Food comminution device

Abstract

The invention relates to a food comminution device which is designed to be placed on a worktop for a comminution operation, having an actuation part and having a base part which has a cutting part, wherein the base part and the actuation part are articulatedly connected such that the actuation part can, for pushing through food items to be comminuted, be pivoted from a loading position toward the cutting part into a closed position and subsequently from the closed position back into the loading position. The food comminution device is characterized in that the food comminution device has at least one drive device, in particular a spring drive, for assisting or effecting the pivoting movement from the closed position into the loading position and/or from the loading position into the closed position.

Claims

1. A food comminution device (1) comprising: a base part (2) including a cutting part (3); an actuation part (6) articulatedly connected to the base part (2), wherein the actuation part (6) is pivotable toward the cutting part (3) from a loading position into a closed position to push food items to be comminuted through the cutting part (3), and is pivotable from the closed position back into the loading position; and a drive device (12) for pivotally urging the actuation part; and a coupling element to which the drive device is operably connected, wherein the coupling element is slideable along an axis between a coupling position and a decoupling position, and when the coupling element is in the coupling position, an end of the coupling element is received in a corresponding recess of the base or the actuation part to positively lock the coupling element to the base part or the actuation part, and when the coupling element is in the decoupling position the end of the coupling element is decoupled from the recess; wherein the actuation part is rotatable relative to the base when the coupling element is in either the coupling position or the decoupling position, and the actuation part (6) is detachable from the base part (2) when the actuation part (6) is in the loading position.

2. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the coupling element (23) is movable into a coupling position to selectively activate the drive device (12) and into a decoupling position to selectively deactivate the drive device (12).

3. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 2, the actuation part pivots relative to the base part about the axis along which the coupling element slides.

4. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the end of the coupling element (23) includes a non-circular free end (17) received in a correspondingly shaped recess (19) of the base part (2) or of the actuation part (6) when the coupling element (23) is in the coupling position.

5. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the recess (19) is in the base part (2) and the actuation part (6) pivots relative to the coupling element (23) and the base part (2) when the coupling element (23) is in the coupling position.

6. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the drive device (12) includes a spring (24) having a first end (25) fixed to the actuation part (6) and a second end (26) fixed to the coupling element (23).

7. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the spring (24) is placed under stress by pivotal motion of the actuation part (6) relative to the base part (2) when the coupling element (23) is in the coupling position, and the spring (24) is not placed under stress by pivotal motion of the actuation part (6) relative to the base part (2) when the coupling element (23) is in the decoupling position, whereby the drive device (12) is selectively activatable by moving the coupling element (23) into the coupling position and the drive device (12) is selectively deactivatable by moving the coupling element (23) into the decoupling position.

8. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the base part (2) includes a joint head (14) and the actuation part (6) includes joint head receptacle (15) into which the joint head (14) is received, whereby the actuation part (6) is articulatedly connected to the base part (2) to pivot about a pivot axis (11).

9. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the joint head receptacle (15) includes a radial opening (16) through which the joint head (14) is removed from or inserted into the joint head receptacle (15) in a radial direction relative to the pivot axis (11), whereby the actuation part (6) is manually detachable from and attachable to the base part (2).

10. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 9, wherein the radial opening (16) and the joint head (14) are configured such that the actuation part (6) must be in the loading position to allow the joint head (14) to be removed from or inserted into the joint head receptacle (15).

11. The food comminution device according to claim 9, wherein the recess (19) defines a radially-facing opening (20) through which the coupling element (23) can be removed from the recess (19) to allow manual detachment of the actuation part (6) from the base part (2) when the coupling element (23) is in the coupling position.

12. The food comminution device according to claim 8, comprising a pair of joint head receptacles (15) and a corresponding pair of joint heads (14) forming a pair of hinged joints (10) by which the actuation part (6) is articulatedly connected to the base part (2).

13. The food comminution device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the food comminution device comprises precisely two of the drive devices (12), wherein the two drive devices (12) are activatable or deactivatable independently of one another.

14. The food comminution device according to claim 1, further comprising a container (9) for receiving the comminuted food items, wherein the base part (2) is removably attachable to the container (9).

15. The food comminution device according to claim 1, wherein the base part (2) is in the form of a container (9) for the comminuted food items.

