GB2407525A

GB2407525A - Juicer arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2407525A
Application number: GB0325398A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neville Cooper
Original assignee: Kenwood Marks Ltd
Current assignee: Kenwood Marks Ltd
Priority date: 2003-10-30
Filing date: 2003-10-30
Publication date: 2005-05-04
Also published as: GB0325398D0

Abstract

This invention relates to juicer arrangements, especially centrifugal juicers intended for the domestic market and comprising an open-topped, drum-like container 12 having a base 24 and a foraminated wall 16, and a removable filter disposed adjacent an inner surface of the wall. The filter and the wall are configured to permit juice to pass out of the container whilst substantially constraining residue materials within it, and the filter material is retained in contact with the wall 16 by co-operation between a shaped formation 36 provided at a region of the wall and a retention device 34. By this means, the removable filter is retained firmly against the inner surface of the wall. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the shaped formation 36 comprises a groove formed in the inner surface of the wall 16 of the container. The groove is preferably continuous, though it may alternatively have one or more discontinuities. The retention device 34 is preferably a split ring.

Description

1 2407525

JUICER ARRANGEMENT

This invention relates to juicer arrangements, and more particularly to centrifugal juicers intended t'or the domestic market and comprising motor-driven appliances capable of extracting the juice from natural produce such as fruits (typically citrus fruits) and/or vegetables, and delivering the juice into a vessel, such as a jug or carafe, that is positioned adjacent the main body of the appliance to receive the juice by way of an outlet duct.

Such appliances typically are constructed with a macerating device, such as a discoidal cutter plate to pulp the produce; the cutter plate overlying, or forming part at least of, the base of an open-topped, drumlike container, the upright wall of which is foraminated, i.e. pierced or l 5 otherwise formed with small holes and/or narrow slits, thus being sufficiently porous to permit juice to pass therethrough. The drum-like container is spun sufficiently rapidly to separate the juice fro in the pulped produce, leaving behind pulp residues, comprising mainly fibrous bulk matter. It is also conventional for the appliances to incorporate, within the drum-like container, one or more removable filters, configured and located to assist in the interception and retention of the residues, partly because the presence of undue amounts of such residue materials in the prepared juice is considered unpalatable by many users and partly because such residue materials would otherwise tend to block outlet ducts and internal paths, passageways and/or galleries through which the juice is conveyed to the outlet ducts. r

Appliances based upon the foregoing general arrangement are well established, can be economically manufactured and work quite well.

Difficulties arise however in certain respects, such as the retention in place of removable filters which are used in conjunction with permanent filters, such as perforations in the walls of drum-like containers within which the produce is spun to separate the juice from pulp residues.

Removable filters typically take the form of strips or loops of material such as paper, fabrics or foraminated plastics, which are designed to lie 0 adjacent the inner surface of the wall of the aforementioned drum-like container. Moreover, it has recently been proposed, in GB-2376648-A, that a removable filter may additionally comprise at least a partial base, thus making a generally cup-shaped filter that advantageously can be used rather like a bag and thus enables the bulk of the residues to be easily withdrawn from the appliance with little spillage or mess.

In any event, however, difficulties arise in retaining the removable filter in its correct position relative to the inner surface of the wall of the drum- like container and, in particular, in ensuring that the upper surface of the filter (that nearest the open end of the drum-like container) does not fall away from the container wall.

A further difficulty arises because, in the absence of measures to the contrary, unwanted residues can migrate, or be driven, upwardly from the region occupied by the filter and into contact with the underside of a lid provided to cover the open end of the drum-like container. If this occurs, it can prove difficult and time consuming for a user to clean the lid, since the interior surfaces of such lids are often fairly complex in shape and configuration due to the need to incorporate components such as feed tubes which allow produce to be introduced into the processing chamber within the drum-like container. Moreover if, as is often the case, the lid s is wholly transparent or translucent or is provided with a window, so that the user can observe the progress of the juicing operation, the residues can at least partially obscure the user's view.

It is an object of this invention to address and mitigate, at least one of the above-mentioned difficulties.

