MODULAR HAND-HELD KITCHEN APPLICANCE

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a hand-held modular kitchen multitool having a universal powerhead capable of being used with a variety of kitchen appliance attachments, such as a can opener and a coffee grinder. The can opener is a side cutting can opener which provides a more compact size and smoother cut. The coffee grinder has a rotating blade that's only operational when enclosed by a cup and assembled with the powerhead. This prevents unintentional operation and injury to the user.

Claims

1. A modular kitchen appliance, comprising: a powerhead having motor with an output shaft; a grinder attachment, the grinder attachment having a housing and a power coupling capable of connecting to the output shaft; a blade assembly releasably connected to the power coupling, the blade assembly having a blade for cutting; a cup for holding material to be cut, the cup being attachable to the blade assembly; and wherein the blade is operational only when the cup is attached to the blade assembly.

2. The modular kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the blade assembly includes a transmission axle and the blade is fixedly connected to the transmission axle, the transmission axle being releasably connected to the power coupling to transfer power to the blade.

3. The modular kitchen appliance according to claim 2, wherein the blade assembly includes a blade housing at least partially enclosing the blade; and a plate adjacent the blade housing and biasing the blade housing away from the power coupling so that the transmission axle is detached from the power coupling.

4. The modular kitchen appliance according to claim 3, further including a spring located between the plate and the housing for biasing the plate.

5. The modular kitchen appliance according to claim 3 wherein the housing includes a ledge for retaining the plate within the housing.

6. The modular kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the cup is attachable to the housing, and the cup moves the blade assembly into engagement with the power coupling when attached to the housing.

7. The modular kitchen appliance according to claim 6, wherein the cup has a threaded portion to allow the cup to be screwed onto a corresponding threaded portion on the housing.

8. A grinder attachment for a modular kitchen appliance, comprising: a housing; a power transmission assembly capable of attaching to an output shaft of a powerhead; a blade assembly releasably connected to the power transmission assembly, the blade assembly having a blade for cutting; a cup for holding material to be cut, the cup being attachable to the blade assembly; and wherein the blade is operational only when the cup is attached to housing.

9. The grinder attachment for a modular kitchen appliance according to claim 8, wherein the power transmission assembly includes a power coupling attachable to the output shaft; the blade assembly includes a transmission axle and the blade is fixedly connected to the transmission axle, the transmission axle being releasably connected to the power coupling to transfer power to the blade.

10. The grinder attachment for a modular kitchen appliance according to claim 9, wherein the blade assembly includes a blade housing at least partially enclosing the blade; and a plate adjacent the blade housing and biasing the blade housing away from the power coupling so that the transmission axle is detached from the power coupling.

11. The grinder attachment for a modular kitchen appliance according to claim 9, further including a spring located between the plate and the housing for biasing the plate.

12. The grinder attachment for a modular kitchen appliance according to claim 9, wherein the housing includes a ledge for retaining the plate within the housing.

13. The grinder attachment for a modular kitchen appliance according to claim 9, wherein the cup is attachable to the housing, and the cup moves the blade assembly into engagement with the power coupling when attached to the housing.

14. A method for grinding comprising the steps of: providing a powerhead having motor with an output shaft, and a grinder attachment having a housing, a power coupling capable of connecting to the output shaft and a blade assembly, the blade assembly having a blade for cutting; placing materials to be ground into a cup; securing the cup to the blade assembly; attaching the cup to the housing, wherein the blade is operational only after the cup is secured to the housing; attaching the grinder attachment to the powerhead; and turning on the powerhead.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the blade is fixedly connected to a transmission axle and the transmission axle is connected to the power coupling only after the cup is attached to the housing.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the blade assembly includes a blade housing at least partially enclosing the blade; and a plate adjacent the blade housing and biasing the blade housing away from the power coupling so that the transmission axle is detached from the power coupling.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a spring is located between the plate and the housing for biasing the plate.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the cup has a threaded portion to allow the cup to be screwed onto a corresponding threaded portion on the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Further features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following description, which is given by way of example and in association with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a powerhead and grinder attachment;

