Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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CHOPPER
This is a divisional of Canadian Patent Application No. 2,563,740.
BACKGROUND
This application relates to systems for chopping or comminuting food stuff
and, in particular, to hand-operated choppers of the reciprocating types.
Various types of reciprocating food choppers have heretofore been provided.
They typically include some type of housing which, either alone or in
combination
with some underlying support surface, confine food item to be chopped by means
of a
vertically reciprocating chopping blade which is moved within the housing by a
vertically reciprocating plunger/handle assembly, which may be spring-loaded
to a
raised position. The plunger assembly may be provided with an indexing
mechanism
which rotates the blade assembly slightly during each up/down cycle of the
plunger
assembly. Such choppers may be subjected to rather severe shocks and
vibrations,
particularly when chopping relatively hard food stuffs, such as nuts or the
like. The
repeated shocks of the engagement of the blade assembly with the food stuff
and/or
with the underlying support surface can cause damage to the structure of the
chopper
and may also be painful or uncomfortable for a user.
The prior choppers are often of relatively complex and expensive construction
and may be difficult to assemble.
SUMMARY
There is disclosed herein an improved chopper which avoids disadvantages of
prior choppers while affording additional structural and operating advantages.
In an embodiment, there is provided a food chopper comprising a housing for
receiving a food item, a blade assembly including a blade and moveable within
the
housing for chopping the food item, a shaft attached to the blade assembly for
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movement therewith, a plunger assembly coupled to the shaft for effecting
reciprocating and rotational movement thereof, and a shock absorber disposed
between the plunger assembly and the shaft.
In an embodiment, the shaft may be threadedly connected to the blade
assembly.
Also, in an embodiment, the chopper may include a stripper fixed to the
housing and responsive to movement of the blade assembly for removing food
from
the blade, and first and second guide structures respectively on the blade
assembly
and the stripper for guiding coupling of the blade assembly to the stripper.
According to another embodiment, there is provided a food chopper
comprising: a housing for receiving a food item, a blade assembly including a
blade
and moveable within the housing for chopping the food item, a stripper fixed
to the
housing and responsive to movement of the blade assembly for removing food
from
the blade, and first and second guide structures respectively on the blade
assembly
and the stripper for guiding coupling of the blade assembly to the stripper.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter
sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings
embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in
connection
with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its
construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily
understood
and appreciated.
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a chopper;
FIG. 2 is a right-hand side elevational view of the chopper of FIG. 1;
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FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the chopper of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the chopper of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view in vertical section
of the upper body of the housing and portions of the plunger assembly of the
chopper
of FIG. 1;
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FIG. 7 is a enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view in vertical section of
portions of the chopper of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged, top perspective view of the blade assembly of the
chopper of FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged front elevational view of the shaft of the chopper of
FIG.
5;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged top plan view of the assembled shaft and blade
assembly of the chopper of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the 12-12 in FIG. 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, there is illustrated a food chopper, generally
designated by the numeral 20, which includes a housing 21, which may be a two-
part
housing, including an upper body 22 and a lower body 40, which may each be of
unitary, one-piece construction and may be molded of suitable plastic
materials. The
upper body 22 has an upwardly and radially inwardly tapering, somewhat bullet-
shaped outer wall 23 having a sinuous or undulating lower edge 24. The inner
surface
of the outer wall 23 is recessed just above the lower edge 24 to define an
annular
shoulder 25. Referring also to FIGS. 6 and 7, the recessed portion of the
inner surface
has a pair of diametrically opposed detent recesses 26 formed therein and has
a
plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart latch ribs 27 projecting laterally
inwardly
therefrom a slight distance below the shoulder 25. The outer wall 23
terminates at an
upper edge 28.
