Vegetable Shredder

Abstract

A shredder is constructed from a thin sheet of metal which is punched to provide slicing and shredding openings in different areas and is shaped to have the flanges at the free ends spaced by a supporting bar having a handle thereon by which the shredder is supported when the different areas are being used. A closure door may be provided on one end of the shredder pivoted to the supporting bar with a spring between the bar and an operating projection by which the closure door is opened. The bar and handle may be made of wood but preferably is made of a plastic material which is molded to provide a hollow interior so as to be light in weight. The two flat sides having the cutting and shredding areas are joined by an arcuate bottom section which may be hardened to retain its shape or having the ends strengthened by a formed wire so that the cross section is maintained for engagement by the closure door which preferably has a flange about the edge.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shredders have been provided heretofore which are rectangular in shape tapered toward a smaller end at which a handle is provided with the opposite end formed about a rectangular wire frame to provide rigidity and with each of the four sides provided with different slicing and shredding areas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present shredder is made of thin metal and stamped to provide slicing areas and areas which have been punched out to provide protuberences which are broken open at the top to produce a shredding operation, the projection and openings being greater in one area than in the other area. After the sheet is stamped in this manner with additional punched openings provided in a flange at the opposite ends for rivets, the flanged ends are brought together and riveted to a supporting bar. The bar has a handle midway between the ends by which the shredder is held while fruit, vegetables or the like are being shredded or sliced thereon. Since the handle and the slicing and shredding areas will be disposed vertically when being used, the bottom end of the formed sheet is covered by a hinged closure door which is spring pressed to closed position and which has a tab or projection by which the closure door is moved to open position. The sheet has two flat sides when supported on the bar with an arcuate semi-cylindrical bottom portion which has sufficient rigidity to retain its form. When the metal is of a very thin grade, a reinforcing wire may have the metal at the opposite ends rolled thereover to maintain the arcuate form. It is within the purview of the invention to have the two flat walls joined by a third flat wall across the bottom which forms a triangle which is rigid when secured to the supporting bar. The closure member will be the shape of the bulbous or triangular form and will preferably have a flange about the edge which extends over the edge of the formed sheet.

BRFIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken on the line 2--2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, as viewed within the circle 3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a reduced view of structure, similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2, showing another form of the invention, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken on the line 5--5 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the shredder 7 of the present invention embodies a very thin sheet 8 of stainless steel or like material which is stamped and formed to provide cutting areas 9 and 10 and shredding areas 11 and 12. The material is bent along the line 13 to provide end flanges 14 which have apertures 15 punched therethrough at spaced points. The flanges 14 are disposed against the sides of a supporting bar 16 having apertures 17 therethrough through which rivets 18 extend and through the apertures 15 in the flanges 14 to secure the ends of the sheet to the bar. The central portion of the bar has a handle 19 by which the entire cutting and shredding device is supported. The bar 16 may be made of any of a number of plastics such as polystrene, impact polystrene, polyamides, e.g., nylon, or may be cast from vinyl plastisols or the like, or molded in holllow form so as to be light in weight.

Since the operation is to occur lengthwise of the formed body 21, the bottom end 22 is provided with a closure door 23 which is the shape of the body 21. The body 21 has oppositely disposed sloping sides 24 joined at the bottom with a semi-cylindrical section 25. The closure door 23 has an edge flange 26 and an operating extension 27 which has a U-shaped saddle 28 welded thereto which spans the end of the supporting bar 16. A rivet 29 extends through an aperture in the projecting ends of the saddle 28 and an aperture in the end of the supporting bar 16. The operating extension 27 has a punched-out projection 31 aligned with a recess 32 in the bar 16 for supporting a spring 33 which biases the closure door 23 to closed position. By pressing on the operating extension 27 the closure door 23 swings outwardly from the closed end to permit the sliced or shredded material to pass from the interior of the shredder. It is within the purview of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to eliminate the semi-cylindrical section 25 of the body 21 and provide a flat bottom wall 34 in lieu thereof which forms a triangle with the two sides 24 to provide rigidity to the construction. The bottom wall 34 may be provided with a cutting or serrating surface which adds to the usefulness of the device. In FIG. 5, the ends of the sides 24 and bottom section 25 are shown coiled around a formed wire 35 to provide rigidity to the ends and sections therebetween.

In operation, the closure door 23 will rest upon a board, a pan or the like and be held by the handle 19 while the slicing or shredding occurs which may require a substantial force. When the operation is completed, the device may be carried by the handle to a receptacle where the closure door 23 can be opened by pressing upon the operating extension 27 so that the sliced or shredded material can be expressed from the end. The flange 26 may be eliminated at the bottom of the closing door so that the material may readily slide therefrom.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a shredder, a stamped sheet of material having a pair of angularly spaced side walls, a bottom wall and two spaced parallel flanges on the ends of said side walls, the flanges having aligned apertures therethrough and the side walls having operating areas stamped therein, a supporting bar between said flanges having apertures aligned with those in the flanges, and rivet means in said apertures for securing the flanges and supporting bar together.

2. In a shredder as recited in claim 1, wherein a closure door for one end of the shredder is pivoted to the supporting bar, and spring means for urging the closure door to closed position.

3. in a shredder as recited in claim 2, wherein the bottom wall of the device is of semi-cylindrical form.

4. In a shredder as recited in claim 2, wherein the side walls are elongated being of greater length from end to end than from side to side, and wherein the bottom wall of the device is flat and disposed in triangular relation to the elongated sides when assembled on the supporting bar.

5. In a shredder as recited in claim 1, wherein the supporting bar has a central handle provided thereon by which the shredder is held when in use.

6. In a shredder as recited in claim 2, wherein the operating areas have cutting edges which cut in the direction toward said end closure door.

7. In a shredder as recited in claim 5, wherein the bar and handle are formed of a plastic material in a manner to have the bar and handle of hollow construction to reduce the weight thereof.

8. In a shredder as recited in claim 6, wherein a recess is provided in the top end of the bar and wherein the closure door has an operating extension and a compression spring secured between said extension and bar.

9. In a shredder as recited in claim 2, wherein the side edges of the sheet are reinforced by a formed wire to maintain the form of the flat sides and semi-cylindrical bottom section.

10. In a shredder as recited in claim 2, wherein the closure door is provided with a flange which extends over the adjacent end of the walls.