[0011] FIG. 2 is the grinder attachment of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. 2, with a portion of the housing removed;

[0013] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the components of the grinder;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a section view of the blade assembly;

[0015] FIG. 6 is a section view of the grinder attachment disengaged from the powerhead;

[0016] FIG. 7 is a section view of the grinder attachment engaged with the powerhead;

[0017] FIG. 8 is the powerhead with a can opener attachment and a can;

[0018] FIG. 9 is a side view of the can opener attachment;

[0019] FIG. 10 is a top view of the can opener attachment;

[0020] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the can opener attachment;

[0021] FIG. 12 is a blade assembly;

[0022] FIG. 13 is a side section view of the can opener attachment in the disengaged position;

[0023] FIG. 14 is a side section view of the can opener attachment in the engaged position;

[0024] FIG. 15 shows the blade assembly during the cutting operation; and

[0025] FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the can opener attachment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a modular kitchen appliance of the present invention having a universal powerhead 10 and a coffee grinder attachment 20. Although the grinder 10 is described as a coffee grinder, it should be understood that any beans, nuts, spices or other materials may be ground by the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows the grinder attachment 20 having a housing 22 and a cup 24. The housing 22 is made up of two clamshell portions 26 that are held together by screws 28. The top of the housing forms an opening 30 including ribs 32 for connection to the powerhead. The grinder attachment 20 is attached to the powerhead 10 as described in appl. no. 17/167,150.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows the coffee grinder with one of the clamshells 26 removed to show the internal components, and FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the components. The grinder consists of two assemblies, a blade assembly 80 and a power transmission assembly 90.

[0029] The power transmission assembly 90 will be described first. It delivers power from the powerhead 10 to the blade 48 and includes a power coupling 46 that connects to an output or drive shaft in the power head 10. A bearing 42 is secured in a groove 27 (see FIG. 3) in clamshell housing 26 and holds the power coupling 46. A plate 38 is slidable along the power coupling 46, with a spring 54 (not shown in FIG. 3) held between the plate 38 and housing 22.

[0030] Next is the blade assembly 80, which is also shown in FIG. 5. The blade assembly comprises a transmission axle 47 that detachably connects to the power coupling 46. The transmission axle 47 is secured by bearing 43 which is pressed fit into blade cover 34. A blade 48 is fixedly connected to the transmission axle 47. An optional liner 36 is placed on the inside of the blade cover 34, and can be included to help protect the blade cover 34 from wear during grinding. In one embodiment, the liner 36 is made of a metal material, while the cover 34 is made of a plastic material. The blade cover 34 includes a circular perimeter wall 33 that encloses the blade 48 and includes a shelf 35 that extends out from the wall 33. A gasket 52 is placed in the corner of the wall 33 and shelf 35 to provide a seal when attached to cup 24.

[0031] To operate the grinder 20, the cup 24 is filled with beans or other material and is slidingly slipped onto the blade cover 34. The cup 24 is shown friction fit onto the blade cover's wall 33, but other attachments method between the cup and blade cover are envisioned within the scope of the invention. An example of an alternate attachment method is a simple twist and lock feature.

[0032] With the cup 24 attached to the blade cover 34 (and consequently, the blade assembly 80), it can be screwed onto the housing 22. The cup includes a top rim portion 25 whose exterior is threaded, and the threads correspond with threads on an interior surface of the housing 22.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the blade assembly 80 is secured on top of the cup 24 as the combined cup 24 and blade assembly 80 are screwed onto the housing 22. As the blade cover 34 moves upward within the housing 22, it pushes against plate 38, which is biased by spring 54, until the transmission axle 47 engages with the power coupling 46. Power can now be delivered to the blade 48, and the grinder is now operational as shown in FIG. 7.

[0034] It is noted that although the current design shows the blade assembly 80 as a separate piece that's assembled with the cup 24, an alternative embodiment envisions the blade assembly 80 could be captured within the housing 22, so that securing it to the cup 24 before attachment to the housing 22 is unnecessary.