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Integral with the outer wall 23 at the upper edge 28 and depending therefrom
is an outer cylindrical wall 30 (see FIGS. 4, 6 and 7) integral at its lower
edge with a
radially inwardly extending annular bottom wall 31 which is, in turn, integral
with an
upstanding inner cylindrical wall 32 which is coaxial with the outer
cylindrical wall
30 and extends a slight distance upwardly above the upper edge 28. Formed in
the
outer cylindrical wall 30 are equiangularly spaced-apart and axially extending
guide
slots 33, each communicating at its lower end with a circumferentially
extending latch
slot 34 just above the bottom wall 31. The portion of the bottom wall 31 which
extends radially inwardly beyond the inner cylindrical wall 32 defines an
annular
shoulder 35 having circumferentially spaced teeth 36 formed on the upper
surface
thereof (see FIG. 6). Formed in the inner surface of the inner cylindrical
wall 32 and
extending the length thereof are a plurality of equiangularly spaced-apart
helical or
spiral grooves 37. Formed through the outer wall 23 just below the upper edge
28 and
communicating with the space between the outer wall 23 and the outer
cylindrical
wall 30 are two diametrically opposed pairs of apertures 38 for a purpose to
be
explained below. A helical compression spring 39 (see FIG. 4) is disposed in
the
space between the inner and outer cylindrical walls 32 and 30 and is seated on
the
bottom wall 31.
The lower body 40 is generally cylindrical in shape and terminates at a
circular lower edge 41 and a circular upper edge 42 (see FIG. 4). The outer
surface of
the lower body is recessed adjacent to the upper edge 42 to define a sinuous
or
undulating shoulder 43. Formed on the recessed surface above the shoulder 43
are a
plurality of spacing ribs 44 and two diametrically opposed detest beads 45. In
use,
the lower body 40 is adapted to mate with the upper body 22 so that the
sinuous lower
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edge 24 of the upper body 22 seats against the sinuous shoulder 43 of the
lower body
40, and with the detent beads 45 respectively seating in the detent recesses
26 to
resiliently retain the parts in their assembled condition. For disassembly,
relative
rotational or twisting movement of the upper and lower bodies 22 and 40
creates a
ramming action along the sinuous mating surfaces to facilitate separation of
the parts.
As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, an elongated plastic scraper 46 may be
mounted on the outside of the housing 21, the scraper 46 being provided with a
pair of
hooks 47 (see FIG. 4) adjacent to its upper end for being received in one pair
of the
apertures 38, the scraper 46 being dimensioned to follow the external contours
of the
housing 21 so that it fits snugly against the outer surface thereof, as can
best be seen
in FIGS. 2 and 3. The scraper 46 is easily removable and is formed of a
suitable
relatively flexible plastic material and can be used to facilitate scraping
food contents
from the interior surfaces of the chopper 20.
Referring in particular to FIGS. 4-7. a plunger assembly 50 is mounted in the
upper end of the housing 21. The plunger assembly 50 includes a plunger 51
including a cylindrical wall 52 closed at the upper end thereof by a slightly
domed top
wall 53, which extends laterally outwardly beyond the cylindrical wall 52 to
define a
peripheral lip 54 having diametrically opposed pairs of projections 55
projecting
radially outwardly therefrom. The top wall 53 may be covered by a cap 56
formed of
a suitable flexible and resilient frictional gripping material, such as that
sold under the
trade name Santoprene, the cap 56 fitting over the lip 54 and having apertures
therethrough through which the projections 55 may extend so as to be visible
in use.
A plurality of equiangularly spaced-apart latch tabs 57 project radially
outwardly
from the cylindrical wall 52 adjacent to its lower edge. Depending from the
inner
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surface of the top wall 53 are two diametrically opposed, part cylindrical
guide arms
59 which lie along an imaginary cylinder coaxial with the cylindrical wall 52,
but
have a much shorter axial extent. Also depending from the inner surface of the
top
wall 53 radially inwardly of the guide arms 59 are a plurality of
equiangularly spaced-
apart latch arms 60, each provided at its lower end with a latch hook 61.
Depending
from the inner surface of the top wall 53 centrally thereof is an elongated
post 62
having a short axial bore 63 formed in its lower end and having mounted
thereon a
bumper pad or shock-absorber 64 formed of a suitable elastomeric material and
having a neck 65 which seats in the bore 64.
Referring now in particular to FIGS. 4, 5 and 9-12, the plunger assembly 50
also includes an elongated shaft 70 having a cylindrical main body 71 provided
with
an external thread 72. Integral with the main body 71 intermediate the ends of
the
shaft 70 is a radially outwardly extending annular flange 73 provided on its
lower
surface with a set of circumferentially spaced lower teeth 74 and on its upper
surface
with a plurality of circumferentially spaced upper teeth 75. The lower end of
the shaft
70 defines a bifurcated post 76 forming a pair of arms 77, respectively
provided at
their lower ends with radially inwardly tapered projections 78. The upper end
of the
shaft 70 defines an upper post 79 having an axial bore 80 formed in the upper
end
thereof- Integral with the upper post 79 and its upper end is an radially
outwardly
extending latch flange 81 defining an annular lip 82. Projecting radially
outwardly
from the shaft 70 immediately above the flange 73 are equiangularly spaced and
axially extending spacer ribs 83 joined at their upper ends by a ring 84.
Referring in particular to FIGS. 4-7, the plunger assembly 50 also includes an
indexer sleeve 85 having an inner cylindrical wall 86 joined at its lower end
by a
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radially outwardly extending annular web 87 to an outer cylindrical wall 88,
which is
much shorter than the inner cylindrical wall 86. Formed on the underside of
the
annular web 87 are plurality of circumferentially spaced teeth 89. Formed on
the
outer surface of the outer cylindrical wall 88 are a plurality of
equiangularly spaced-
apart keys 89a designed to respectively ride in the spiral grooves 37 of the
housing 21.
In assembly, the indexer sleeve 85 is fitted down over the upper end of the
shaft 70, with the teeth 89 disposed for engagement with the upper teeth 75 of
the
shaft 70. Then the shaft 70 is installed in the plunger 51, the latch flange
81 of the
shaft 70 being snap-fitted between the latch arms 60 of the plunger 51 so that
the
hooks 61 latch under the lip 82 to hold the shaft 70 in place. During this
assembly,
the plunger post 62 is received in the bore 80 of the shaft 70 so that the
bumper pad
64 engages the shaft 70 at the inner end of the bore 80, as can best be seen
in FIG 4.
When thus assembled, the inner cylindrical wall 86 of the indexer sleeve 85
fits up
coaxially within the guide arms 59 of the plunger 51, the indexer sleeve 85
being
capable of axial movement which is limited by engagement with the lower ends
of the
guide arms 59 and by engagement with the flange 73 of the shaft 70.
When the plunger assembly has thus been assembled, it is then mounted in the
housing 21. More specifically, the upper end of the spring 39 is received
between the
cylindrical wall 52 and the guide arms 59 of the plunger 5 1, the plunger
assembly 50
being pushed down into the housing 21, compressing the spring 39, with the
shaft 70
and the indexer sleeve 85 being fitted down within the inner cylindrical wall
32 of the
housing 21, and the cylindrical wall 52 of the plunger 51 being fitted between
the
outer and inner cylindrical walls 31 and 32 of the housing 21. The latch tabs
57 snap
past the upper edge 28 of the housing 2 1 and respectively into the
longitudinal guide
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slots 33 for latching the plunger assembly 50 in an assembled condition on the
housing 21, the spring 39 resiliently urging the plunger assembly 50 upwardly
to a
raised position (not shown) wherein the latch tabs 57 are stopped at the upper
ends of
the guide slots 33. As the plunger assembly 50 is fitted into the housing 21,
the keys
89a of the indexer sleeve 85 respectively enter and ride in the spiral grooves
37 of the
housing 21.
It will be appreciated that the plunger assembly 50 may be reciprocated up and
down between the normal raised position and a lowered position, wherein the
cylindrical wall 52 of the plunger 51 bottoms against the annular bottom wall
31 of
the housing 21 (see FIG. 4)_ The plunger assembly 50 may be latched in this
lowered
position by rotating the plunger 51 about 1/8 of a turn to move the latch tabs
57 into
the latch slots 34 of the housing 21, in a known manner.
Referring now in particular to FIGS. 4, 5, 8, 11 and 12, the chopper 20
includes a blade assembly 90 having. a flat, generally circular base plate 91
having
formed on its underside a depending elongated linear boss in a serpentine
shape,
which receives and has embedded therein the upper edge of a serpentine blade
93
having a cutting edge 94 at its lower end. Upstanding from the base plate 91
at
diametrically opposed locations, along parallel chords, are guide flanges 95,
each
having an axial slot or groove 96 formed therein. The serpentine blade 93 is
symmetrical about an axis passing through the grooves 96. The blade assembly
90
includes a hollow cylindrical neck 97 projecting axially upwardly from the
base plate
91 centrally thereof and provided at its upper end with internal threads 98.
Formed in
the lower end of the neck 97 is a conically tapered seat 99, having a
diametrical slot
99a formed thereacross (see FIG_ 8).
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In assembly, the lower end of the shaft 70 is received in the cylindrical neck
97 of the blade assembly 90, the threads 72 on the shaft 70 threadedly
engaging the
internal threads 98 in the neck 97. When the parts approach full threaded
engagement, which may be after about''/2 turn, the tapered projections 78 on
the shaft
arms 77 enter the tapered seat 99 in the neck 97, compressing the arms 77
together
until the projections 78 snap into the slot 99a. This resiliently holds the
parts together
and inhibits inadvertent unscrewing thereof. This threaded connection permits
the
blade assembly 90 to be easily removed for cleaning by simply rotating it
about /z
turn.
The chopper 20 also includes a stripper 100 including a generally circular
base
plate 101 having a serpentine slot 102 formed therein for receiving the
serpentine
blade 93. Integral with the base plate 101 at its outer edge and upstanding
therefrom
is a generally cylindrical side wall 103 which is, in turn, integral with a
pair of
upstanding, diametrically opposed, generally oval-shaped guide arms 104,
respectively provided with laterally inwardly extending guide ribs 105
extending
longitudinally along the entire axial extent of the guide arms 104. Depending
from
the base plate 101 at its outer edge is a scraper arm 106 (see FIG. 5). The
upper edge
of the side wall 103 is provided with a radially outwardly projecting latch
flange 107.
In assembly, the guide arms 104 of the stripper 100 are fitted up inside the
lower body 40 of the housing 21. To facilitate this insertion in the correct
orientation,
the guide arms 104 are aligned with the guide flanges 95 of the blade assembly
90 so
that the guide ribs 105 are respectively received in the grooves 96. This will
orient
the parts so that the serpentine blade 93 will be aligned with and fit cleanly
through
the serpentine slot 102 of the stripper 100. Insertion continues until the
latch flange
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107 snaps into engagement above the upper edge 42 of the housing lower body 40
(see FIG. 4) for resiliently holding the stripper 100 in place. Because of the
symmetry
of the blade 93, the stripper can be inserted in either of the two
orientations 180
apart.
5 Referring in particular to FIGS. 1-5, the chopper 20 also includes a
circular
base plate 110 having an upstanding cylindrical side wall 111 at its
periphery.
Projecting radially outwardly from the base plate 110 is a circumferential rib
112. An
elastomeric seal ring 113 is fitted over the outer edge of the base plate 110,
having a
pocket which receives the rib 112. The seal ring 113 completely covers the
outer
10 peripheral surface of the base plate 110 and is stepped to define an
annular shoulder
114. In use, the base plate 110 and the seal member 113 are so dimensioned
that the
cylindrical wall I I I and its seal member covering may be fitted snugly up
inside the
lower end of the lower body 40, so that the lower edge 41 of the housing lower
body
seats on the annular shoulder 114, as can best be seen in FIG. 4. Thus, in
use, food
items may be disposed in the housing 21, which may then be closed by the base
plate
110 so that the food items rest on the base plate 110 as they are being
chopped by the
reciprocating movement if the blade assembly 90, all in a known manner.
