The present invention relates to food processor implements for converting food articles into various forms. More particularly, the present invention relates to a simple, manually-driven food processor implement for converting food articles, such as potatoes, onions, apples, and almost any other type of food or vegetable, into a stringy nature, i.e. into the form of strings, strands, ribbons or the like.
Various types of food processor implements are known for converting food articles into various forms, such as for cutting, slicing, shredding, etc. the food article. The present invention is based on the appreciation that converting various types of food articles, such as potatoes, onions, apples, and many other types of fruits and vegetables, into a stringy form, e.g. in the form of strings, strands, ribbons, etc. may not only make the food article easier to eat and to digest, but may also make the food article more appetizing in appearance.
An object of the present invention is to provide a food processor implement which may be used for converting various types of food articles, particularly potatoes, onions, apples, and many other fruits and vegetables, into a stringy form for the above purposes.
According to a broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a food processor implement for converting food articles into a stringy form, comprising: a base for supporting the implement on a flat horizontal surface; a die member mounted on the base and formed with a plurality of die openings; a pusher member mounted on the base in spaced relation to the die member to define a space between the two members for receiving the food article to be processed; and a drive for driving one of the members towards the other of the members, after the food article has been received in the space between the two members, to force the food article through the plurality of die openings, and thereby to convert the food article to a stringy form.
According to further features in the described preferred embodiment, the die member is fixed to the base, and the pusher member is driven by the drive towards the die member. More particularly, the pusher member is slidably mounted on the base between a pair of posts carried by the base.
According to still further features in the described preferred embodiment, the drive is a manual drive. It includes a drive lever pivotally mounted at a mid-portion thereof, the drive lever having one end which is manually engageable to pivot the drive lever, and an opposite end effective to move the pusher member when the drive lever is manually pivoted.
More particularly, the mid-portion of the drive lever is pivotally mounted to a mid portion of an arm, which arm is pivotally mounted at one end to the base on the side of the pusher member opposite to the die member. The arm is spring-urged to a position spacing the pivotal mounting of the drive lever above the base.
According to still further important features in the described preferred embodiment, the end of the arm opposite to that of its pivotal mounting carries a manually-engageable element which is manually depressible to move the pivotal mounting of the drive lever towards the base, and thereby to increase the force of the final movement of the pusher member towards the die member. The manually-engageable end of the drive lever is in the form of a handle graspable by the user, and the manually-engageable element carried by the arm is in the form of an enlarged head manually depressible by the user.
As will be described more particularly below, a food processor implement may be constructed in accordance with the foregoing features to provide a simple, portable, manually-driven device for converting food articles into a stringy form.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description below.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
It is to be understood that the foregoing drawings, and the description below, are provided primarily for purposes of facilitating understanding the conceptual aspects of the invention and possible embodiments thereof, including what is presently considered to be a preferred embodiment. In the interest of clarity and brevity, no attempt is made to provide more details than necessary to enable one skilled in the art, using routine skill and design, to understand and practice the described invention. It is to be further understood that the embodiments described are for purposes of example only, and that the invention is capable of being embodied in other forms and applications than described herein.
As indicated earlier, the food processor implement of the present invention is an implement for converting food articles into a stringy form, e.g., strings, strands, ribbons or the like. The food articles may be potatoes, onions, apples, and many other types of fruits and vegetables. The stringy form of the food article has been found to increase not only the digestibility of the food article, but also its capability of promoting interest in the food article and the appetite of a person viewing the food article.
The food processor implement illustrated in the drawings, as a preferred embodiment of the invention, includes a base 2 for supporting the implement on a flat horizontal surface, a die member 3 mounted within a frame 4 fixed at one end of the base, and a pusher member 5 movably mounted between a pair of posts 6, 7, towards and away from die member 3. Pusher member 5 is normally located spaced from die member 3 and its frame 4, to define a space for receiving the food article to be processed, schematically shown at 8 in
As shown particularly in
As best seen in
The structure of die member 3, together with its mounting frame 4, is best illustrated in
Die member 3 is further formed with a tab 33 projecting upwardly from its upper frame edge. Tab 33 is provided to facilitate the attachment of die member 3 to its frame 4.
The inner surface of frame 4 is formed with a stepped seat 41 for receiving die member 3. Its upper surface is formed with an opening 42 of the same configuration as tab 33 of the die member, for releasably retaining the die member within the frame.
Pusher member 5 is best seen in
Thus, as shown in
As shown in
The manner of using the food processor implement illustrated in the drawings will be apparent from the above description.
While the invention has been described with respect to one preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that this is set forth merely for purposes of example, and that many other variations, modifications and applications of the invention may be made.