US3791597A

US3791597A - Combination ice crusher and drink mixer

Info

Publication number: US3791597A
Application number: US00226157A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Walter; W Chambers; J Stipanuk
Original assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Current assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Priority date: 1972-02-14
Filing date: 1972-02-14
Publication date: 1974-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 1991-02-12
Also published as: GB1417621A; AU4678672A; CA987305A; FR2172081B1; GB1417622A; AU457164B2; DE2305844A1; GB1417623A; FR2172081A1; JPS4892575A

Abstract

A combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance which serves either as an ice crusher or as a drink mixer or as a combination of the two whereby to provide crushed ice to a drink as it is being mixed. An electric motor is operably connected to an upwardly inclined ice-crushing auger which is rotatable in an ice-crushing barrel whereby ice cubes introduced to the lower end of the auger-barrel combination through a vertically disposed ice chute are simultaneously crushed, sized, and transported upwardly to a crushed ice discharge port at the upper end of the barrel. A crushed-ice-receiving and drink-mixing container has an agitator mounted off center in the bottom thereof with the container being selectively positionable adjacent the crushed ice discharge port in either of two positions. In one of these positions only, the agitator is automatically coupled to the electric motor. The path of ice movement through the appliance from the entrance to the ice chute to the bottom of the container is in the form of an inverted N and the ice crushing auger and barrel are formed of high strength plastic. The drive connection between the electric motor, which has a built-in impact clutch, and the auger includes a gear reduction mechanism and a modified universal-joint with the drive ratio therebetween being in the order of 100:1, the drive ratio between the electric motor and the agitator being in the order of 1:1. The ice chute has a cover which, when opened, defines an upward extension of the ice chute. The auger is readily removable from the barrel for cleaning and the container has a pouring spout with a strainer and a hand-grip formation. The components of the combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance are nested together to provide a compact multi-purpose appliance which occupies a minimum amount of countertop space.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Walter et al.

[451 Feb. 12, 1974 COMBINATION ICE CRUSI-IER AND DRINK MIXER [75] Inventors: John Walter, Evergreen Park;

Worthy L. Chambers, Lombard; John M. Stipanuk, Elmhurst, all of ill.

[7 3] Assignee: Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Feb. 14, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 226,157

[52] US. Cl. 241/100, 241/101 B, 24l/l0l.2, 241/247, 241/257 R, 241/260, 24l/DlG. 17 [51] Int. Cl. B02c 19/00 [58] Field of Search..... 24l/10l.2, 100, 101 B, 246, 241/247, 257 R, 260, DIG. l7

Primary Examiner--Donald G. Kelly Assistant Examiner-Robert C. Watson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-George R. Clark; Neil M. Rose; Clifford A. Dean [57] ABSTRACT A combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance which serves either as an ice crusher oras a drink mixer or as a combination of the two whereby to provide crushed ice to a drink as it is being mixed. An electric motor is operably connected to an upwardly inclined ice-crushing auger which is rotatable in an ice-crushing barrel whereby ice cubes introduced to the lower end of the auger-barrel combination through a vertically disposed ice chute are simultaneously crushed, sized, and transported upwardly to a crushed ice discharge port at the upper end of the barrel. A crushed-ice-receiving and drink-mixing container has an agitator mounted off center in the bottom thereof with the container being selectively positionable adja cent the crushed icedischarge port in either of two positions. in one of these positions only, the agitator is automatically coupled to the electric motor. The path of ice movement through the appliance from the entrance to the ice chute to the bottom of the container is in the form of an inverted N and the ice crushing auger and barrel are formed of high strength plastic. The drive connection between the electric motor, which has a buiIt in impact clutch, and the auger includes a gear reduction mechanism and a'modified universal-joint with the drive ratio therebetween being in the order of 100:1, the drive ratio between the electric motor and the agitator being in the order of 1:1. The ice chute has a cover which, when opened, defines an upward extension of the ice chute. The auger is readily removable from the barrel for cleaning and the container has a pouring spout with a strainer and a hand-grip formation. The components of the combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance are nested together to provide a compact multi-purpose appliance which occupies a minimum amount of countertop space.

43 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENIEDFEBIZIHM 3,791 597 sum 2 n; 4

a Q OOO 2&6

COMBINATION ICE CRUSH-HER AND DRINK MIXER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Our present invention pertains to a combination ice crusher-drink mixing appliance which, because of the efficiency of the design, takes up a minimum of space and provides either an ice-crushing operation, a drinkmixing operation, or a simultaneous combination of the two.

