Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CA 02869646 2014-10-03
JUICE EXTRACTION MODULE FOR JUICER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a juice extraction module for a juicer, and
more
specifically, to a juice extraction module for a juicer having an improved
structure capable of
eliminating the inconvenience that a material should be chopped before the
material is input
into the juicer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a juicer includes a main body, and a juice extraction module
mounted
onto the main body. The juice extraction module includes a container having a
juice
extraction space, a lid having an input port through which a material is input
into the
container, a screw for extracting juice from the material in the container,
and a sieve for
separating juice and residues from each other.
The main body includes a driving motor for rotating the screw, and a shaft of
the
driving motor is connected to the screw in the juice extraction module. In the
conventional
juicer, the material should be chopped into such a size that the screw can
extract juice.
As an example, Korean Patent No. 10-0793852 discloses a juicer configured to
cut or
sever a material by a screw blade protruding from a central axis of a screw
toward a lateral
side of an uppermost end.
However, in the above technique, when a material has a size larger than the
length of
the screw blade, the material should be chopped in advance into a size smaller
than the length
of the screw blade.
In addition, Korean Patent No. 10-0966607 discloses a juicer having a grater
provided in an entire upper surface over a screw to crush a material just
before juice is
extracted.
However, there are problems in that the crush using the grater is achieved at
a speed
higher than an ordinary low speed of the juicer and also a user should press
the material
against the grater by a large force in order to prevent the rotation of the
material due to the
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high speed of the grater.
Also, since the conventional juicer cuts the material and then mills the cut
pieces of
the material while they are pressed against a sieve in a juice extraction
process, the sieve may
be deformed in a moment by the pressed cut pieces.
Such deformation destroys a molding for holding a shape of the sieve or
decreases
the bond between the molding and the sieve to generate a gap between the
molding and the
sieve causing a leakage of residues and a decrease in juice extraction
efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a juice extraction
module
for a juicer, in which a structure of crushing a material in advance is
provided in a lid and a
screw to eliminate an inconvenient procedure of chopping or cutting a material
in advance
before inputting the material.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a juice
extraction
module for a juicer, which includes a container 100 formed with a juice
discharge port 101, a
sieve 200 positioned inside of the container 100, a screw 300 positioned
inside of the sieve
200 to extract juice from a material, and a lid 400 coupled to a top end of
the container 100
and formed with a input port 410 through which the material is input.
The juice extraction module includes a crushing portion 500 formed on a top
end of
the screw 300 to be narrowed upward, the crushing portion 500 having a
crushing blade 510
formed thereon; and a crushing processing portion 600 connected to the input
port 410 and
formed in a bottom of the lid 400 to be concave for accommodating the crushing
portion 500,
wherein the crushing blade 510 crushes the material in advance within the
crushing
processing portion 600.
According to one embodiment, the crushing blade 510 is formed so that the
material
input through the input port 410 is crushed while a lateral side of the
material is pushed
outwards, and the crushing processing portion 600 is provided with an inner
surface to hold
the material pushed outwards by the crushing blade 510, whereby the material
can be crushed
between the crushing blade 510 and the inner surface of the crushing
processing portion 600.
According to one embodiment, the crushing processing portion 600 is formed to
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cover an entire bottom region of the input port 410 at the height of the
crushing processing
portion 600 connected to a bottom end of the input port 410.
According to one embodiment, a bottom region of the input port 410 is
positioned to
be offset within a semicircle region of a circle having a diameter
corresponding to a diameter
of the crushing processing portion 600 with a central shaft 310 of the screw
300 as a center.
According to one embodiment, the inner surface of the crushing processing
portion
600 comprises a crushing processing surface 610 formed to be gradually close
to the crushing
blade 510 in a direction in which the crushing blade 510 runs from the input
port 410.
According to one embodiment, the inner surface of the crushing processing
portion
600 comprises a material guide surface 620 continuing from the input port 410
and formed to
be inclined toward a central axis of the crushing portion 500, whereby the
material guide
surface 620 guides the material so that a lateral side of the material begins
to be crushed by
the crushing blade 510.
According to one embodiment, a bottom end of the material guide surface 620
may
conform to an inner surface of the sieve 200.