According to the invention there is provided a juicer arrangement comprising an open-topped, drum-like container having a base and a foraminated wall, and a removable filter disposed adjacent an inner surface of said wall, the filter and the wall being adapted to permit juice to pass out of said container whilst substantially constraining residue materials within it, wherein locating means are provided to retain said filter material in a predetermined relationship to said wall; said locating means comprising a shaped formation provided at a region of said wall intended to be overlain by said removable filter and a retention device adapted, in co-operation with said shaped formation, to entrap said filter material. By this means, the removable filter is retained firmly against the inner surface of the wall in the vicinity of said retention device and the location recess. 2s

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the shaped formation comprises a groove formed in the inner surface of the wall of said drum like container. The groove is preferably continuous, though it may alternatively have one or more discontinuities.

Preferably, the groove is formed in said wall near an open end of said drun-like container and the retention device comprises a split, substantially ring-like member configured to fit snugly within said groove. It is further preferred that the ring-like member is resilient and biased for outward circumferential expansion, thereby to firmly entrap the material of the removable filter between the ring-like member and the wall of said drum-like container under all dynamic conditions to which the components are subjected in operation of the arrangement.

In preferred embodiments, the retention device comprises a split annular member providing a flange portion extending radially inwardly of said drum-like container. In such embodiments, the flange is effective to intercept residue materials that might otherwise have migrated towards and/or been deposited upon the interior of a lid member provided to close said container.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, one embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 shows, in exploded perspective view, the essential components of a juicer arrangement in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and s Figure 2 shows the components of the arrangement shown in Figure 1 assembled as for use.

Referring now to the drawings, the arrangement comprises a juicer appliance, part of which is shown generally at 10 and which includes an open-topped, drum-like container 12 which is rotatable about its cylindrical axis 14 and is formed with a foraminated side wall 14, through which juice is intended to pass on its way to an outlet port 18 fonned in the base of a static bowl 20. A removable filter medium (not shown) of any convenient kind is provided in known manner to intercept the major part of the fibrous residues of the pulp and other unwanted by- products of the juicing process, and is supported on an inner surface of the foraminated wall 16 of the container 12, or may be otherwise disposed in the container. The removable filter may be formed as a strip, or looped to match the inner diameter of the wall 12, or formed, as described in the aforementioned patent application, as a cup or bag-like member.

A discoidal macerating plate 22 is incorporated into, or mounted just above, the base 24 of the drum-like container; the plate 22 being suspended from a blade carrier 26 which extends linearly along the rotational axis 14 of the container 12. The carrier 26 may be integrally formed with the plate 22. Alternatively, the carrier 26 may be formed separately from the plate 22, in which case the carrier may be either 2s removable from or affixed to the plate. Where the carrier 26 and the plate 22 are formed separately, they may be made of the same material (though not necessarily the same grade), or they may be of different materials.

The upper extremity 28 of the carrier 26 is journalled for rotation in a s suitable support provided in a lid 30 which should always be firmly secured in place when the juicer is in use to cover all of the rotating components. It will be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the drum 12 and the macerating plate 22 rotate together in the same direction and at the same rate. In alternative embodiments, the two components may rotate in the same direction at different rates or in opposite directions. In some sophisticated appliances, different combinations of the foregoing rotational arrangements may be available, either being called into use automatically, depending upon function selections made by the user, or manually, as directly selectable user options.

The lid 30 is formed with a feed-tube 32, through which produce from which juice is to be extracted can be introduced into the working chamber defined within the drum-like container 12. A pusher device (not shown) is also provided; the pusher being in the nature of a rod, shaped and dimensioned to pass through the feed-tube and intended for use, in known manner, to urge the produce against the macerating plate 22.

Typically, the pusher is a slidable fit in the feed-tube 32; the external configuration of the pusher matching the shape of the inner surface of the feed-tube. It will be appreciated that the feed-tube 32 provides an 2s aperture, through the lid 30, which is closed by the insertion of the pusher.

In accordance with this example of the invention, the removable filter is located firmly in place against the inner surface of the wall 16 of container 12 by location means comprising a split ring 34 which is constructed so as to be resilient, and biased to expand circurnferentially.

The resilience and bias may be attributable to the material of which the split ring 34 is constructed, to a feature of the construction, or to a combination of material and constructional features. In any event, the split ring 34 is made such that it can be compressed circumferentially to the extent necessary to permit its ready insertion through the open end of the drum-like container 12, with the removable filter in place, and will then, under the influence of the aforementioned bias, expand circumferentially toward the inner surface of the foraminated wall 16, thereby firmly entrapping the material of the removable filter between the ring and the wall.

