Frozen beverage blender

• US 7,201,338 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2003
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joytec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Joytec Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kaoru, Kobayashi, Noriyuki, Nakato, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BENA B
• Application Number:
  US10/514,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20060243838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 241/DIG.17, 241/92, 241/100, 241/84, 241/98, 99509-511
• US Class Current: 241/92
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/042 Mechanically-driven liquid shakers
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/046 with tools driven from the bottom side
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 241/17 Ice crushers

Abstract

A frozen beverage blender equipped with an ice cutting mechanism including an upright machine frame mounted on a base structure, an upper hood horizontally mounted on the upper portion of the machine frame to be detachable downwardly, the upper hood having a downwardly inclined conical inner surface, a cutting disk coupled at its lower end outer periphery with a lower end outer periphery of the upper hood to be detachable downwardly, the cutting disk having a conical upper surface downwardly inclined from its center and being provided with a cutting blade mounted thereon in such a manner that the edge of the cutting blade is positioned upward at a radial slit formed in the cutting disk, a rotary shaft vertically extending through the center of the upper hood and being supported at its lower end on the head of the cutting disk, and a rotary plate driven by the rotary shaft to rotate along the upper surface of the cutting disk, wherein the upper hood has a cylindrical head portion formed with an inlet opening for introducing ice cubes falling from an ice storage container located above the machine frame.

Claims

1. A frozen beverage blender equipped with an ice cutting mechanism including an upright machine frame mounted on a base structure, an upper hood horizontally mounted on the upper portion of the machine frame to be detachable downwardly, the upper hood having a downwardly inclined conical inner surface, a cutting disk coupled at its lower end outer periphery with a lower end outer periphery of the upper hood to be detachable downwardly, the cutting disk having a conical upper surface downwardly inclined from its center and being provided with a cutting blade mounted thereon in such a manner that the edge of the cutting blade is positioned upward at a radial slit formed in the cutting disk, a rotary shaft vertically extending through the center of the upper hood and being supported at its lower end on the head of the cutting disk, and a rotary plate driven by the rotary shaft to rotate along the upper surface of the cutting disk,

wherein the upper hood has a cylindrical head portion formed with an inlet opening for introducing ice cubes falling from an ice storage container located above the machine frame, and

wherein a cylindrical lower hood is integrally assembled with the lower end outer periphery of the upper hood through the lower end outer periphery of the cutting disk, and a beverage container put on the base structure to store an amount of beverage and detachably engaged at its upper end opening with the lower end outer periphery of the lower hood to receive ice pieces sliced by and dropping from the cutting blade.

2. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inlet opening is formed in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical head portion of the upper hood, and a chute is inserted into the inlet opening from upward to introduce ice cubes falling from the ice storage container located above the machine frame.

3. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, wherein an angle of the conical upper surface of the cutting disk relative to the conical inner surface of the upper hood is determined taking into account of the size of ice cubes stored in the ice storage container.

4. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cutting disk is formed with a plurality of radial slits extending from its center, and wherein a plurality of cutting blades are mounted on the cutting disk in such a manner that the edges of the cutting blades are positioned upward at the radial slits so that ice pieces sliced by the cutting blades are introduced to drop toward the center of the lower hood.

5. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, wherein a rectifier is mounted to the bottom face of the cutting disk to introduce the ice pieces sliced by the cutting blade toward the center of the lower hood.

6. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cutting disk is provided at its head portion with a support boss of the lower end of the rotary shaft.

7. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, wherein an elastic ring is coupled with the lower end outer periphery of the lower hood to be detachably engaged with the upper end opening of the beverage container in a liquid tight manner.

8. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, an electric motor is mounted on an upper portion of the machine frame at one side of the upper hood to drive the rotary shaft.

9. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 1, wherein an agitator is detachably mounted to the bottom of the beverage container and driven by a drive shaft provided on the base structure coaxially with the rotary shaft.

10. A frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 9, wherein an electric motor is mounted on the base structure at one side of the beverage container to drive the drive shaft.

11. An ice cutting mechanism comprising:

an upright machine frame mounted on a base structure;

an upper hood horizontally mounted on the upper portion of the machine frame to be detachable downward, the upper hood having

a downwardly inclined conical inner surface;

a cutting disk coupled at its lower end outer periphery with a lower end outer periphery of the upper hood to be detachable downwardly, the cutting disk having a conical upper surface downwardly inclined from its center and being provided with a cutting blade mounted thereon in such a manner that the edge of the cutting blade is positioned upward at a radial slit formed in the cutting disk;

a rotary shaft vertically extending through the center of the upper hood and being supported at its lower end on the head of the cutting disk; and

a rotary plate driven by the rotary shaft to rotate along the upper surface of the cutting disk;

wherein the upper hood has a cylindrical head portion formed with an inlet opening for introducing ice cubes falling from an ice storage container located above the machine frame.

12. An ice cutting mechanism adapted for use in frozen beverage blender as set forth in claim 11, wherein the inlet opening is formed in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical head portion of the upper hood, and a chute is inserted into the inlet opening from upward to introduce ice cubes falling from the ice storage container located above the machine frame.