According to one embodiment, the crushing portion 500 passes over a top end of
the
sieve 200 and is accommodated in the crushing processing portion 600, and the
crushing
blade 510 cooperates with the crushing processing portion 600 to crush the
material.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
juice
extraction module for a juicer, which includes a container 100 formed with a
residue
discharge port 102 and a juice discharge port 101; a sieve 200 positioned
inside of the
container 100; a screw 300 positioned inside of the sieve 200 to extract juice
from a material,
and a lid 400 coupled to a top end of the container 100 and formed with a
input port 410
through which the material is input, wherein a crushing portion 500 is formed
on a top end of
the screw 300 to be narrowed upward, the crushing portion 500 having a
crushing blade 510
formed thereon, wherein the lid 400 is formed with a crushing processing
portion 600, the
crushing processing portion 600 being connected to the input port 410 and
accommodating
the crushing portion 500, wherein the input port 410 is disposed to be offset
outwards from a
central axis of the screw 300 and has a width larger than the shortest
distance from the central
axis of the screw 300 to an inner circumferential surface of a top end of the
sieve 200,
wherein the crushing processing portion 600 is formed with a material guide
surface for
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assisting guidance of the material from the input port 410 to the sieve 200.
The crushing blade 510 and the crushing processing portion 600 are formed so
that a
distance between the crushing blade 510 and an inner surface of the crushing
processing
portion 600 is gradually reduced by the rotation of the crushing blade 510
The crushing processing portion 600 comprises a crushing processing surface
610,
the crushing processing surface 610 is formed with at least one milling blade
630.
On the other hand, the present invention provides a juice extraction module
for a
juicer, which includes a container 100 formed with a juice discharge port 101,
a sieve 200
positioned inside of the container 100, a screw 300 positioned inside of the
sieve 200 to
extract juice from a material, and a lid 400 coupled to a top end of the
container 100 and
formed with a input port 410 through which the material is input, the juice
extraction module
comprising: a crushing portion 500 formed on a top end of the screw 300 to be
narrowed
upward, the crushing portion 500 having a crushing blade 510 formed thereon;
and a crushing
processing portion 600 connected to the input port 410 and formed in a bottom
of the lid 400
to be concave for accommodating the crushing portion 500, wherein an inner
surface of the
crushing processing portion 600 includes a crushing processing surface 610
formed to be
gradually close to the crushing blade 510 in a direction in which the crushing
blade 510 runs
from the input port 410, and the crushing blade 510 crushes the material in
advance within the
crushing processing portion 600.
In addition, the present invention provides a juice extraction module for a
juicer,
which includes a container 100 formed with a juice discharge port 101, a sieve
200 positioned
inside of the container 100, a screw 300 positioned inside of the sieve 200 to
extract juice
from a material, and a lid 400 coupled to a top end of the container 100 and
formed with a
input port 410 through which the material is input, the juice extraction
module including: a
crushing portion 500 formed on a top end of the screw 300 to be narrowed
upward, the
crushing portion 500 having a crushing blade 510 formed thereon; and a
crushing processing
portion 600 connected to the input port 410 and formed in a bottom of the lid
400 to be
concave for accommodating the crushing portion 500, wherein an inner surface
of the
crushing processing portion 600 comprises a material guide surface 620
continuing from the
input port 410 and formed to be inclined toward a central axis of the crushing
portion 500,
whereby the material guide surface 620 guides the material so that a lateral
side of the
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material begins to be crushed by the crushing blade 510, and the crushing
blade 510 crushes
the material in advance within the crushing processing portion 600.
A conventional juicer has inconvenience and difficulty in that an increase in
length
of a screw blade increases an entire outer diameter of a screw, and thus, a
sieve, a container
and a lid should be manufactured large so as to be fitted to the screw.
However, according
to the present invention, a material having a diameter larger than a length of
a screw blade can
be used, and the material can be crushed into a size suitable for extracting
juice without
increasing an outer diameter of a screw by a crushing processing portion
formed to be
concave in a bottom of a lid and a crushing portion accommodated in the
crushing processing
portion and cooperating with the crushing processing portion.
Thus, the present invention eliminates the inconvenience and cumbersomeness
that a
user should chop a material before the material is input.