. 2. Description of the Prior Art To the best of our knowledge, there have been no combination appliances developed that combine an ice-crushing feature in combination with a drinkmixing feature as disclosed in our present invention. It should be noted that some users of food-blender appliances may have used same to simultaneously crush ice and mix drinks. However, most blender manufacturers specifically warn purchasers of their blenders that they should not be used for crushing ice. In using a standard food blender as a combination ice-crusher-drink mixer, it is noted that the same agitator that accomplishes the drink mixing operation also has to accomplish the ice crushing operation for which it is not specifically designed. In our combination appliance, a separate ice crushing mechanism in the form of an auger rotatable in a barrel is provided in addition to the drink mixing agitator mounted in the crushed-ice-receiving container.

Most known ice crushers utilize metal claws, hammers and die castings which are not only extremely noisy in operation but are also subject to rust and corrosion. Our unique high strength plastic ice crushing auger and barrel combination provides compression crushing of the ice thereby reducing the noise of operation and eliminating the problem of rust and corrosion.

lce crushers are generally of a linear design with the ice to be crushed inserted at the top with the ice traveling downwardly through a crushing mechanism after which it drops into a container. In such an arrangement, it is necessary to provide adequate safety space so that a users finger will not be caught in the crushing mechanism. Our zig-zag ice path substantially reduces the required vertical dimension while our two-part ice chute cover provides a safety factor.

Although combination ice crusher-can opener appliances and separate ice crusher attachments for blenders are both known in the art, we are unaware of any combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance other than the one disclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is concerned with a combination ice crushing and drink mixing appliance which serves either as an ice crusher or as a drink mixing appliance or as a unique combination of the two whereby crushed ice may be delivered directly into the drink mixing container during mixing of a drink therein. The appliance has a generally L-shaped housing with a drink mixing container being seatable on the horizontal leg portion of the L-shaped housing and adapted to receive crushed ice from a discharge port provided at the upper end of the vertical leg portion of the L-shaped housing. A generally vertically disposed ice chute and an upwardly inclined ice crushing barrel are provided in the vertical leg portion of the L-shaped housing with both an entrance to the ice chute and the crushed ice discharge port of the barrel being located at the top of the vertical leg portion of the L-shaped housing. The lower end of the chute is in communication with the lower end of the barrel. To provide a very compact appliance with maximum counter space economy, the path of movement of ice from the entrance to the ice chute to the bottom of the container is in the form of an inverter N. To simultaneously compression-crush the ice against the inner bore of the barrel while advancing the ice upwardly. to the discharge port, an auger having a varying root diameter is rotatable in the barrel. The auger is rotatably driven by an electric motor mounted in the housing. The auger and the icecrushing barrel are preferably both formed of high strength plastic whereby to eliminate the problem of rust and corrosion of these-parts as well as to substantially reduce the noise level of the ice crushing operation. I

A snap-lock cap is provided for the upper end of the ice-crushing barrel, which cap in part defines the discharge port, and a knob is formed on the upper end of the auger to facilitate removal of the auger from the barrel for cleaning when the cap is removed. A twopart hinged cover is provided for the entrance to the ice chute,which cover, when open, defines an upward extension of the ice chute so as to further decrease the possibility of fingers coming into engagement with the rotary auger. The two parts of the ice chute cover are interconnected by pin-and-slot arrangements whereby when one part of the cover is opened, the other part is automatically cammed open.

The electric motor, which is provided with a built-in impact clutch, is mounted with its drive shaft disposed vertically. It is drivingly connected to the upwardly inclined auger through a :1 gear reduction mechanism and a modified universal-joint connection. Also drivingly connected to the electric motor through a 1:1 pulley drive arrangement is an agitator-drive coupling which projects upwardly from the horizontal leg portion of the L-shaped housing. This coupling is positioned off-center relative to the center of the horizontal leg portion of the L-shaped housing.

The crushed ice-receiving and drink-mixing container has a shaft rotatably mounted in its bottom with a drink-mixing agitator or impeller mounted on its upper end within the container and with a mating coupling mounted on its lower end and adapted to be engageable with the agitator drive coupling. The shaft is positioned off-center relative to the center of the bottom of the container whereby when the container is positioned one way relative to the horizontal leg portion of the L-shaped housing, the two couplings are automatically engaged to provide a drink-mixing operation. lf ice cubes are dropped into the ice chute, crushed ice will be fed into the drink or ingredients being mixed. However, if the container is to serve merely as a collector for crushed ice, the container is lifted, turned and replaced on the horizontal leg portionof the L- shaped housing whereby the two couplings are misaligned and not engaged.

