Device for Extracting Juice and Pulp from Fruit

Abstract

A device for extracting juice and pulp from fruit, including a base with an electric motor and a rotatable cone and a rotatable sieve, the cone and sieve drivable by the electric motor, the motor connected to a driveshaft for driving the rotatable cone and rotatable sieve, the rotatable cone having a rotationally fixed connection to the driveshaft, the rotatable sieve mounted on a drive bush via a freewheel bearing provided on the driveshaft, and the rotatable sieve including a brake for inhibiting rotation in a first direction and enabling rotation in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a device suitable for extracting juice and pulp from fruit, comprising a base with an electric motor and a rotatable cone and a rotatable sieve which are drivable by the electric motor, wherein the motor connects to a driveshaft for driving the rotatable cone and rotatable sieve, and wherein the rotatable cone has a rotationally fixed connection to the driveshaft.

Background Art

U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,763 discloses an apparatus for extracting juice and pulp from vegetables and fruits, having a base containing an electric motor, and a bowl removably attached to the base. The motor has a drive shaft which projects into the interior of the bowl for receiving process tools. The bowl is provided with a strainer which is equipped with a skirt which fits inside the central tube surrounding the drive shaft. The driving shaft has a spindle fitted thereon in two orientations, one in which the strainer remains static during operation and one in which the strainer is driven rotationally when the driving shaft is turning. Although the document is published in 1994 and stems from an invention of 1989, it consistently refers to the user of the apparatus as a housewife, probably presuming that men are not equipped or able to operate such an apparatus for extracting juice and pulp.

A disadvantage of this known device is that it requires remounting of the device to place the spindle in the intended orientation, depending on whether the user wants the driveshaft to drive both the strainer and the process tool which can be mounted in the bowl, or that the user only wants the driveshaft to drive the process tool so that the strainer remains stationary.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a device according to the preamble which enables selectively processing of fruit into juice or pulp depending on the users desires and without need to remount the device. In this way the device will probably also be operable by a male person or a person of whatever gender, even in France.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a device comprises the features of one or more of the appended claims so as to meet the invention's object as mentioned in the previous sentence.

Preferably, a rotatable sieve is mounted on a drive bush which via a freewheel bearing is provided on the driveshaft, and the rotatable sieve further comprises a brake for inhibiting rotation in a first direction and which enables rotation in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction. The rotational direction of the driveshaft then determines whether the device drives only the cone so as to provide a clear juice, or that both the cone and the sieve are driven simultaneously to convert the fruit into a smoothie of juice and pulp. Consistent therewith a preferable feature of the device of the invention is that the driveshaft is selectively rotatable in either the first direction or the second direction.

A suitable arrangement to enable the selection of the rotational direction of the drive shaft is by selecting the rotational direction of the electric motor that connects to the driveshaft. As an alternative the rotational direction of the driveshaft could be done entirely mechanically, for instance with gear wheels, but even mechanical engineers must admit that the conversion of the rotational direction can be carried out in a simpler and more cost-effective way by implementing this entirely with electronic means that drive the electric motor. Indeed, also mechanical engineers have seen the light brought by electrical engineering.

A preferable and cost-effective way to embody the device such that the sieve will stand still when the driveshaft rotates in the first direction and will rotate when the driveshaft rotates in the second direction that is opposite to the first direction, is to embody the brake as a spring which is provided on the outer circumference of the drive bush, which spring connects to the sieve and connects to a fixture of the device. The spring preferably has a little play with respect to the outer circumference of the drive bush so that the spring can stand still whilst the driveshaft and drive bush rotate. This enables that when the driveshaft and drive bush rotate in the first direction, the brake spring inhibits rotation of the sieve. On the other hand, when the driveshaft and drive bush rotate in the second direction, the brake spring is arranged to release and enable that the sieve can rotate together with and in the same direction as the cone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating one or more embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional perspective view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a detail of the device of FIG. 1, showing only the driveshaft, the cone and the sieve, wherein only the cone is driven to rotate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a detail of the device of FIG. 1 showing only the driveshaft, the cone and the sieve, wherein both the cone and the sieve are driven to rotate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the motor, driveshaft, spring brake, drive bush and bearing for the sieve, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a detail of the drive bush and bearing for the sieve. according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.

Turning now first to FIG. 1, what is shown is a device 1 equipped with a lever 2 which can be turned down onto a cone 3 to start operation of the device. The device 1 is in known way equipped with an electric motor 11 which drives a driveshaft 4 having a conical top end 5, all as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 1 shows that a slit 7 is provided in the body of the device 1 to cover the power cable for the electric motor 11 of the device 1. The cone 3 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on top of the conical top end 5 with a rotationally fixed connection. This means that whenever the driveshaft 4 drives in clockwise or in counterclockwise direction, the cone 3 will likewise rotate in clockwise or in counterclockwise direction.

To determine the direction of rotation of the driveshaft 4, the body of the device 1 can be suitably provided with buttons 6 to select either direction. The buttons 6 may be provided with indication lights to show which button is selected. The buttons are in a known way part of electrical circuitry that drives the electric motor 11 of the device 1. To make it easy, button 6′ may be used for selecting operation of the device 1 to provide a clear juice, and the other button 6″ may be used for selecting operation of the device 1 to provide a smoothie of juice and pulp.

