Abstract: A bottle cork extractor has a tubular needle carrier with an axially directed hollow needle of sufficient length to penetrate through the cork. Pressurized fluid is injected into the bottle through the needle and acts to eject the cork. A graspable sleeve encircles the needle carrier and has flexible tool positioning legs which extend downward along opposite sides of the bottle. Threads on the sleeve engage threads on the needle carrier. This enables easy penetration of the needle into the cork by turning the needle carrier relative to the sleeve and easy removal of the ejected cork from the needle by reversed turning of the carrier. Cutting blades on the tool positioning legs facilitate cutting of foil wrapping or the like at the top of bottle.

Abstract: An apparatus for opening a wine bottle includes a cork seal remover assembly, comprising a housing having a cavity therein, the cavity including opposed side walls that taper downwardly to a bottom opening and converge rearwardly toward a rear wall. A blade assembly is received within the cavity, the blade assembly including a pair of spring arms disposed to impinge resiliently on the side walls of the cavity. The spring arms include arcuate blades in confronting relationship to define a gap therebetween. A bottle neck is inserted between the blades and urged rearwardly, causing the spring arms to converge and the blades to impinge on the seal, severing the end of the seal. The cork remover portion of the invention includes a corkscrew blade disposed coaxially within a tubular housing. The corkscrew blade is operated by a reversible motor, and a sensor within the inner end of the tubular housing is connected to reverse the rotation of the motor and blade.

Abstract: Motor driven apparatus for peeling garlic or similar food products has a housing forming a processing chamber and an abrasive rotary disk in the chamber which abrades the skin or husk from the product. A movable gate partially obstructs a discharge slot at the side of the chamber. The gate has a lowered position at which the unobstructed region of the slot is large enough to enable continuous ejection of peelings but too small to allow escape of the product. The gate is raised at the end of each peeling operation enabling centrifugal ejection of the product by the rotary motion of the disk. Manual unloading and separation of the peelings and product is unnecessary thereby providing for fast, high throughput operations. The apparatus may be an accessory which engages on a food processor base.

Abstract: A device for extracting corks from wine bottles or the like includes a body and pressurized fluid container, a hollow needle extending from the body for penetration through the cork and valve mechanism for selectively injecting pressurized fluid into the wine bottle through the needle to generate gas pressure which ejects the cork from the bottle. The valve mechanism has a metering action which injects a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid in response to each valve actuation thereby avoiding inadvertant over-pressurization of the bottle. Propellant fluid is also conserved to prolong periods between rechargings of the extractor. In a preferred embodiment, a shielding member restrains uncontrolled ejection of a cork and/or needle fragment which can otherwise occur if the needle is accidently broken during operation.

Abstract: A rotary attachment is disposed within the bowl of a food processing appliance in engagement with the drive shaft of the appliance and has a horizontal rotating disk with an abrasive upper surface which quickly removes the dry and brittle outer covering of garlic cloves or similar food ingredients. The apparauts speeds and simplifies peeling operations and minimizes problems with the volatile substances that may be released during peeling of such food ingredients.

Abstract: A housing containing a movable weight is situated at the base of a container to facilitate dispensing of cohesive or viscous substances from the container. When the container is inverted and shaken, the weight repeatedly impacts against the container base creating vibrations which jar loose materials that tend to resist dispensing. The construction is applicable to salt or pepper shakers, catsup bottles and a variety of other containers of comestible or non-comestible substances that may not always flow freely out of the container.

Abstract: A dishwasher using steam to heat cold wash water and to propel the heated wash water through a spray arm mounted in a dish containing compartment for washing dishes for a predetermined time period. A detergent liquid is added to the wash water and the entraining action of the steam in withdrawing wash water from a tank underlying the compartment is also used in withdrawing a volume of detergent from a source of supply and delivering it into the wash water. The steam from a boiler is also used to heat cold rinse water delivered to the tank after the wash water has been drained therefrom and to propel this heated rinse water through the spray arm for rinsing the dishes after a predetermined time period. A sterilizing liquid and a rinse aid are added to the rinse water at the start of the rinsing cycle.

Abstract: A commercial dishwasher having a wash/rinse compartment for receiving dishes and a tank below the compartment for receiving wash or rinse water after a motor driven impeller has circulated the water from the tank and has forced it through spray arms in the compartment employs the suction created by the impeller for removing a detergent from a container in timed sequence by an entraining action during the wash cycle and mixing the detergent with the wash water during the dishwashing cycle. This same suction created by the impeller is employed for simultaneously removing a sanitizing liquid from a container and a rinse aid liquid from another container and mixing these two liquids with a rinse water during the rinsing and sterilizing cycle in timed sequence.

Abstract: A dishwasher that has a steam boiler containing hot water and steam under pressure. The dishwasher has a dishwashing and rinsing compartment with a body of hot water, adjustable as to depth, received in the bottom of the compartment. A time controlled device delivers steam from the boiler to steam jets in the compartment for a predetermined time period for washing the dishes. The steam jets have apparatus associated therewith that will cause the steam jets to periodically entrain hot water from the body of water to deliver a pulsating steam and hot water action against the dishes for washing them. The depth of the body of water can be raised so that only live steam and water will issue from the steam jets if desired, with no pulsating action. The time controlled device delivers hot rinse water from the boiler for rinsing the dishes in the compartment after the dishwashing operation.