Cuisinarts, Inc.

John W Breeden

An enlarged food pusher with clean-out windows is provided in a feedtube protector assembly utilized with a food processor. The feedtube protector includes an outer sleeve nestable around the exterior of an expanded feedtube which forms a first passageway for feeding food items through the cover into the bowl. A telescoping oval-shaped food pusher on the outer sleeve moves longitudinally in the expanded feedtube for pushing food items onto the rotary tool. A second passageway is provided by a tubular member extending through the food pusher which is adapted to receive a removable food pusher normally retained within the second passageway when the larger food pusher is being used. The oval-shaped food pusher has an enclosed bottom end extending from its periphery inwardly to the second food passageway. A pair of crescent-shaped cavities having four cusp regions defined between the oval-shaped pusher and the tubular member are open and may accumulate food which may be difficult to remove. To alleviate this problem L-shaped clean-out and drain ports are provided in the side wall of the captured food pusher adjacent the bottom thereof. One leg of each of these L-shaped ports communicate with a respective cusp region and the other leg is wider and extends vertically above the first leg thereby providing a means for cleaning the cavities within the interior of the oval-shaped food pusher.

Enlarged food pusher with clean-out windows in a feedtube protector

Lock for the food pusher in a feedtube protector of a food processor. The feedtube protector has an outer sleeve nestable in a predetermined position around the exterior of the feedtube with a first food pusher captured in telescoping relationship within the outer sleeve for enabling the captured food pusher to move up and down therein. This first food pusher is in alignment with the interior of the outer sleeve for causing the first food pusher to become aligned with a first larger food passageway in the feedtube only when the outer sleeve is nested around the feedtube. This first food pusher has a second smaller food passageway within itself adapted to receive a removable second food pusher plungable into this second food passageway for pushing smaller food items down into the bowl toward a rotating tool in the bowl. This second passageway is smaller than the first passageway for convenient processing of smaller food items without removing the feedtube protector from the food processor. To prevent the larger first food pusher from elevating and defeating operation of the smaller second food pusher, a manually operable horizontally movable locking mechanism on the outer sleeve prevents relative movement between first food pusher and the outer sleeve when the smaller second food pusher is being employed. Either the larger or the smaller food pusher may be locked when the other is being used.

Lock for food pusher in feed tube protector of a food processor

A rotary food slicing tool is provided for use in a food processor of the type having a housing with a motor drive and a working bowl mountable on the housing which is adapted to encircle the food slicing tool. The tool has an elongated hub with a lower end coupling removably engageable with the motor drive for rotating the tool in the bowl about an axis of rotation. The rotary slicing tool in accordance with the present invention includes a disc-like member mounted on the upper end of the elongated hub. This disc-like member includes a raised rim having a skirt extending downwardly therefrom and an arcuate opening extending inwardly from the raised rim to a position near the center of the disc-like member. A raised platform on the disc-like member includes a rearwardly sloping arcuate shoulder and a leading edge which overhangs the trailing portion of the opening forming an elevated forward facing slot between the disc-like member and the raised platform. A U-shaped cutting blade has a front leg which forms the slicing surface. This front leg is mounted on the leading edge of the platform overhanging the slot opening. The rear leg of this U-shaped blade is mounted on the platform snug against the raised rim, thereby providing a strong, rugged cutting structure which produces clean, crisp cuts of food items fed into the working bowl onto the top of the disc-like member. The raised rim extends above the level of the U-shaped cutting blade a distance of approximately 1 millimeter all around the circumference of the disc-like member and prevents distortion or expansion of vegetables or other food products beyond the rim of the tool for avoiding unsightly or distorted slicing.

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Westport, CT, United States of America

John W Breeden