In a manner known from the prior art the device 1 is provided with an outlet 8 for dispensing the juice or pulp from the device 1. With reference 9 a releasable connection is indicated by which the part with the cone 3 can be temporarily removed from the device 1 for cleaning purposes by a person of arbitrary gender.

Although a sieve can be recognized in FIG. 1 to be provided circumferentially around the cone 3, FIGS. 2 and 3 provide a better view at the cone 3 and the sieve 10. Since these FIGS. 2 and 3 show for clarity only a detail of the device 1 of FIG. 1, i.e. the driveshaft 4, the cone 3 and the sieve 10, these figures are best equipped to explain the operation of the device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. Although the electric motor 11 is not shown in these figures, this does not impair the understanding of the invention since it is obvious that the electric motor 11, which is shown in FIG. 4, is connected with the driveshaft 4.

FIG. 2 shows that the driveshaft 4 rotates in clockwise direction, as does also the cone 3 mounted on top of the driveshaft. The sieve 10 is however stationary, which means that it does not rotate together with the cone 3. This operation is best suited to provide a clear juice as selected by button 6′.

FIG. 3 shows that the driveshaft 4 rotates in counterclockwise direction, as does of course also the cone 3 mounted on top of the driveshaft. In this manner of operation the difference in comparison with FIG. 2 is that also the sieve 10 rotates in counterclockwise direction. This operation is best suited to provide a smoothie from juice and pulp, as may be selected by button 6″.

The mechanical features that are proposed according to the invention to make the selective operation of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 possible are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

As already mentioned with reference to FIG. 4 the cone 3 is mounted on top of the conical top end 5 with a rotationally fixed connection. The sieve 10 on the other hand is mounted on a drive bush 12 which is via a freewheel bearing 13 (see also the detail of FIG. 5) provided on the driveshaft 4. The rotatable sieve 10 is further provided with a brake for inhibiting rotation in a first direction (selected by button 6′—clear juice) and enabling rotation in a second direction (selected by button 6″—smoothie) that is opposite to the first direction. As already mentioned, to make the choice between clear juice and smoothie possible, the driveshaft 4 is selectively rotatable in either the first direction or the second direction depending on whether the user wants a clear juice or a smoothie.

FIG. 4 shows that the selective arresting of the sieve 10 or on the other hand its rotation simultaneously with the cone 3 is realized by a brake that is embodied as a spring 14 which is provided on the outer circumference of the drive bush 12, wherein the spring 14 connects to the sieve 10 and connects to a fixture of the device 1. This spring 14 is also shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

Although the invention has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the device of the invention, the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment which can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiment shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the embodiment is merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims to this exemplary embodiment. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using this exemplary embodiment.

Aspects of embodiments of the present invention are further described below:

• 1. Device (1) for extracting juice and pulp from fruit, comprising a base with an electric motor (11) and a rotatable cone (3) and a rotatable sieve (10), which cone (3) and sieve (10) are drivable by the electric motor (11), wherein the motor (11) connects to a driveshaft (4) for driving the rotatable cone (3) and rotatable sieve (10), and wherein the rotatable cone (3) has a rotationally fixed connection to the driveshaft (4), characterized in that the rotatable sieve (10) is mounted on a drive bush (12) which is via a freewheel bearing (13) provided on the driveshaft (4), and the rotatable sieve (10) is further provided with a brake for inhibiting rotation in a first direction and enabling rotation in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.
• 2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the driveshaft (4) is selectively rotatable in either the first direction or the second direction.
• 3. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the driveshaft (4) is selectively rotatable by selecting the rotational direction of the electric motor (11).
• 4. Device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the brake is embodied as a spring (14) which is provided on the outer circumference of the drive bush (12), which spring (14) connects to the sieve (10) and connects to a fixture of the device (1).

Embodiments of the present invention can include every combination of features that are disclosed herein independently from each other. Although the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to the disclosed embodiments, other embodiments can achieve the same results. Variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and equivalents. The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents, and publications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference. Unless specifically stated as being “essential” above, none of the various components or the interrelationship thereof are essential to the operation of the invention. Rather, desirable results can be achieved by substituting various components and/or reconfiguration of their relationships with one another.

Claims

1. A device for extracting juice and pulp from fruit, comprising: a base;an electric motor;a rotatable cone; anda rotatable sieve, wherein the cone and sieve are drivable by the electric motor, wherein the motor connects to a driveshaft for driving the rotatable cone and rotatable sieve, wherein the rotatable cone has a rotationally fixed connection to the driveshaft, and wherein the rotatable sieve is mounted on a drive bush which is via a freewheel bearing provided on the driveshaft, and the rotatable sieve further comprises a brake for inhibiting rotation in a first direction and enabling rotation in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the driveshaft is selectively rotatable in either the first direction or the second direction.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the driveshaft is selectively rotatable by selecting the rotational direction of the electric motor.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the brake comprises a spring disposed on the outer circumference of the drive bush, which spring connects to the sieve and connects to a fixture of the device.