[0035] In any case, the powerhead 10 can now be turned on and the grinder 20 turned upside down so that any material in the cup 24 will be cut by the rotating blade 48. After grinding is finished, the process is reversed and the grinder 20 is flipped right side up, and the cup 24 and blade assembly 80 are unscrewed from the housing 22. As this is happening though, the spring 54 pushes the plate 38 downward until it's stopped by a ledge 56. The ledge 56 retains the plate 38 in the housing 22.

[0036] An important function of the plate 38 is to help separate the transmission axle 47 from power coupling 46. In this way, power cannot be transferred to the blade 48 except when the cup 24 is screwed into the housing 22. With the cup 24 unscrewed from the housing 22, the blade assembly 80 can be separated from the cup 24, without any risk of the blade 48 being turned on.

[0037] FIG. 8 shows yet another example of a kitchen appliance attachment, in this case a can opener 100, that can be attached to the powerhead 10. A can 102 is shown attached to the can opener 100. FIG. 9 is a side view of the can opener 100, which is comprised of a main housing 110 and a lever 104.

[0038] FIG. 10 is a top view of the can opener 100 which shows an opening 105 through which a power coupling 106 extends. The power coupling 106 is releasably attached to a drive shaft of the powerhead 10, which powers the operation of the can opener 100. The opening further includes ribs 108 along its interior edge for securing it to the powerhead 10 as explained in related application no. 17/167,150.

[0039] Now turning to FIG. 11, an exploded view of the can opener 100 is shown. The main housing 110 formed from two clamshell portions 110a and 110b. A transmission axle 112 is located in the housing and includes the power coupling 106, a reduction gearbox 114 and an output shaft 116. The output shaft 116 is fixedly connected to feed wheel 118 by a pin (not shown). The reduction gearbox 114 reduces the rotational speed of the drive shaft from the powerhead 10 to a much lower speed for spinning the can as it's being cut.

[0040] The housing 110 further encloses a blade assembly 120 that includes a shuttle 122, a blade 124 and a roller 126. A bolt and washer 128 secure the blade 124 and roller 126 to the shuttle 122. FIG. 12 shows the assembled blade assembly 120.

[0041] FIGS. 13-14 are sectional views of the blade assembly 120 within the housing 110 in the disengaged and engaged position, respectively. The shuttle 122 includes rails 130 that travel within a groove 132 formed in the housing (see FIG. 11). The shuttle includes an extension 134 that captures one end of a spring 136. The other end of the spring 136 abuts an internal wall 133 of the housing 110, and biases the shuttle 122 outwardly (e.g. to the right in FIGS. 13 and 14).

[0042] Now referring to FIG. 13, the blade 124 is shown disengaged from the can 102. The can 102 is placed against feed wheel 118 which engages a lip 103 of can 102. The lever 104 is then pulled down, pushing the shuttle 122 inward so that blade 124 punctures the side of the can 102. The lever 104 is fixed to the housing 110 by a pin 140 through an aperture 142. In the disengaged position, the shuttle 122 abuts a relatively flat side of the lever 104.

[0043] FIG. 14 shows the lever 104 after it's been rotated 90 degrees into the engage position, where the end of the lever 104, which is generally oval shaped, pushes the shuttle 122 against the force of the spring 136. The lever is prevented from over-rotating by a ledge 144 in the housing 110 that acts as a stop. When the lever 104 is rotated, it pushes the shuttle 122 so that the blade 124 cuts through the side of the can 102. The lip 103 of the can 102 is pinched between the feed wheel 118 and the roller 126. The powerhead can then be turned on, which rotates the feed wheel 118 and cuts the can. See also FIG. 15.

[0044] A magnet 146 can be provided in the housing adjacent the feed wheel 118 (see FIG. 16). The magnet 146 helps retain the can lid after the top of the can 102 has been cut off.

[0045] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure