초록 ▼

A food processor appliance includes various types of adaptors for permitting both liquid and solid food ingredients to be separately or concurrently fed into the appliance for processing therein, or for adapting the appliance particularly for processing long, slim food articles, such as carrots, cuc

A food processor appliance includes various types of adaptors for permitting both liquid and solid food ingredients to be separately or concurrently fed into the appliance for processing therein, or for adapting the appliance particularly for processing long, slim food articles, such as carrots, cucumbers, etc. Another described feature is particularly useful for juicer-type appliances, and includes a base for supporting a juice-receiver receptacle, which base includes a retractable tray for catching drippings when the receptacle is not in place.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A food processor appliance, comprising: a housing including a food processing device therein; a feed tube having an inlet end projecting from an upper surface of said housing for inputting into said housing food articles to be processed by the food processing device; a funnel

What is claimed is: 1. A food processor appliance, comprising: a housing including a food processing device therein; a feed tube having an inlet end projecting from an upper surface of said housing for inputting into said housing food articles to be processed by the food processing device; a funnel configured to be received in said inlet end of the food processor feed tube for feeding the food articles via said feed tube to said food processing device within the housing; and a liquid-receiver receptacle within said funnel configured to occupy only a portion of said funnel such as to permit both liquid and solid food ingredients to be separately or concurrently fed via said feed tube to said food processing device within the housing. 2. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein said liquid-receiver receptacle includes a manually-controllable device for selectively feeding the liquid therein to said feed tube. 3. The appliance according to claim 2, wherein said manually-controllable device is a valve which includes a push-button carried at one end of a stem, and a valve member carried at the opposite end of the stem and movable thereby to a closed or open position with respect to a valve opening formed in the bottom of said liquid-receiver receptacle. 4. The appliance according to claim 3, wherein said liquid-receiver receptacle is removably received within said funnel and includes a conical section at one side complementary to the portion of the funnel occupied by said liquid-receiver receptacle, and a handle section at the opposite side for applying and removing said liquid-receiver receptacle with respect to said funnel. 5. The appliance according to claim 4, wherein said handle section is integrally formed in a wall extending across said opposite side of the liquid-receiver receptacle and carries the said push-button of the manually-controllable valve. 6. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein said funnel and said liquid-receiver receptacle are included in an adaptor removably supportable by said feed tube. 7. The appliance according to claim 2, wherein said manually-controllable device includes a gate manually movable to an open or a closed position to selectively control the flow of the contents of the funnel to the food processor device within the housing. 8. The appliance according to claim 7, wherein said gate is pivotally mounted to a closed position between said funnel and said feed tube, or to an open position away from said funnel and said feed tube. 9. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein said funnel includes a partition member presettable to selectively divide the funnel into a liquid-receiver portion and a solid-receiver portion. 10. The appliance according to claim 9, wherein said partition member is pivotally mounted at its upper end to selectively move its lower end with respect to one or more outlet openings at the lower end of the funnel. 11. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein said food processing device within the housing includes a juice extractor, a juice outlet for outletting the extracted juice, and a tray underlying said juice outlet for supporting a juice-receiver receptacle to receive the juice outletted from said juice outlet, as well as any drippings from said juice outlet when a juice receptacle is not supported thereon. 12. The appliance according to claim 11, wherein said tray is carried by a base for receiving said housing and is movable from a non-operative, retracted position within said base, to an operative, extended position projecting from said base under said juice outlet. 13. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein said feed tube includes a plurality of radially-displaceable fingers engageable with food articles fed therethrough for restricting lateral movement of such food article within the feed tube during the operation of the fluid processing device. 14. The appliance according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of radially-displaceable fingers are leaf springs attached to the inner surface of said feed tube. 15. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein said appliance further comprises an adaptor receivable in said feed tube and having a passageway of smaller cross-section than that of said feed tube for adapting the appliance to receive long, slim food articles, such as carrots, cucumbers and the like, in a manner restricting lateral movement thereof within said feed tube during the operation of said food processing device. 