In addition, a space between the crushing blade and the crushing processing
portion
is gradually narrowed and the material is caught and simultaneously dragged
into between the
crushing blade and the crushing processing portion, so that the material is
effectively crushed
while being automatically supplied to the screw without inconveniently pushing
the material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a juice extraction module for a juicer
according
to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the juice extraction module according to
the
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a lid of the juice extraction module shown in
Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the lid taken along line A-A of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the lid taken along line B-B of Fig. 3; and
Fig. 6 is a front view showing a screw having a crushing portion provided on a
top
end thereof as a portion of juice extraction module shown in Fig. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
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Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described
in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following embodiments are provided only for illustrative purposes so that
those
skilled in the art can fully understand the spirit of the present invention.
Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments
but may
be implemented in other forms.
In the drawings, the widths, lengths, thicknesses and the like of elements may
be
exaggerated for convenience of illustration.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a juice extraction module for a juicer
according
to one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing
The juice
extraction module according to the embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3
is a plan view
showing a lid of the juice extraction module shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a
sectional view of the
lid taken along line A-A of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the lid
taken along line B-B of
Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a front view showing a screw having a crushing portion
provided on a top
end thereof as a portion of juice extraction module shown in Fig. 1.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, a juice extraction module for a juicer according to
one
embodiment of the present invention includes a container 100 having a juice
extraction space
defined therein and having a juice discharge port 101 and a residue discharge
port 102
respectively formed in one and another sides of an outer surface thereof, a
sieve 200 installed
inside of the container 100 to separate juice from material residues generated
in juice
extraction, a screw 300 installed inside of the sieve 200 to extract juice
from the material, and
a lid 400 installed to a top end of the container 100 and formed with an input
port 410,
through which a material is input.
Although not shown, an opening/closing means for selectively opening and
closing
the juice discharge port 101 of the container 100 may be applied to the juice
extraction
module.
As the opening/closing means, a cock valve may be used. The cock valve
includes
a valve body moving forward or backward in the juice discharge port 101,
wherein a leading
end of the valve body is preferably oriented toward the juice discharge port
101.
In addition, the cock valve may include a juice discharge cock, which may be
selectively connected to the juice discharge port 101 by the valve body.
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As a means for opening and closing the juice discharge port 101, a variety of
means
may be employed in addition to the above structure.
A crushing portion 500 is formed on a top end of the screw 300 to have a shape
narrowed upward.
The crushing portion 500 has further a crushing blade 510 formed thereon,
wherein
the crushing blade 510 extends in the shape of a spiral having a width
gradually narrowed
upward, more preferably toward a top apex of the crushing portion 500.
A central shaft 310 of the screw 300 may be formed on the top apex of the
crushing
portion 500.
The lid 400 has a crushing processing portion 600 formed in a bottom thereof
to be
concave upward from a face coupled with the container 100 in order to
accommodate the
crushing portion 500.
The crushing processing portion 600 has a shape gradually narrowed toward a
top
apex corresponding to the crushing portion 500.
In addition, the top apex of the crushing processing portion 600 is formed
with a
shaft hole, into which the central shaft 310 of the screw 300 is rotatably
fitted.
While being connected with the input port 410, the crushing processing portion
600
cooperates with the crushing portion 500 to serve to crush the material input
through the input
port 410.
The crushing blade 510 is inserted and positioned in the crushing processing
portion
600, and the crushing blade 510 cooperates with a specific shape of an inner
surface of the
crushing processing portion 600 to crush the material.
The input port 410 is offset toward one side with respect to a central axis of
the
screw 300 and simultaneously should have such a large bottom width W (or inner
diameter)
that a large-sized material such as an apple is allowed to be input without
being chopped.
The sieve 200 has the largest inner diameter at the top end thereof, and thus,
a
distance from the central axis of the screw 300 to the sieve 200 is set up to
be largest at the
top end of the sieve 200.
The bottom width of the input port 410 is set up to be larger than the
shortest
distance from the central axis of the screw 300 to an inner circumferential
surface of the top
end of the sieve 200.
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Accordingly, as viewed from the top, a region of the input port 410 partially
overlaps
with a top end region of the sieve 200 and is out of the top end region of the
sieve 200.
