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1. A slow juicer and citrus juicer combination comprising a motorized base (5) and interchangeable citrus juice (3) and slow juicer (90) modules, the combination juicer comprising:
a base (5) containing a driving motor and a means for controlling the motor, and two elongated locking arms (15) projecting from opposite sides of the base (5); wherein each locking arm (15) has a pivoting end (17) near the base and an opposite distal end (19) for holding modules, wherein each locking arm comprises a hook (25) at its distal end, each hook being a short end portion of an elongated locking arm (15) which is bent with regard to the adjoining section of the arm inward towards the juicer (1), each hook comprising a concave locking cavity (30) under the hook (25), each locking arm also comprising two prongs (39) projecting from the inner side; wherein the prongs (39) at the pivoting end (17) of each locking arm are pivotally attached to a locking member (32) by an arm pivot (36), the locking member being in turn pivotally attached to the base by a base pivot (34), wherein a semi-rigid flexing member (33) of the locking member (32) spans between the base pivot (34) and the arm pivot (36), and wherein the pivoting end of each locking arm can snap into and out of a notch (35) in the base to respectively fix in place or release each locking arm (15), wherein each notch has two body slots (37) shaped to each receive a prong (39), wherein at least one activation surface (38) is provided within the base near at least one body slot (38), and wherein the flexing member (33) is adapted to provide resistance to snapping the pivoting end (17) into and out of the notch (35) when the hooks (25) are engaged to locking surfaces (67); a rotatable drive shaft (40) projecting upwards from a top surface of the base, the drive shaft being coupled to the motor inside the base and rotatable by the motor; the citrus juice module (3) comprising an annular juice collector (45), a strainer (60), and a juicing member (75), the citrus juice module being removably seated above the base (5) for extracting and collecting citrus juice; the juice collector (45) being removably seated above the base (5), the juice collector being generally in the form of a small pitcher having a floor (47), circumferential side walls (48), a lip (49) at the top of the side walls (48), an open top (55), a juice collector handle (50), and a juice collection area (52) bounded by the floor and the side walls for collecting juice falling into the juice collector (45); the juice collector further comprising an axial sleeve (54) projecting upwards from the center of the floor (47), the sleeve (54) being hollow and separating the surrounding juice collection area (52) from the inside of the sleeve, the drive shaft (40) projecting into a lower portion of the sleeve when the juice collector (45) is seated on the base (1); the strainer (60) removably seated on the lip (49) of the juice collector (45) and above the juice collection area (52), the strainer being annular and comprising a strainer floor (61) with a plurality of apertures (62) spaced around the strainer floor (61) for passing citrus fruit juice while restraining the passage of seeds and pulp, an opening (64) in the center of the floor, and a circumferential strainer wall (65) surrounding the strainer floor and positioned to block fruit material from laterally leaving the strainer; two locking surfaces (67) at opposite sides of the strainer (60) each for releasably engaging a hook (25) at an end of a locking arm, each locking surface (67) having an inner wall (68) and two side walls (69) shaped to be complimentary to the end of the hooks (65), and an open side (70) facing radially outwards for receiving a hook, each locking surface also having a floor (71) and a locking projection (72) protruding from the floor (71), the locking projection (72) being shaped to fit inside of a locking cavity (30) under a hook (25), wherein the floors (71) of the locking surfaces face at least partially upwards and also slope at an angle downwards as they move radially outwards towards the open side (70); the citrus juicing member (75) for reaming citrus fruits being rotatable, and having a generally domed shape, the juicing member being positioned in the center of the strainer (60) and being at least one of within or above the opening (64) in the strainer floor (61) and being directly above the drive shaft (40); wherein the juicing member (75) is driveably engaged to the drive shaft (40) by a drive adapter (80) which is removably engaged to the drive shaft (40) at one end and to a bottom of the citrus juicing member (75) at an opposite end, the drive adapter (80) being at least partially within the sleeve (54) of the juice collector (45) and spanning a distance between the drive shaft and the juicing member, wherein rotation of the drive shaft causes rotation of the drive adapter and of the juicing member for removing juice from a halved citrus fruit; wherein the juicer has a locked citrus juicer state and an unlocked state; wherein, in the locked citrus juicer state, the two locking arms hold the citrus juice module (3) in place on the base (1) for extracting citrus juice, both locking arms (15) are snapped into their respective notches (35) in the base (1) thereby fixing the locking arms (15) and hooks (25) in place, the hooks thereby fixing the citrus juice module on the base, the locked locking arms (15) projecting generally upwards and optionally radially outwards, the hook (25) of each locking arm is engaged to one of the two locking surfaces (67) on the strainer (60), the locking projection (72) of each locking surface (67) is inside of the concave locking cavity (30) under the corresponding locking arm (15) hook (25), the prongs (39) of the locking arms (15) are positioned in the body slots (38) in each notch (35), at least one prong (39) is contacting an activation surface (38) adjacent to a notch (35), and the motor is in an operable state; wherein, in the unlocked state, the locking arms (15) are unlocked, the unlocked arms are snapped out of their respective notches (35) in the body, the unlocked arms are disengaged from the locking surfaces (67) and locking projections (72) of the strainer, the locking arms are free to pivot outwards with respect to the body, at least one activation surface (38) is not engaged by a prong (39), the motor is in an inoperable state, the locking arms do not hold the citrus juice module (3) or the slow juicer module (90) in place, the citrus juice module and the drive adapter (80), when present, can be removed from the base, and, when present, the slow juicer module (90) can be removed from the base; the slow juicer and citrus juicer combination further comprising a slow juicer module (90) which is interchangeable with the citrus juice module (3) with respect to the base (1), the locking arms (15), and the drive shaft (40); wherein the slow juicer module (90) is adapted to be positioned on top of the base and in drivable engagement with the drive shaft; wherein a top portion of the slow juicer module has two opposite locking surfaces (67) which are closer together than the locking surfaces of the citrus juice module, and wherein the slow juicer module locking surfaces have floors (71) which face at least partially upwards and which are closer to horizontal than the angled locking surface floors (71) of the citrus juice module (3), but wherein the slow juicer module locking surfaces are shaped to be functionally interchangeable with the locking surfaces (67) of the citrus juice module (3); wherein, in a locked slow juicing state, the two locking arms (15) hold the slow juicer module (90) in place on the base and in engagement with the drive shaft for extracting juice by slow juicing, both locking arms (15) are snapped into their respective notches (35) in the base to fix the locking arms in place, the locked locking arms projecting generally upwards at an angle so that the arms are closer to each other than the locked locking arms in the locked citrus juicer state, the hook (25) of each locking arm is engaged to one of the two locking surfaces (67) on the slow juicing module, a locking projection (72) of each locking surface of the slow juicing module is inside of the concave locking cavity (30) under the corresponding locking arm hook (25), at least one prong (39) is contacting an activation surface (38) adjacent to a notch (35), and the motor is in an operable state. |
