FOOD DEHYDRATOR
Apparatus and related methods for adding increased functionality to a food dehydrator through the use of stackable drying trays that define a circulation plenum during operation and then nest within one another during disassembly so as to reduce an overall storage size of the food dehydrator. The food dehydrator can further include a base portion having a removable splash guard to prevent the introduction of liquids or solids into a mechanical space within the base portion.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/492,163 filed Jun. 8, 2012, which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is related generally to food dehydrators. More specifically, the present invention is related to a food dehydrator having stackable dehydrating trays configured to increase safety and reduce a storage footprint of the food dehydrator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe advantages of food dehydrating are well known and various methods of dehydrating food have been practiced for hundreds of years. Generally, the process of dehydrating food involves the removal of water from food so as to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and bacteria. In this manner, the process of food dehydration provided a method for people to preserve food for extended periods prior to consumption before the use of refrigeration or chemical preservative agents became common and well known.
Currently, a variety of consumer style food dehydrator products are available from suppliers including Nesco, Ronco and Aroma. Generally, these consumer style food dehydrator products remove water from food by recirculating heated air above and below food placed on trays in a drying chamber. Depending upon the amount of food and type of food placed in the drying chamber, consumer style food dehydrator products can accomplish the water removal in timeframes of between 1-12 hours.
While the dehydrating process is well known and a variety of consumer products are readily available, it would be advantageous to improve upon the existing products through the use of designs that simplify loading, unloading and storage of a food dehydrator. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to incorporate additional features so as to increase the service life and overall safety of the food dehydrator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA representative embodiment of a food dehydrator according to the present invention provides increased functionality through the use of stackable drying trays that define a circulation plenum during operation and then nest within one another during disassembly so as to reduce an overall storage size of the food dehydrator. The food dehydrator can further include a base portion having a removable splash guard to prevent the introduction of liquids or solids into a mechanical space within the base portion.
In one aspect of the present invention, a food dehydrator can comprise a plurality of tray levels upon which food can be placed for drying. Generally, the plurality of tray levels is defined by stacking an alternating arrangement of carrying and second trays. When arranged to define the tray levels during drying, the carrying and second trays cooperatively define an air supply plenum extending up a circumferential perimeter of a tray portion so as to efficiently direct air across each tray level for even heat distribution throughout the food dehydrator. Airflow directed across each level can then be directed downward or upward through a central aperture on each of the carrying and second trays, where a portion of the airflow can be exhausted out a lid portion and a portion of the airflow can be redirected into a base portion of the food dehydrator for reheating. When a drying process has been completed, the carrying and second trays can be arranged in a nested orientation such that a storage height for the food dehydrator is significantly reduced as compared to an operational height during dehydrating.
In another aspect of the present invention, a food dehydrator can comprise a base portion that supports a plurality of stacked trays for placing food during a drying operation. The base portion can define a mechanical space enclosing a fan assembly and a heater assembly for supplying heated air flow across the plurality of stacked trays. The base portion can include an upper base surface having a central aperture for allowing a return air flow back into the mechanical space for venting and/or reheating. The base portion can include a projecting guard member over the central aperture to prevent the entry of large objects into the mechanical space that could lead to injury or prevent proper operation of the fan assembly and heater assembly. A removable splash guard can be positioned over the projecting guard member to prevent liquids or smaller objects from entering the mechanical space. The removable splash guard can be removed from above the upper base surface whereby a user can easily clean the removable splash guard.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a food dehydrator can utilize a fan wheel that promotes uniformity and efficiency within the food dehydrator. The fan wheel can comprise a floor including a solid portion acting as a barrier to prevent a motor from being exposed to liquids or solids. The fan wheel can have top and bottom sides, each having impeller blades with specified heights to promote performance for both fresh and returning air streams.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for reducing a storage height for a food dehydrator can comprise changing the food dehydrator from a dehydrating configuration to a storage configuration. The method can further comprise turning one or more carrying trays upside down such that channels on each carrying tray can nest into corresponding channels on a base portion and one or more second trays.
The above summary of the various representative embodiments of the invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the invention. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art can appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the invention. The figures in the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.
The invention can be completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSReferring to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
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Differences amongst the trays 160 are generally found proximate the circular perimeter 164. For instance, a carrying tray 170 as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Food dehydrator 100 is used by first assembling the food dehydrator 100 into a dehydrating configuration 210 as shown fully in
Following assembly of the food dehydrator 100 into dehydrating configuration 210 and placement of the food to be dehydrated on the tray levels 162, the user then initiates the dehydrating process utilizing the control buttons 120 to select a dehydrating temperature and a timer period. With the dehydrating process initiated, power is supplied to the heater assembly 144 and the fan assembly 142 begins circulating hot air from the base portion 104 to the tray portion 106. Typically, the heater assembly will maintain air temperature at the user selected temperature or the thermostat calibration point. As illustrated by the arrows within the
Once the dehydrating process is complete, the user simply grasps the opposed tray handles 174a, 174b on one of the carrying trays 170 to lift the carrying tray 170 and any of the above located tray levels 162 to a desired location for unloading the dehydrated food. The physical interaction that allows for retention and stacking of the carrying trays 170 and the second trays 183 also allows for them to be carried and transported without risk of separation. Therefore, a user can grab the tray handles 174a, 174b on the lowest carrying tray 170 if the user wishes to carry the entire tray portion 106 or alternatively, the user can grasp the tray handles 174a, 174b of any above located carrying tray 170 if the user only desires to transport a portion of the tray portion 106. With the tray portion 106 located in a desired area, the user simply lifts the lid 194 and sequentially unloads and lifts off the alternating tray levels 162. Following unloading of the tray levels 162, lid 194, carrying trays 170 and second trays 183 can be cleaned by hand or within a conventional dishwasher.
Following cleaning of the food dehydrator 100, the carrying trays 170 and second trays 183 can be arranged to form a storage configuration 230 as shown in
Referring to
When attached to the motor 146, the backward curved impeller blades 246 are highly efficient for maximizing the amount of air circulated into air supply plenum 212. The interior solid portion 250 functions as a shield to prevent solids or liquids from coming into contact with the motor 146. Impeller openings 248 allow for any differential pressure on the fresh air and recirculated air sides to equilibrate and aids in mixing fresh and recirculated air prior to being directed across the heater assembly 144. Furthermore, impeller openings 248 allow impeller blades 246 on both side of the wheel floor 241 to contribute even if airflow on either the fresh air or recirculated air side in unintentionally obstructed or choked off. Top blade height 252 generally exceeds bottom blade height 254 by an optimized amount so as to achieve the desired ratio of recirculated air to fresh air. For instance, the ratio of top blade height 252 to bottom blade height can be approximately 3:1 so as to maintain maximum performance of the food dehydrator 100.
Although specific examples have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose could be substituted for the specific examples shown. This application is intended to cover adaptations or variations of the present subject matter. Therefore, it is intended that the invention be defined by the attached claims and their legal equivalents.
Claims
1-22. (canceled)
23. A food dehydrator, comprising:
- a base portion; and
- at least one tray level, wherein each tray level is defined by a first tray and a second tray,
- wherein the first tray is placed on the base portion and the second tray is placed on the first tray to define the tray level having a dehydrating configuration defining a perimeter air supply plenum, wherein the base portion and at least one tray level define a dehydrating height; and
- wherein the first tray and second tray can be positioned in a nested arrangement and said nested arrangement is placed on the base portion to define a storage configuration having a storage height that is less than the dehydrating height.
24. The food dehydrator of claim 23, wherein the first tray comprises a carrying tray having at least two tray handles, wherein the two tray handles allow the at least one tray level to be transported by grasping and lifting the at least two tray handles.
25. The food dehydrator of claim 24, comprising a plurality of tray levels.
26. The food dehydrator of claim 25, wherein each tray level can be individually transported by grasping and lifting the at least two tray handles of the corresponding carrying tray.
27. The food dehydrator of claim 25, wherein an entire tray portion defined by the plurality of tray levels can be transported as a single unit by grasping and lifting the at least two tray handles of a lowermost carrying tray.
28. The food dehydrator of claim 23, wherein the base portion includes an upper base surface having a perimeter channel and wherein the nested arrangement of the first tray and the second tray can be positioned in the perimeter channel in the storage configuration.
29. The food dehydrator of claim 23, wherein the first tray and the second tray define an air supply plenum in the storage configuration.
30. The food dehydrator of claim 29, wherein the air supply plenum includes duct slots in each of the first tray and the second tray, whereby air is directed from the air supply plenum and through the ducts slots whereby air is directed horizontally across a food support surface of the first tray.
31. The food dehydrator of claim 30, wherein the first and second tray define a central tray aperture, and whereby air is directed horizontally across the food support surface of the first stray and into the central tray aperture.
32. The food dehydrator of claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the air is directed through the central tray aperture and into a central base aperture of the base portion.
33. The food dehydrator of claim 23, further comprising:
- a lid that is operably coupled to an uppermost tray level in the dehydrating configuration.
34. A method for reducing a storage height of a food dehydrator, comprising:
- providing a food dehydrator including a base portion and at least one tray level residing on the base portion, wherein the at least one tray level includes a first tray and a second tray, and wherein the base portion and at least one tray level define a dehydrating configuration having a dehydrating height;
- removing the at least one tray level from the base portion and repositioning the first tray and the second tray into a nested arrangement; and
- placing said nesting arrangement on the base portion to define a storage configuration having a storage height that is less than the dehydrating height.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein placing said nesting arrangement on the base portion, further comprises:
- placing the nesting arrangement in a perimeter channel defined in an upper base surface of the base portion.
36. The method of claim 34, wherein the first tray comprises a carrying tray having a plurality of tray handles, and wherein the step of removing the at least one tray level from the base portion, further comprises:
- grasping the plurality of tray handles on the carrying tray; and
- lifting the carrying tray to remove the at least one tray level from the base portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 12, 2015
Publication Date: Oct 1, 2015
Inventor: Ryan H. Barrows (Eau Claire, WI)
Application Number: 14/737,833