16. The appliance according to claim 15, wherein said adaptor includes: a lower section having an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the feed tube for reception therein; an upper section of larger outer diameter than the inner diameter of the feed tube for seating on the inlet end of the feed tube; and a passageway of smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the feed tube for receiving long, slim food articles in a manner restricting lateral movements thereof within said feed tube during the operation of said food processing device. 17. The appliance according to claim 16, wherein said upper section of the adaptor includes an outer tubular extension of the same outer diameter as the lower section of the adaptor. 18. An adaptor for a food processor appliance having a feed tube, said adaptor comprising: a funnel configured to be receivable within the inlet end of the food processor food tube; and a liquid-receiver receptacle configured to occupy only a portion of said funnel such as to permit both liquid and solid food ingredients to be separately or concurrently fed via said feed tube into said food processor appliance. 19. The adaptor according to claim 18, wherein said liquid-receiver receptacle includes a manually-controllable valve for selectively feeding the liquid therein to said feed tube. 20. The adaptor according to claim 19, wherein said manually-controllable device is a valve which includes a push button carried at one end of a stem, and a valve member carried at the opposite end of the stem and movable thereby to a closed or open position with respect to a valve opening formed in the bottom of said liquid-receiver receptacle. 21. The adaptor according to claim 20, wherein said liquid-receiver receptacle is removably received within said funnel and includes a conical section at one side complementary to the portion of the funnel occupied by said liquid-receiver receptacle, and a handle section at the opposite side for applying and removing said liquid-receiver receptacle with respect to said funnel. 22. The adaptor according to claim 21, wherein said handle section is integrally formed in a wall extending across said opposite side of the liquid-receiver receptacle and carries the push-button of said manually-controllable valve. 23. The adaptor according to claim 19, wherein said manually-controllable device includes a gate manually movable to an open or a closed position to selectively control the flow of the contents of the funnel to the food processor device within the housing. 24. The adaptor according to claim 23, wherein said gate is pivotally mounted to a closed position between said funnel and said feed tube, or to an open position away from said funnel and said feed tube. 25. The adaptor according to claim 18, wherein said funnel includes a partition member presettable to selectively divide the funnel into a liquid-receiver portion and a solid-receiver portion. 26. The adaptor according to claim 25, wherein said partition member is pivotally mounted at its upper end to selectively move its lower end with respect to one or more outlet openings at the lower end of the funnel. 27. A base for supporting a food processor appliance comprising a housing including a juice extractor, an outlet for outletting extracted juice, and a juice-receiver receptacle for receiving said extracted juice; characterized in that said base includes a tray to underlie said juice outlet for supporting said juice-receiver receptacle and for receiving any drippings from said juice outlet when said juice-receiver receptacle is not supported thereon. 28. The appliance according to claim 27, wherein said tray is movable from a non-operative, retracted position within said base, to an operative, extended position projecting from said base under said juice outlet. 29. A food processor appliance, comprising: a housing including a food processing device therein; and a feed tube having an inlet end for inputting into said housing food articles to be processed by said food processing device; characterized in that said feed tube includes a plurality of radially-displaceable fingers engageable with food articles fed therethrough, for restricting lateral movement of such food articles within said feed tube during the operation of the food processing device. 30. The appliance according to claim 29, wherein said plurality of radially-displaceable fingers are leaf springs attached to the inner surface of said feed tube. 31. A food processor appliance, comprising: a housing including a food processing device therein; and a feed tube having an inlet end for inputting into said housing food articles to be processed by said food processing device; characterized in that said appliance further comprises an adaptor receivable in said feed tube and having a passageway of smaller cross-section than that of said feed tube for adapting the appliance to receive long, slim food articles, such as carrots, cucumbers and the like, in a manner restricting lateral movement thereof within said feed tube during the operation of said food processing device. 32. The appliance according to claim 31, wherein said adaptor includes: a lower section having an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the feed tube for reception therein; an upper section of larger outer diameter than the inner diameter of the feed tube for seating on the inlet end of the feed tube; and a passageway of smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the feed tube for receiving long, slim food articles in a manner restricting lateral movements thereof within said feed tube during the operation of said food processing device. 33. The appliance according to claim 32, wherein said upper section of the adaptor includes an outer tubular extension of the same outer diameter as the lower section of the adaptor.