16. The food comminution device according to claim 1, wherein the base part (2) includes a stand for enabling the food comminution device (1) to be placed on a worktop.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING VIEWS

(1) The subject matter of the invention is schematically illustrated in the drawing and will be described below on the basis of the figures, wherein identical elements or elements of identical action are normally denoted by the same reference signs. In the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a food comminution device according to the invention in a perspective view,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a detail view of a joint head,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a detail view of the joint head receptacles and of the drive devices,

(5) FIG. 4 shows two diagrammatic illustrations which illustrate the activation and deactivation of a drive device,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a detail view of the joints and of the drive devices,

(7) FIG. 6 shows the actuation part with the drive device activated and deactivated, and

(8) FIG. 7 shows detail views of the joints and of the drive devices in the activated state and in the deactivated state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a food comminution device 1 according to the invention which has a base part 2 with a receptacle for an exchangeable cutting part 3. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the cutting part 3 comprises a first cutting region 4 and a second cutting region 5, wherein the cutting regions 4, 5 each have different cutting blade arrangements.

(10) The food comminution device 1 furthermore has an actuation part 6 which is articulatedly connected to the base part 2 such that, for pushing through foodstuffs for comminution, said actuation part can be pivoted from the illustrated loading position, in which items for comminution can be placed onto the cutting part 3, toward the cutting part 3 into a closed position (not illustrated), as indicated by the curved arrow in the figure.

(11) The actuation part 6 has a first pressing plunger 7 and a second pressing plunger 8. The first pressing plunger 7 serves for pushing a foodstuff that has been placed onto the first cutting region 4 of the cutting part 3 through the first cutting region 4, wherein the foodstuff is cut into pieces by the cutting blades of the first cutting region 4. The second pressing plunger 8 serves for pushing a foodstuff that has been placed onto the second cutting region 5 of the cutting part 3 through the second cutting region 5, wherein the foodstuff is cut into pieces by the cutting blades of the second cutting region 5.

(12) After being cut into pieces, the foodstuff falls into a container 9, which simultaneously serves as a stand for enabling the food comminution device 1 to be placed on a worktop (not illustrated). The food comminution device 1 is in the form of a cover which can be mounted onto the container 9 with detent action and so as to completely cover the container opening. After all of the foodstuff for processing has been pushed through the cutting part 3, the food comminution device 1 can be removed from the container 9, for example in order for the container 9 to be emptied.

(13) The base part 2 has a frame 13 which provides the receptacles for the cutting part 3. Furthermore, the base part 2 has two joint heads 14 (illustrated in detail in FIG. 2) which, in interaction with the joint head receptacles 15 of the actuation part 6, permit an articulated coupling of the actuation part 6.

(14) In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the articulated connection of the actuation part 6 to the base part 2 is formed by two joints 10 which are of mirror-symmetrical construction and which are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to one another. The joints 10 are in the form of hinged joints with mutually coaxial pivot axes 11, and will be described in more detail below.

(15) In the region of each of the joints 10 there is arranged in each case one drive device 12 for assisting or effecting the pivoting movement from the closed position into the loading position, which drive devices will likewise be described in more detail below.

(16) FIG. 2 shows a detail view of one of the joint heads 14 arranged on the inner side of the frame 13. The joint head 14 is substantially in the form of a peg which projects inward from the frame 13 and which has parallel walls such that a joint head receptacle 15 of the actuation part 6, as can be seen in FIG. 3, can be pushed on. For this purpose, the joint head receptacles 15 each have a radial opening 16, which radial openings enable the actuation part 2 to be pushed onto the joint heads 14 in the loading position. The width of the joint heads 14 is selected specifically such that they fit through the radial openings 16 of the joint head receptacles 15, but they can no longer exit the joint head receptacles 15 when the actuation part 6 has been pivoted from the loading position into a different pivoting position. In this way, it is ensured that the actuation part 2 does not inadvertently become detached during the comminution process.

(17) As will be presented in detail below, an activation of the drive device 11 is realized in each case by virtue of the free end 17 of a slide 18 being slid rotationally fixedly into a recess 19 of the joint head 14. A co-rotation of the slide 18 in the coupled position is prevented by virtue of the free end 17 of the slide 18 and the recess 19 being of non-circular form, in the present example cuboidal. For the deactivation of the drive device 11, the slide 18 is pulled out of the recess 19 again.

