초록 ▼

Disclosed is a juicer device. In some aspects, the juicer includes a feed housing releasably connected about a rotatable cutter, and an input chute of the feed housing can be offset away from a side of the cutter that rotates upward. In some aspects, the juicer includes a feed housing releasably con

Disclosed is a juicer device. In some aspects, the juicer includes a feed housing releasably connected about a rotatable cutter, and an input chute of the feed housing can be offset away from a side of the cutter that rotates upward. In some aspects, the juicer includes a feed housing releasably connectable by a rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from an aligned position to an installed position so that the feed housing is locked in place in response to the rotating motion. In some aspects, the juicer includes a press chamber in which pulp can be squeezed for juice extraction. The press chamber can include a base and a wall, and a press chamber form can include a continuous piece of material forming at least a portion of the base, at least a portion of the wall, and a transition between the base and the wall.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A juicer comprising: a body having an outer housing; anda grinding subsystem comprising:a mount accessible from an exterior of the outer housing; a cutter disposed at least partially external to the mount; a feed housing releasably connectable with the mount by rotation of the feed housing relati

1. A juicer comprising: a body having an outer housing; anda grinding subsystem comprising:a mount accessible from an exterior of the outer housing; a cutter disposed at least partially external to the mount; a feed housing releasably connectable with the mount by rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from an aligned position to an installed position, the feed housing comprising:(i) a grind chamber positioned about the cutter when the feed housing is in the installed position;(ii) an input chute in fluid communication with the grind chamber and configured for introduction of comestibles into the grind chamber for grinding by the cutter into pulp; and(iii) an output chute in fluid communication with the grind chamber and configured for ejection, from the grind chamber, of pulp generated from comestibles ground by the cutter; anda first locking structure on the feed housing;a second locking structure on the mount, the second locking structure configured to engage the first locking structure so as to lock the feed housing into the installed position in response to the rotation of the feed housing about an axis relative to the mount from the aligned position to the installed position; andwherein at least one of the first and second locking structures includes a retention mechanism configured to move radially relative to said axis and engage the other one of the first and second locking structure to lock the rotation of the feed housing. 2. The juicer of claim 1, wherein the first locking structure comprises a cleat and the second locking structure comprises a lip. 3. The juicer of claim 2, wherein the cleat comprises an axially-extending segment and a radially-extending segment depending from the axially-extending segment, wherein the cleat is positioned over the lip when the feed housing is in the installed position such that the radially-extending segment of the cleat is positioned behind the lip. 4. The juicer of claim 3, wherein the radially-extending segment extends radially outward. 5. The juicer of claim 3, wherein the radially-extending segment extends radially inward. 6. The juicer of claim 3, wherein the mount further comprises a slot having an entry portion and a receiving portion adjacent the entry portion, the entry portion sized to permit entry of the radially-extending segment of the cleat when the feed housing is translated axially toward the mount into the aligned position, wherein the lip is positioned in the receiving portion such that the radially-extending segment of the cleat is pivotable from the entry portion to the receiving portion and behind the lip in response to the rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from the aligned position to the installed position. 7. The juicer of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the slot is open in a radially outward direction so as to facilitate access into the slot for cleaning. 8. The juicer of claim 3, wherein at least one of the cleat or the lip comprises a ramped surface configured to guide the cleat relative to the lip so as to axially draw the feed housing toward the mount in response to the rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from the aligned position to the installed position. 9. The juicer of claim 1, wherein the second locking structure comprises a wedge biased in a radially outward direction and the first locking structure comprises a notch configured to receive the wedge. 10. The juicer of claim 1, wherein the first locking structure comprises a plurality of first locking structures spaced around the feed housing; wherein the second locking structure comprises a plurality of second locking structures spaced around the mount; andwherein each second locking structure of the plurality of second locking structures is configured to engage a first locking structure of the plurality of first locking structures so as to lock the feed housing into the installed position in response to the rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from the aligned position to the installed position. 11. The juicer of claim 1, wherein the second locking structure comprises a plurality of second locking structures including (i) a wedge biased in a radially outward direction, and (ii) a lip; wherein the first locking structure comprises a plurality of first locking structures including (i) a notch configured to receive the wedge, and (ii) a cleat, at least one of the lip or the cleat comprising a ramped surface;wherein the mount further comprises an O-ring;wherein the feed housing further comprises a rim; andwherein, in response to the rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from the aligned position to the installed position (i) the cleat is positioned over the lip so that the ramped surface guides the cleat relative to the lip so as to axially draw the feed housing toward the mount, and (ii) the wedge is received in the notch; andwherein the rim sealingly engages the O-ring in response to the feed housing being axially drawn toward the mount by the ramped surface guiding the cleat relative to the lip. 12. The juicer of claim 1, wherein the cutter is rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation of the cutter; wherein the grind chamber encloses the cutter when the feed housing is releasably connected with the mount, the grind chamber having a grind chamber axis passing vertically through the grind chamber so as to divide the grind chamber into a first lateral side and a second lateral side, the grind chamber axis intersecting with the horizontal axis of rotation of the cutter when the feed housing is releasably connected with the mount so that the cutter rotates upward in the first lateral side and downward in the second lateral side when the feed housing is releasably connected with the mount; andwherein the input chute comprises an input chute axis generally aligned along a center of the input chute, the input chute axis having a proximal end proximal to the grind chamber, the input chute axis aligned with respect to the grind chamber axis such that the proximal end of the input chute axis is laterally offset from the grind chamber axis away from the first lateral side of the grind chamber. 