Emerson Electric Company

Cynthia C Jara-Almonte

Thomas R Berger

Richard A Junk

Steven P Hanson

Scott W Anderson

Randall E Hammer

Joseph G Farmerie

Nicholas J Hirsch

Donald Gapko

Jeff P Culver

Dane Hofmeister

A food waste disposer has a food conveying section that receives food waste and water; a grinding section including a grinding mechanism, and a motor section including a motor. The grinding section is disposed between the food conveying section and the motor section. The grinding mechanism includes a stationary grind ring and a rotating shredder plate assembly that rotates in the grind ring to grind food waste to form ground matter that combines with the water to form a slurry. The slurry passes into a discharge area in an upper end bell below the shredder plate assembly. The food conveying section includes a housing having a food waste deflecting band with an angular profile at a lower end of the housing.

Food waste disposer with food deflecting housing

Various mechanisms for reducing food waste in a food waste disposer are disclosed. In each of the reduction mechanisms, structures are provided for shearing food waste as it passes through or past a rotating shredder plate of the disposer. Each of the reduction mechanism has a rotatable plate having a plurality of lugs positioned for rotation relative to an inner wall of a stationary ring. In one embodiment, the reduction mechanism includes a horizontal toothed ledge positioned above the stationary ring is used to enhance grinding the food waste. In another embodiment, the reduction mechanism includes a vertical rasping surface positioned above the stationary ring. In yet another embodiment, the reduction mechanism includes serrated edges added to the vertical leading edges of the teeth on the stationary ring.

Food waste reduction mechanism for disposer

A grinding mechanism for a food waste disposer includes a grinding ring defining a plurality of window openings therethrough. The grinding ring is received in a housing of a grinding mechanism. The grinding mechanism has a plurality of cavities therein corresponding to the window openings that are disposed outboard of the window openings. A plurality of stacked disks form a rotatable shredder plate that is situated to rotate relative to the grinding ring.

Food waste disposer with grinding mechanism with windowed grind ring

A grinding mechanism for a food waste disposer includes a grinding ring defining a plurality of window openings therethrough. A backing member receives the grinding ring and defines a plurality of cavities therein corresponding to the window openings. A plurality of stacked disks form a rotatable shredder plate that is situated to rotate relative to the grinding plate.

Food waste disposer grinding mechanism

A shredder plate assembly for a food waste disposer includes a disk with one or more water slinging devices attached, so that water flowing into the disposer flows over the water slinging device and against the inside of the disposer housing as the disk rotates.

Food waste disposer clean-out mechanism

A food waste disposer includes a housing defining an inlet opening and a grinding mechanism driven by a motor for grinding food waste received into the housing through the inlet opening. An annular retaining collar has one end for connecting to a sink opening, via a standard sink mount, for example. An annular elastomeric coupler is situated about the opposite end of the annular retaining collar and connected to the housing for vibrationally isolating the annular retaining collar from the housing. The primary loading on the elastomeric material is in shear. Elastomeric materials in shear are particularly effective in absorbing both vibration and shock loads.

Food waste disposer antivibration system

Various mechanisms for reducing food waste in a food waste disposer are disclosed. In each of the reduction mechanisms, structures are provided for shearing food waste as it passes through or past a rotating shredder plate of the disposer. In one embodiment, the reduction mechanism has a rotatable plate coupled to a rotational source and positioned for rotation relative to an inner wall of a stationary ring. The plate has a fixed lug attached to the rotatable plate and has a movable lug attached to the rotatable plate. In another embodiment, the reduction mechanism includes a rotatable plate coupled to a rotational source and a stationary plate disposed adjacent the rotatable plate. The stationary plate or impeller defines a plurality of apertures therethrough. At least one first portion of the rotatable plate or impeller shears over at least some of the apertures in the stationary plate to shear the food waste.

A food waste disposer having devices to reduce noise is disclosed. The disposer has a food conveying section, a motor section, and a grinding section. To reduce the emitted noise that may result when food waste impacts the various components of the grinding section, in one embodiment, the present invention uses sound reduction layers attached to the external surfaces of the food conveying section, the motor section, and/or the central grinding section. The sound reduction layers may be made of materials that absorb, block, or dampen the emitted noise. The rotating shredder plate may have a first metallic layer, a second damping layer, and a third metallic layer. The stationary shredder ring may be made of a high-mass material or have a high-mass ring in connection with a stationary shredder ring. These devices may be combined with various disposer inlet baffles.

Noise reduced food waste disposer

Shredder plate for a food waste disposer

Shredder plate for food waste disposer

Grind ring for a food waste disposer

Disclosed herein is a vibration isolation gasket for mounting a food waste disposer to a sink that is at least partially molded onto a portion of the housing of the disposer, and preferably to the disposer's container cover. The vibration isolation gasket preferably includes a rubberized and integrally-formed gasket portion, sleeve portion, and over-molded portion. The gasket portion couples to the drain opening and may contain pleats to prevent food ejection from the disposer. The sleeve portion connects the gasket and over-molded portions, bears the weight of the disposer as it hangs from the sink, and acts as the primary structure for reducing vibration-induced noise. The over-molded portion is preferably molded onto the top and bottom of the container cover, which is in turns crimped to the remainder of the disposer housing.

Overmolded vibration isolation gasket for mounting food waste disposer to sink

A waste line connector assembly for connecting a food waste disposer to a waste line is disclosed. The connector assembly isolates vibrational forces of the waste disposer from the waste line caused during the operation of the waste disposer. The connector assembly includes a flexible isolation coupler. The flexible isolation coupler has a flexible portion for absorbing the vibrational forces of the waste disposer. The flexible isolation coupler may be directly coupled to the discharge outlet of the waste disposer or to the waste line. The flexible isolation coupler may also be attached between two tubular tailpipes, which are coupled to the discharge outlet of the waste disposer or to the waste line.

Growing community of inventors

Kenosha, WI, United States of America

Cynthia C Jara-Almonte