In this example, the location means also includes a groove 36 formed in the foraminated wall 16 of the drum-like container 12 and dimensioned to accommodate the outer edge of the ring 34 together with an entrapped layer of filter material, so as to firmly anchor the filter material with respect to the container 12 and near the open end 38 of the container 12, thereby preventing the material of the removable filter from falling away from the container wall 16 at that position.

The ring 34 may if desired be of minimal radial thickness. It is preferred however that the ring comprises an annular flange having a considerable radial extent 40, in order to create a barrier intended to resist the migration or impulsion of unwanted residues upwardly from the region occupied by the removable filter and into contact with the underside of the lid 30. If such contact occurs, it can prove difficult and time consuming for a user to clean the lid, since the interior surfaces of such lids are often fairly complex in shape and configuration. Moreover if, as s is often the case, the lid is wholly transparent or translucent or is provided with a window, so that the user can observe the progress of the juicing operation, the residues can at least partially obscure the user's view.

Since the axially-extending wall 16 of the container 12 is foraminated, the juice, having traversed the removable filter, can pass therethrough, for collection at the outlet port 18 through which the juice is delivered.

The plate 22 may contain or be formed with any convenient contrivance, such as upstanding blades, ribs, teeth or other protuberances, for macerating the produce to be juiced.

The invention may be used alone or in combination with the invention described in our co-pending patent application (PQ52830) which provides a rinsing arrangement whereby residue materials adherent to the working parts can be readily and conveniently cleaned.

The aforesaid rinsing arrangement provides a convenient and user- friendly means whereby rinsing fluid can be introduced into the working 2s compartment of such an arrangement and in particular the fluid introduction means comprises a pusher device designed to be introduced into the container by way of an aperture through its lid; said aperture comprising part of a tubular passage extending into said container and providing a feed-tube for said produce, whereby the fluid can be introduced into the container by means of components that perform an existing function. By this means, water or another rinsing fluid can be conveniently introduced into the container. Moreover, by operation of the motor, the fluid can be readily dispersed around, or distributed over, the container.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A juicer arrangement comprising an open-topped, drum-like s

container having a base and a foraminated wall, and a removable filter disposed adjacent an inner surface of said wall, the filter and the wall being adapted to permit juice to pass out of said container whilst substantially constraining residue materials within it, wherein locating means are provided to retain said filter material in a predetermined relationship to said wall; said locating means comprising a shaped formation provided at a region of said wall intended to be overlain by said removable filter and a retention device adapted, in co-operation with said shaped formation, to entrap said filter material.

l 5
2. An arrangement according to claim l wherein the shaped formation comprises a groove formed in the inner surface of the wall of said drumlike container.
3. An arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the groove is continuous.
4. An arrangement according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the groove is fowled in said wall near an open end of said drum-like container. 2s l
5. An arrangement according to any of claims 2 to 4 wherein the retention device comprises a split, substantially ring-like member configured to lit snugly within said groove.

s
6. An arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the ring-like member is resilient and biased for outward circumferential expansion, thereby to firmly entrap the removable filter between the ring-like member and the wall of said drum-like container under all dynamic conditions to which the components are subjected in operation of the arrangement.
7. An arrangement according to any preceding claim wherein the retention device comprises a split annular member providing a flange portion extending radially inwardly of said drum-like container to intercept residue materials that might otherwise migrate towards and/or been deposited upon the interior of a lid member provided to close said container.
8. An arrangement according to any preceding claim further comprising cleaning means whereby rinsing fluid can be introduced into the drum-like container following withdrawal therefrom of the removable filter.
9. An arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said cleaning means 2s comprises fluid introduction means for introducing rinsing fluid into said container, pursuant to removal of said filter material, whereby said wall can be cleansed of residue materials adherent thereto, and wherein said fluid introduction means comprises a pusher device designed to be introduced into said container by way of an aperture through a lid thereof; said aperture comprising part of a tubular passage extending into said container and providing a feed-tube for said produce, whereby the s fluid can be introduced into the container by means of components that perform an existing function.
10. A juicing arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.