The present invention has a large difference in that a conventional juicer has
a small-
sized input port so as to be generally positioned inside of a region of a
sieve.
Also, the crushing processing portion 600 is formed to cover the entire bottom
region
of the input port 410 at the height of the crushing processing portion 600
connected to the
bottom end of the input port 410.
Further, the input port 410 is within a circle region having a diameter
corresponding
to the diameter of the crushing processing portion 600 with the central shaft
310 of the screw
300 as the center, and more preferably, is positioned to be offset within one
side of semicircle
regions into which the circle region is divided by a line passing through the
central shaft 310.
In addition, the inner surface of the crushing processing portion 600,
particularly an
inner crushing processing surface 610 is formed to be gradually close to the
crushing blade
510 of the crushing portion 500 in a direction in which the crushing blade 510
runs from the
bottom end of the input port 410.
Accordingly, when the material is expelled out by the crushing blade 510, the
material is held by the inner surface of the crushing processing portion 600,
so that a lateral
side of the material is crushed by the crushing blade 510, and the material is
dragged into the
crushing processing portion according to the rotation of the crushing portion.
This provides an effect of automatically crushing the material even if a user
inputs
the material and then does not push the material again.
The crushing portion 500 further has one or more auxiliary crushing blades
formed
thereon so that they assist the crushing blade 510 to crush the material more
effectively.
In such a case, the crushing blade 510 first crushes the material, and the
auxiliary
crushing blades may crush the material more finely.
Also, as the material is dragged into the crushing processing portion, the
force of
pressing the screw downward is generated, so that there is an effect of
suppressing the upward
movement of the screw generated by permeation of material residues between a
bottom
surface of the screw and a floor surface of the container.
As mentioned above, since a portion of the input port 410 extends out of the
top end
region of the sieve 200, a material guide surface 620 is provided on the inner
surface of the
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crushing processing portion 600 so that the material input through the input
port 410 can be
guided to the sieve 200.
That is, the material guide surface 620 is provided as an element for smoothly
connecting the sieve 200 and the input port 410 extending to the outside to
such an extent as
to use an uncut apple as it is.
Also, the material guide surface 620 continues from the input port 410 while
overlapping with the input port 410 and is formed to be inclined toward the
central axis of the
crushing portion 500, thereby causing a lateral side of the material to begin
to be crushed by
the crushing blade 510.
In order to improve crushing processibility, one or more milling blades 630
may be
further formed on the crushing processing surface 610.
In this embodiment, the plurality of milling blades 630 are spaced apart from
each
other and extend from an upper portion of the crushing processing surface 610
to a lower
portion thereof, and each of the milling blades 630 is gradually close to the
crushing blade
510 as it goes from the upper portion toward the lower portion.
The crushing portion 500 passes over the top end of the container 100 and
sieve 200
and is accommodated and positioned in the crushing processing portion 600
positioned in the
lid 400. The crushing portion 500 and the crushing processing portion 600
cooperate with
each other to fully crush the material input through the input port 410,
thereby making it
possible to smoothly extract juice from the material even if the user does not
chop the
material in advance.
Since the juice is extracted from the material fully crushed as above in the
sieve 200,
there is an effect of preventing the sieve 200 from being deformed.
In addition, a lateral side of the material is processed by the crushing blade
510,
which can be performed only by forming the crushing portion 500 to have a
length suitable
for the height of the material. Thus, the protruding length of the screw blade
need not extend
in order to cut the material itself.
Further, a sieve insertion step 420 may be formed in a bottom of the crushing
processing portion 600 to be snugly fitted to the top end of the sieve 200.
The bottom end of the material guide surface 620 meets the sieve insertion
step 420
in a stepwise manner, wherein the bottom end of the material guide surface 620
is formed to
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conform to an inner surface of the top end of the sieve 200.
Accordingly, the material crushed through the crushing processing portion 600
is
smoothly guided into the sieve 200 along the material guide surface 620.
As described above, it can be seen that the basic technical idea of the
present
invention is to provide a juice extraction module for a juicer, in which a
structure of crushing
a material in advance is provided in a lid and a screw to eliminate an
inconvenient procedure
of chopping or cutting a material in advance before inputting the material.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and
applications can
also be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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