Safety interlock for the food pusher in a food processor
US4216917A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 1978 |
| Grant date | Aug 12, 1980 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 1998 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA47J42/50
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
An improvement in a food processor of the type having a housing enclosing a motor, a drive shaft extending from the housing, a working bowl which is detachably mountable on the housing in position to surround the shaft for receiving the various rotatable food processing tools which are removably installed on the shaft, with a removable cover on the bowl. Food processors of this type normally include a hopper or feed tube which is carried by the cover, and a manually operated pusher or plunger which is used to feed food items down through the hopper onto the rotating cutter blade, slicing disc, rasping tool, etc. The improvement comprises a safety interlock between a switch actuator associated with the cover and an on-off switch in the housing to permit actuation of the relatively powerful motor drive when the pusher is being properly inserted within the hopper, thereby preventing a user from inserting a hand down into the hopper where there is risk of inadvertently encountering injury from a rotating tool in the upper portion of the bowl. By virtue of this interlock, the feed tube can safely be made to have a larger cross-sectional area so that larger food items can be inserted who…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.