초록 ▼

An improved safety interlock for a food processor of the type including a control system for preventing actuation of a powerful motor drive, so that the food processing tool does not rotate, unless two conditions have been met; namely, (1) a bowl is mounted in its operating position on the base hous

An improved safety interlock for a food processor of the type including a control system for preventing actuation of a powerful motor drive, so that the food processing tool does not rotate, unless two conditions have been met; namely, (1) a bowl is mounted in its operating position on the base housing, and (2) a cover is held securely in its operating position on the bowl. The improved safety interlock provided in one embodiment of the invention uses two permanent magnets. One magnet is associated with actuator means and the other magnet is associated with switch means which prevent operation of the motor unless actuated. These two magnets are oriented generally in vertical planes relative to the horizontal top deck of the base housing. Each magnet is divided or coded into respective polarity quadrants, said quadrants of each of these magnets being non-symmetrical with respect to mutually perpendicular axes. The two magnets are arranged so that the control for the motor drive of the food processor can only be magnetically actuated when both the bowl and the cover are mounted securely in their respective predetermined operating positions.

대표청구항 ▼

In a food processor of the type including tool drive means located in a base with control means for rendering the tool drive means inoperative unless said control means are actuated, said base having a turret shaped platform extending from its upper surface, a bowl having a downwardly extending skir

In a food processor of the type including tool drive means located in a base with control means for rendering the tool drive means inoperative unless said control means are actuated, said base having a turret shaped platform extending from its upper surface, a bowl having a downwardly extending skirt mountable on said base and rotatable relative to said turret, a removable cover rotatably mountable atop said bowl, a movable element mounted on said bowl and spring biased away from said base when said bowl is mounted on said base, means on said cover for driving said movable element towards said base when said cover is in a predetermined position relative to said bowl, the improvement comprising a safety interlock apparatus including: a first permanent magnet mounted to said movable element and movable therewith, said first permanent magnet having a plurality of North polarized magnetic pole faces and a plurality of South polarized magnetic pole faces, all of said pole faces being oriented in the same plane perpendicular to the upper surface of said base, a second permanent magnet movably mounted within said base and coupled to said control means, said second permanent magnet having a second plurality of North polarized magnetic pole faces and havng a second plurality of South polarized magnetic all of said pole faces being oriented in a plane parallel to and closely spaced from the plane of orientation of said first permanent magnet, each of said first and second permanent magnets having predetermined identical non-symmetrical pattern of said North and South polarized magnetic pole faces, each said pattern being non-symmetrical about mutually perpendicular axes in its respective plane such that said second permanent magnet is movable to actuate said control means by magnetic forces between said first and second permanent magnets only when said first permanent magnet is moved into alignment vertically and into registration laterally with said second magnet, said first permanent magnet being mounted to said movable element such that said first permanent magnet is moved into alignment vertically with said second permanent magnet by said movable element only when said cover is in said predetermined position relative to said bowl and said first magnet is moved into registration laterally with said second magnet only when said bowl is rotated into a second predetermined position relative to said base, whereby said control means are actuated only when said cover is in a first predetermined position relative to said bowl and said bowl is in a second predetermined position relative to said base.