Alternatively, the lower edge 41 of the housing could be seated on any
suitable
underlying support surface, such as a countertop, chopping block or the like,
for
confining the food items being chopped. However, the base plate 110 has the
advantage of providing a ready-made container so that, after chopping is
complete,
the lower body 40 need simply be detached from the upper body 22 and the
chopped
food is then contained within the lower body 40.
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The chopper 20 is also provided with a cap 115 which is formed of a flexible
and resilient material and is dimensioned so that, when not in use, it can be
fitted over
the base plate 110, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. The cap 115 has a circular
end wall
116 and is provided at its periphery with an upstanding outer cylindrical wall
117
having a sinuous or undulating upper edge 118. A handle tab I18a projects
radially
outwardly from the upper end of the cylindrical wall 117. There is also
provided an
inner cylindrical wall 119 which is upstanding from the end wall 116 a slight
distance
radially inwardly from the outer cylindrical wall 117 and coaxial therewith.
When the cap 115 is not in use, the raised portions of the outer cylindrical
wait
117 fits snugly around the seal ring 113 of the base plate 110 so that it does
not
become misplaced. After food is chopped upon the base plate 110, the lower
body 40
may be detached, as explained above, and the cap may be fitted on the upper
end
thereof for closing the container of chopped food items. In this regard, the
inner
cylindrical wall 119 of the cap fits down inside the upper edge 42 of the
lower body
40, white the outer cylindrical wall 117 fits along the recessed outer surface
of the
lower body 40 so that the sinuous edge 118 mateably engages the sinuous
shoulder 43
on the lower body 40. Detent recesses (not shown) may be provided on the inner
surface of the outer cylindrical wall 117 for respectively receiving the
detent beads 45
on the lower body 40 to assist in retaining the cap 115 in place.
It will be appreciated that, in use, the plunger assembly 50 is reciprocated
up
and down, carrying with it the blade assembly 90 for chopping food items
disposed in
the lower body 40, all in a known manner. As the shaft 70 moves downwardly to
its
lowermost position, wherein the serpentine blade 93 bottoms on the base plate
110, as
seen in FIG. 4, the shaft flange 73 separates from the indexer sleeve 85,
which is
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retarded by the spiral grooves 37 and stopped at the lower ends of those
grooves.
Upon the return stroke of the plunger assembly 50, the upper teeth 75 on the
shaft
flange 73 reengage the teeth 89 on the indexer sleeve 85 and carry the indexer
sleeve
85 back upwardly with the plunger assembly 50. However, since the indexer
sleeve
85 is keyed in the spiral grooves 37 it rotates as it rises, causing the shaft
70 and blade
assembly 90 to also rotate, approximately 1/8 turn. Thus, for each down/up
plunger
cycle the blade assembly 90 rotates slightly to effect an even chopping action
on the
food item, all in a known manner. As the blade assembly 90 reciprocates up and
down, the stripper 100 serves to wipe food items from the blade 93, again in a
known
manner. It is significant that the elastomeric bumper 64 between the post 62
and the
shaft 70 serves to absorb shock and vibration during the reciprocating
chopping
action, thereby minimizing user stress and minimizing the chance of cracking
or
otherwise damaging the chopper 20.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improved
chopper which is of relatively simple and economical construction, permitting
easy
disassembly of all of the parts which come in contact with the food items
during use,
to facilitate cleaning and easy reassembly by a user. In a constructional
model of the
chopper 20, the spring 39 and the blade 93 may be formed of suitable metals,
such as
suitable steels, while all of the rest of the parts may be formed of suitable
plastic
materials. If desired, the lower body 40 of the housing 21 may be formed of a
light-
transmitting plastic material, such as a transparent plastic, to facilitate
viewing the
food items being chopped and to permit ready identification of items which are
stored
in the lower body 40.
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The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings
is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While
particular
embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those
skilled in
the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the
protection sought
is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper
perspective based on the prior art.
