (1) bowl in proper position, (2) cover in proper position, and (3) food pusher is inserted into the feed tube. If there is a relatively large feed tube, the user is thus prevented by the inserted food pusher from inadvertently inserting a hand or foreign object into it. By virtue of this latter interlock, the feed tube can safely be made of larger cross-sectional area so that larger food items can be inserted whole. Moreover, the entire size of working bowl, cover and feed tube can be proportionately enlarged for providing a larger overall machine. The various interlock systems employ magnetic effects advantageously in ways for increasing discrimination against inadvertent actuation by ordinary magnets.

Magnetic safety interlock method and apparatus for food processor

In order to overcome the unexpected dynamic lifting action of an easily installed rotary cutter tool in a food processor as the lower blade revolves at relatively high velocity through food material, such as shelled nuts in making nut butter, a downward inclination in a forward direction is provided in at least the lower blade, near its outer tip. If desired, such an inclination may be incorporated into both blades of the cutter tool. This downward inclination of the blade surface to provide a negative angle of attack (-A) relative to the direction of rotation may be accomplished in a preferred embodiment by twisting the outer blade portion into a negative angle of attack relative to the remainder of the blade or by mounting the whole blade onto the hub at a negative angle of attack. Thus, as the lower blade moves at relatively high velocity through food material, there is a continuous impact of the food material against the downwardly inclined blade surface at least near the tip region producing a downward component of thrust for holding the tool hub down firmly seated in its proper relationship upon the rotating drive shaft.

Readily installed food processor cutter tool with negative blade lift

A rotary slicing tool is provided for a food processor having a hub with a horizontal disc-like member carrying an elevated slicing blade. The disc-like member has a horizontal area with an arcuate slot extending from the hub out to the periphery. The slicing blade is mounted on an elevated arcuate rim behind the slot with the cutting edge projecting forward and elevated above the horizontal area facing forward above the slot for slicing food items, with the slices passing down through the slot. For avoiding smashing or shredding of slices, a gradually sloping shoulder joins the horizontal area with the elevated platform having the rim where the slicing blade is mounted. Both ends of the blade are contoured to conform with the rotational direction of travel; the outer end conforming with the periphery of the disc-like member, and the inner end conforming with the hub, and the cutting edge is spaced well forward of the shoulder near both ends of the slicing blade. The shoulder is also gently sloped, rounded and contoured to conform with the motion of the disc relative to the slices being formed and passing through the slot in the fast-turning tool, whereby food items are uniformly sliced by the blade with the slices being gently deflected by or missing the gradually sloping contoured shoulder without being smashed or otherwise damaged particularly near the outer end of the fast-revolving slicing blade.

Rotary slicing tool for making neat, complete slices in a food processor

An improvement in a food processor of the type having a housing enclosing a motor, a drive shaft extending from the housing, a working bowl which is detachably mountable on the housing in position to surround the shaft for receiving the various rotatable food processing tools which are removably installed on the shaft, with a removable cover on the bowl. Food processors of this type normally include a hopper or feed tube which is carried by the cover, and a manually operated pusher or plunger which is used to feed food items down through the hopper onto the rotating cutter blade, slicing disc, rasping tool, etc. The improvement comprises a safety interlock between a switch actuator associated with the cover and an on-off switch in the housing to permit actuation of the relatively powerful motor drive when the pusher is being properly inserted within the hopper, thereby preventing a user from inserting a hand down into the hopper where there is risk of inadvertently encountering injury from a rotating tool in the upper portion of the bowl. By virtue of this interlock, the feed tube can safely be made to have a larger cross-sectional area so that larger food items can be inserted whole into the food processor. Moreover, the entire size of the working bowl, cover and feed tube can be proportionately enlarged for providing a larger overall machine.

Safety interlock for the food pusher in a food processor

Method and apparatus for conversion of an uneven arm beam balance from metric weight measurement to English weight measurement, and the reverse conversion are described. An illustrative example is a balance rated to measure in kilograms and having a main beam scale graduated in uniform increments of metric weight with associated notched poises, a main weight being discretely positionable in respective notches. A secondary beam scale in parallel relationship with the main beam reads from zero to a value equal to one such metric weight increment, along which a secondary (slider) weight is slidable for making the fine-tuning weight measurements between respective graduations of the main scale. For conversion, there is also provided on the main beam a main English scale graduated in uniform increments of English weight with associated notched poise arranged so that a shift in the position of the main weight by a distance equivalent to 400N Grams weighs an increase of N pounds Avoirdupois. For performing a measurement in pounds the main weight is increased by 13,398% accomplished by combining an auxiliary weight therewith or by substituting a heavier main weight. A secondary English scale is also provided reading from zero to a value equal to one such increment of English weight and having a length 13.398% longer, or a slider 13,398% heavier, than for the secondary metric scale.

Method and apparatus for conversion of an uneven arm beam balance from

In food processing apparatus having a working bowl with a motor-driven shaft extending vertically upwards through the bottom of the bowl and various selected rotary tools having disc-like cutting tool members positioned in the top of the bowl which can be engaged with this shaft for processing food introduced through a feed tube in a cover secured over the bowl during use, improved rotary food processing apparatus is provided preventing the cutting surfaces of the disc-like member from inadvertently coming into contact with the undersurface of the cover. The disc member is provided with one or more rounded bearing elements elevated above the cutting elements by a small amount, for example in the range from 1/32 to 3/32 of an inch. These bearing elements are positioned closely adjacent to the periphery of the disc member, and in one illustrated embodiment the bearing element is formed directly at the periphery, thereby not impeding the feeding of food items to the cutting elements in the disc member. In normal operation the cutting elements clear the cover by a slightly greater amount than the elevation of the bearing elements for example 1/8th of an inch, such that these elevated bearing elements also clear the undersurface of the cover. In the event that the user inadvertently overloads the rotating disc cutting tool in either manner described, these bearing elements advantageously slide against the undersurface of the cover almost effortlessly for holding the cutting elements spaced slightly away from the horizontal undersurface of the cover thereby protecting both the cover and the rotating tool.

Growing community of inventors

Greenwich, CT, United States of America

Carl G Sontheimer