Patent Application
20100263217
The present invention relates to a food mincer, and more particularly, to a food mincer with a retractable blade cover removable blade assembly.
When preparing certain foods, it is sometimes necessary to utilize a food mincer to mince a food item. For instance, when preparing an onion for use in various recipes, it is often necessary to cut the onion into small pieces, a process sometimes referred to as mincing. Additionally, many herbs, nuts, and cooked meats are also minced prior to being used in a recipe. While it is possible to use a knife to mince a food product, it is often simpler to use a mincer to mince a food product. A mincer often includes a plurality of blades that are spaced apart to allow the food to be cut into small pieces by rolling the blades over the food. However, past mincers have also had inherent shortcomings. For example, some past mincers have left the blades exposed, increasing the likelihood of a user being inadvertently cut by the mincer. Other past mincers have had removable blade covers that allow the mincer to be stored without the blades exposed, reducing the risk of a user being cut by the mincer. However, these removable blade covers often are separated from the mincer, and thus, the user may be injured by the exposed blades. Further, as with any removable object, the removable blade cover may be lost or misplaced.
Thus, it would be useful to provide a mincer with an attached retractable blade cover that moves to an open position that allows the blades to contact food, and to a closed position that prevents the blades from being contacted. Further, it would be useful to provide a mincer that allows the blades to be removed for easy cleaning or replacement. Therefore, a need exists for a mincer with an attached retractable blade cover.
The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not previously provided. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one embodiment, a food mincer assembly comprises a handle assembly, a retractable blade cover, and a plurality of blades. The handle assembly has a first side and a second side. The first side has a first through hole and the second side has a second through hole. The retractable blade cover has a cover portion, a lock, and a connecting arm. The connecting arm attaches the blade cover to the handle assembly. The lock secures the blade cover in a first position or a second position. The plurality of blades attach to the handle assembly. The first position of the retractable blade cover covers the plurality of blades. The second position of the retractable blade cover exposes the plurality of blades.
According to another embodiment, a food mincer assembly comprises a handle assembly, a retractable blade cover, and a removable blade cartridge. The handle assembly has a first side and a second side. The first side has a first through hole and the second side has a second through hole. The first side has a first cutout region and the second side has a second cutout region. The retractable blade cover has a cover portion, a lock portion, and a connecting feature. The connecting feature attaches the blade cover to the handle assembly. The lock portion secures the blade cover in a first position or a second position. The removable blade cartridge has a plurality of blades. The removable blade cartridge is received by the first cutout region and the second cutout region of the handle assembly. The removable blade cartridge has a first blade mounting mechanism and a second blade mounting mechanism. The plurality of blades are disposed between the first blade mounting mechanism and the second blade mounting mechanism. The first position of the retractable blade cover covers the plurality of blades, and the second position of the retractable blade cover exposes the plurality of blades
According to a further embodiment, a food mincer assembly comprises a handle assembly, a retractable blade cover, and a removable blade cartridge. The handle assembly has a first side and a second side. The retractable blade cover has a cover portion, and a connecting feature. The connecting feature attaches the blade cover to the handle assembly. The retractable blade cover is positionable between a first position and a second position. The removable blade cartridge has a plurality of blades. The removable blade cartridge is received by the handle assembly. The first position of the retractable blade cover covers the plurality of blades, and the second position of the retractable blade cover exposes the plurality of blades.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings.
To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
According to one embodiment of the present invention as shown in
The retractable blade cover 14 includes a cover portion 28, a lock portion 30, and connecting arm 32. The cover portion 28 is adapted to be positioned over the cutting blades 16 to prevent the blades 16 from being contacted. The lock portion 30 allows the blade cover 14 to be releasably locked in a position covering the blades 16, so that the blade cover may be retracted to an open position, as shown in
The connecting arm 32 has a first protrusion 34 and a second protrusion 36 that cooperate respectively with the first through hole 24 and the second through hole 26 of the first body member 12a. The protrusions 34, 36 connect the blade cover 14 to the handle assembly 12. The protrusions 34, 36 allow the blade cover 14 to rotate about a central axis A-A shown in
In order to expose the blades 16, the lock portion 30 is displaced to release the retractable blade cover 14. The connecting arm 32 rotates about axis A-A about one-hundred-eighty degrees (180°) positioning the blade cover 14 to a retracted position, as shown in
According to an alternate embodiment, it is contemplated that the plurality of blades 16 may be provided as a blade cartridge. In this way, the blades 16 would be replaced as a unit, such as if the blades became damaged, worn, or another type of blade was needed for a specific type of food. Further, it is contemplated that the blades 16a-16e may be individually replaced, allowing a user to replace, for example, blade 16c if it became damaged or worn. It is further contemplated that spacers may be positioned between each of the blades 16a-16e. The use of spacers allows the distance between the blades to vary, or if larger spacers are used, some blades may be removed, allowing a user to create larger food pieces with the mincer 10.
According to another embodiment, as shown in
The retractable blade cover 104 includes a cover portion 128, a lock portion 130, and a connecting feature 132. The cover portion 128 is adapted to be positioned over the cutting blades 106 to prevent the blades 106 from being contacted. The lock portion 130 allows the blade cover 104 to be releasably locked in a position covering the blades 106, so that the blade cover may be retracted to an open position, as shown in
The lock 130 has a displaceable arm 131 that connects the lock 130 to the rest of the blade cover 104. The displaceable arm 131 allows the lock 130 to be removed from the handle assembly 102 so that the blade cover 104 may be completely removed from the handle assembly, as shown in
In order to expose the blades 106, the lock portion 130 is displaced to release the retractable blade cover 104. The connecting feature 132 rotates about pin 125 about forty-five degrees (45°) positioning the blade cover 104 to a retracted position, as shown in
Tuning now to
The first blade mounting mechanism 142 has a displaceable arm 144 with a generally laterally protruding ledge 146 at a distal end of the displaceable arm 144. The generally laterally protruding ledge 146 is adapted to be positioned within a slot formed in the first body member 102a when the removable blade cartridge is mounted to the handle assembly 102. The displaceable arm 144 may be displaced inward in a manner that the laterally protruding edge 146 exists the slot formed in the first body member 102a. When the second blade mounting mechanism is similarly activated, the blade cartridge 140 may be removed from the handle assembly 102. Additional operational details of the blade cartridge 140 may be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/191,082 entitled “Rotary Food Cutter With Removable Blade Assembly,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/169,329 filed on Apr. 15, 2009, and that application is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61169329 | Apr 2009 | US |