13. The juicer of claim 12, further comprising a pressing subsystem, comprising: a press chamber accessible from an exterior of the outer housing;a press plate disposed in the press chamber;a juice tray positioned in the press chamber and opposite the press plate, the juice tray configured to receive a package comprising pulp ejected through the output chute from the grind chamber; anda press configured to move the juice tray toward the press plate so as to compress the package between the juice tray and the press plate with sufficient force to squeeze juice from the pulp in the package into the juice tray. 14. The juicer of claim 12, wherein the proximal end of the input chute axis is laterally offset from the grind chamber axis by an amount between 30% and 135% along a spectrum in which (i) 0% corresponds to an arrangement in which the input chute axis is collinear with the grind chamber axis, and (ii) 100% corresponds to an arrangement in which an edge of the input chute laterally nearest the first lateral side of the grind chamber is intersected by the grind chamber axis. 15. The juicer of claim 14, wherein 100% on the spectrum corresponds to an arrangement in which the edge of the input chute laterally nearest the first lateral side of the grind chamber is aligned along the grind chamber axis. 16. A juicer comprising: a body having an outer housing; a grinding subsystem comprising: a mount accessible from an exterior of the outer housing; a cutter disposed at least partially external to the mount; and a feed housing releasably connected with the mount, the feed housingcomprising:(i) a grind chamber enclosing the cutter when the feed housing is releasably connected with the mount;(ii) an input chute in fluid communication with the grind chamber and configured for introduction of comestibles into the grind chamber for grinding by the cutter into pulp; and(iii) an output chute in fluid communication with the grind chamber and configured for ejection, from the grind chamber, of pulp generated from comestibles ground by the cutter; anda first locking structure on the feed housing;a second locking structure on the mount, the second locking structure configured to engage the first locking structure so as to lock the feed housing into the installed position in response to the rotation of the feed housing about an axis relative to the mount from the aligned position to the installed position; andwherein at least one of the first and second locking structures includes a retention mechanism configured to move radially relative to said axis and engage the other one of the first and second locking structure to lock the rotation of the feed housing; anda pressing subsystem comprising:a press chamber accessible from an exterior of the outer housing, the press chamber having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a sidewall extending from the first surface to the second surface;a press chamber form comprising a continuous piece of material forming at least a portion of the first surface, at least a portion of the sidewall, and a transition between the first surface and the sidewall;a press plate disposed along the second surface of the press chamber;a juice tray positioned in the press chamber and opposite the press plate, the juice tray configured to receive a package comprising pulp ejected through the output chute from the grind chamber; anda press configured to move the juice tray toward the press plate so as to compress the package between the juice tray and the press plate with sufficient force to squeeze juice from the pulp in the package into the juice tray. 17. The juicer of claim 16, wherein the press chamber form further comprises the second surface of the press chamber and a transition between the sidewall and the second surface of the press chamber. 18. The juicer of claim 17, wherein the press chamber form further comprises the press plate. 19. The juicer of claim 16, further comprising a first vertical support, a second vertical support, and a third vertical support; wherein the press chamber has a rectangular profile having four corners, the first vertical support positioned adjacent the first corner, the second vertical support positioned adjacent the second corner, and the third vertical support positioned between the third corner and the fourth corner. 20. The juicer of claim 19, further comprising: a guide arm connected with the juice tray, wherein the third vertical support comprises a guide slot configured to receive the guide arm so as to prevent the juice tray from rotating when being moved relative to the press plate;wherein the cutter is rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation of the cutter, the grind chamber has a grind chamber axis passing vertically through the grind chamber so as to divide the grind chamber into a first lateral side and a second lateral side, the grind chamber axis intersecting with the horizontal axis of rotation of the cutter when the feed housing is releasably connected with the mount so that the cutter rotates upward in the first lateral side and downward in the second lateral side when the feed housing is releasably connected with the mount, and the input chute has an input chute axis generally aligned along a center of the input chute, the input chute axis having a proximal end proximal to the grind chamber, the input chute axis aligned with respect to the grind chamber axis such that the proximal end of the input chute axis is laterally offset from the grind chamber axis away from the first lateral side of the grind chamber; andwherein the feed housing is releasably connectable with the mount by a rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from an aligned position to an installed position, and the grinding subsystem further comprises (i) a first locking structure on the feed housing, and (ii) a second locking structure on the mount, the second locking structure configured to engage the first locking structure so as to lock the feed housing into the installed position in response to the rotation of the feed housing relative to the mount from the aligned position to the installed position.