The present disclosure relates generally to food waste disposers, and more particularly, to a baffle for batch-feed food waste disposers.
Food waste disposers are used to comminute food scraps into particles small enough to safely pass through household drain plumbing. A conventional disposer includes a food conveying section, a motor section, and a grinding mechanism disposed between the food conveying section and the motor section. The food conveying section includes a housing that forms an inlet connected to a sink flange for receiving food waste and water. The food conveying section conveys the food waste to the grinding mechanism, and the motor section includes a motor imparting rotational movement to a motor shaft to operate the grinding mechanism.
One type of food waste disposer is a “continuous feed” disposer, which is typically actuated by a wall switch. A baffle is situated over the disposer inlet, and food waste can be continuously fed to the disposer through the baffle. The baffle helps keep unwanted items, such as silverware, from inadvertently falling into the disposer.
In comparison, batch-feed waste disposers operate by filling the disposer with waste food, then substantially blocking the drain opening prior to operating the disposer, thereby disposing of food waste in batches. A batch feed disposer uses a stopper device positioned in the drain opening to activate the disposer. The stopper also prevents foreign objects, such as silverware, from entering the disposer during operation, but will typically allow water to flow into the disposer. However, the stopper often is not in place during normal use of the sink, such as for cleaning dishes or cleaning around the sink. When the stopper is not in place, there is nothing to prevent unwanted items such as silverware or food storage containers from falling into the waste disposer.
The present application addresses shortcomings associated with the prior art.
Among other things, a batch feed food waste disposer system including a baffle is disclosed herein. The baffle provides a barrier that remains in place when the sink stopper is not in place. The baffle helps prevent unwanted items such as silverware from falling into the waste disposer and becoming damaged or lost. Further, the baffle protects the sink stopper from being hit and damaged by flying particulate during the grinding process. Moreover, the baffle helps make the grinding process quieter by providing another level of barrier the sound must travel through.
In accordance with certain teachings disclosed herein, a food waste disposer includes an inlet for receiving food waste and a grinding section for grinding the food waste. A stopper is receivable by the inlet and a baffle is situated between the inlet and the grinding section. The stopper functions to activate the disposer when received in the inlet. One end of the stopper defines a switch portion for this purpose. The other end defines a plug portion to stop the inlet. In certain exemplary embodiments, the baffle includes an outer lip about the periphery of the baffle and an inner portion defining an opening therethrough. The outer lip is made of material stiffer than the inner portion.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
Known batch feed food waste disposers have lacked a baffle for several reasons. For example, the batch-feed stopper fills up the whole sink-flange area when in place so there is no room for a baffle. Further, the batch-feed switch mechanism takes up a large part of the grind chamber and the sink-flange area leaving little area to put or attach a baffle.
However, the provision of a baffle is desirable for several reasons. As noted above, it can prevent items such as silverware from accidentally falling into the disposer. The present disclosure provides baffle designs and connection methods that keep the stopper/switching mechanism and baffle in different levels or locations in the waste disposer.
It is desirable for such a baffle to provide the maximum opening diameter, while not interfering with the operation of the stopper/switching device. To accomplish this, the proper clearance between the baffle and stopper must be assured. Additionally, the baffle must be mounted securely to prevent it from becoming dislodged and falling into the grind mechanism when food waste is passed through the baffle into the grind mechanism. To achieve this, both hard and soft plastic or rubber are used to construct the baffle, providing a baffle that is flexible and rigid in different areas of the baffle. Thus, the baffle is soft to bend and allow waste to pass through portions of the baffle, while being rigid in other areas to insure a secure placement of the baffle.
As shown in
The baffle 110 controls the passage of water through the stopper 120 and the sink flange 114, forming a labyrinth or maze-like path through which the water and sound generated by the disposer must travel. The baffle 110 holds a film of water, providing another level of sound barrier. Thus, the baffle helps to reduce the noise generated by the disposer. The combination of the baffle 110 and stopper 120 results in a very quiet disposer.
The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below.
This application is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/521,446, filed on Apr. 28, 2004, which is incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60521446 | Apr 2004 | US |