(18) To enable the actuation part 6 to be detached from the base part 2 in the loading position even when the slide 18 is in the coupled position, the recess 19 and the joint heads 14 likewise define radially-facing openings 20 which make it possible for the free ends 17 of the slides 18 to be pulled out of the recesses 19 perpendicularly to the pivot axes 11. By means of this configuration, it is advantageously achieved that the actuation part 6 can be detached from the base part 2 regardless of the position of the slides 18. Accordingly, the user is not forced to deactivate the drive devices 12 before being able to detach the actuation part 6 from the base part 2, for example for a cleaning process.

(19) FIGS. 4a and 4b each show a joint 10 which is formed from a joint head receptacle 15 of an actuation part 6 and a joint head 14 of a base part 2, and illustrate the principle of the activation and deactivation of the drive device 12, which is in the form of a helical spring 24.

(20) The joint 10 makes it possible for the actuation part 6 to be pivoted relative to the base part 2 about a pivot axis 11. In the actuation part 6 there is provided a linear guide 21 in which a coupling element 23, which is in the form of a slide 18, is guided in linearly displaceable fashion along the pivot axis 11.

(21) The helical spring 24 concentrically surrounds the pivot axis 11, the linear guide 21 and the slide 18. A first end 25 of the helical spring 24 is in the form of a leg, and is fixed to the actuation part 6. The other end 26 of the helical spring 24 is bent at an angle and is guided in linearly displaceable fashion in a longitudinal slot 22 of the slide 18.

(22) The free end 17 of the slide 18 is in a non-circular, specifically cuboidal, form and, in the coupling position as shown in FIG. 4a, engages in positively locking fashion into a cuboidal recess 19 of the joint head 15. In said coupling position, the helical spring 24 is placed under stress when the actuation part 6 is pivoted relative to the base part 2, for example during the movement from the loading position into the closed position. During the opposite pivoting movement, the helical spring 24 relaxes and thus effects or assists the opposite pivoting movement, for example from the closed position into the loading position.

(23) To deactivate the drive device, the free end 17 of the slide 18 is pulled out of the recess 19. This is illustrated in FIG. 4b. In this decoupled position, the actuation part 6 can be pivoted relative to the base part 2 without the helical spring 24 being placed under stress. Rather, in this decoupled position, the coupling element 23 can co-rotate freely with the actuation part 6.

(24) FIG. 5 shows, in a perspective illustration, the principle of the activation and deactivation of the drive device 12 which has the helical spring 24. It can be clearly seen that the left-hand drive device 12 is deactivated because the free end 17 of the slide 18 has been pulled out of the recess 19.

(25) FIGS. 6a and 6b each show an actuation part 6, and illustrate the position of the free ends 17 of the slides 18. In the case of the actuation part 6 illustrated in FIG. 6a, the free end 17 is situated in a retracted position in which it does not engage into a recess 19 of the base part 2. In this position, the drive device 12 is deactivated.

(26) In the case of the actuation part 6 illustrated in FIG. 6b, the free end 17 is situated in an advanced position in which it engages into a recess 19 of the base part 2. In this position, the drive device 12 is activated.

(27) In the setting illustrated in FIG. 7a, the drive device 12 of the left-hand joint 10 is deactivated, because the free end 17 of the slide 18 is not engaged into the corresponding recess 19 of the actuation part 6.

(28) In the setting illustrated in FIG. 7b, the drive device 12 of the left-hand joint 10 is activated, because the free end 17 of the slide 18 is engaged into the corresponding recess 19 of the actuation part 6.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(29) 1 Food comminution device 2 Base part 3 Cutting part 4 First cutting region 5 Second cutting region 6 Actuation part 7 First pressing plunger 8 Second pressing plunger 9 Container 10 Joints 11 Pivot axes 12 Drive devices 13 Frame 14 Joint heads 15 Joint head receptacles 16 Radial openings in the joint head receptacles 17 Free end 18 Slide 19 Recess 20 Radial openings in the joint heads 21 Linear guide 22 Longitudinal slot 23 Coupling element 24 Helical spring 25 First end of the helical spring 26 Other end of the helical spring