The container is rectangular in horizontal section in order to provide a large capacity, low height container which may be gripped by one hand to pour from the container. The container has a pouring spout formed in one corner with the side opposite the pouring spout being roughened and formed to provide a nomslip hand grip. A cover for the container has a strainer formation for association with the pouring spout and an opening adapted to be positioned adjacent the crushed ice discharge port.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance which is extremely compact and requires a minimum of counter space.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a combination appliance which serves either as an ice crusher, or as a drink and food mixer, or as a unique combination of the two whereby crushed ice may be automatically fed into a drink while same is being mixed.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a combination appliance wherein the icecrushing parts are formed of high strength plastic.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance wherein the path of ice movement therethrough is in the form of an inverted N.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance wherein the ice crushing mechanism comprises an auger having a varying root diameter which is rotatable in an upwardly inclined icecrushing barrel, the bore of which is provided with a series of longitudinally extending serrated flutes which define longitudinal shoulders facing in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the auger.

Yet another object of the presentinvention is to provide such a combination appliance having a vertically disposed ice chute for feeding ice cubes to be crushed to the lower end of the ice crushing barrel and a twopart cover for the ice chute which, when open, provides an upward extension of the ice chute.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance wherein a snap-lock cap is provided at the upper end of the ice crushing barrel and wherein a knob is formed on the upper end of the auger to facilitate removal of the same from the barrel for cleaning when the snap-lock cap is removed.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide such a combination'appliance having a container adapted to receive crushed ice discharged from the upper end of the ice-crushing barrel and having an I agitator mounted in the container bottom off-center relative to the center of the container bottom.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance wherein the container is positionable in two positions in only one of which the agitator is coupled to a drive mechanism for providing drink-mixing operation of the agitator, the container when in its outer position merely serving as a collector of crushed ice.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance wherein the container is provided with a pouring spout, a hand grip portion, and a cover having a strainer adjacent the pouring spout and a crushed-ice-receiving opening.

An additional object-of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance having an electric motor which is operably connected to both the icecrushing auger and the agitator drive mechanism with the drive ratio to the auger being much lower than the agitator drive mechanism,

Another additional object of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance wherein the drive connection between the electric motor and the upwardly inclined auger is a modified universal-joint connection.

Yet another additional object of the present invention is to provide such a combination appliance wherein the electric motor is provided with a unique built-inimpact clutch which permits substantially one full revolution of the motor rotor before engagement of the motor drive shaft whereas to providea high apparent starting torque and starting impact.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance embodying our invention with the container positioned for an ice-crushing, non-mixing operation;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on a smaller scale of the combination appliance shown in FIG. 1 withthe container positioned for a drink-mixing operation;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mixed drink being poured from the container;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the combination appliance illustrating the ease of removal of the auger from the ice-crushing barrel;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken through the combination appliance while same is crushing ice and discharging the crushed ice into the container in which a drink is being simultaneously mixed FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial front elevational view of the lower portion of the combination appliance as shown in FIG. 5 with the container and the container supporting portion of the housing being-shown in vertical section and with the container being positioned in its non-mixing position;

FIG. 8 is a partial vertical sectional view through the vertical leg portion of the L-shaped housing of the com bination appliance as shown in FIG. 5 with the barrel cap and the auger removed and the ice chute cover closed;

FIG. 9 is a right hand end view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view of the barrel assembly of FIG. 8 with the assembly pivoted about 20 in a clockwise direction;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view ofFlG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view illustrating removal of the barrel cap;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the barrel cap looking towards the rear of same;

FIG. 14 is an elevational view of the auger;

FIG. 15 is a detail view, partially in vertical section, of the electric motor showing the built-in impact clutch thereof; and

FIG. 16 is a partial top plan view of FIG. 15 with the return spring of the impact clutch removed for clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in which like parts are designated by like numerals in the various views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a combination ice crusher-drink mixer appliance which is designated generally by reference numeral 20 and which embodies our invention. The combination appliance 26 includes a generally L- shaped housing 22 having a vertical leg portion 24 and a horizontal leg portion 26. A crushed-ice-receiving and drink-mixing container 28 having a cover 30 is adapted to be supported on the horizontal leg portion 26 of the L-shaped housing 22 in a manner to be described. With the container 28 seated on the horizontal leg portion 26 of the L-shaped housing 22, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the combination appliance 20 embodying our present invention is extremely compact in configuration. In front elevation, the combination appliance 26 is approximately inches square with a depth of only 4 inches whereby to provide maximum counter space economy.

The housing 22, which is supported at its bottom corners by suitable rubber-like feet or pad members 32, is provided in the vertical leg portion 24 thereof with an upwardly inclined ice-crushing mechanism 34 which includes a unique combination of an ice-crushing barrel assembly 36 and an ice-crushing auger 38 rotatable therein.

As best illustrated in FIGS. l and 5, ice cubes 40 to be crushed are dropped into an ice chute 42 which is generally vertically disposed and has an opening 44 in the top ofthe vertical leg portion 24 of the housing 22 with the ice cubes 40 falling by gravity to the lower end of the barrel-auger ice-crushing mechanism 34 and with the ice then being transported upwardly through the barrel 36 by the auger 38, while simultaneously being compression-crushed and sized in a manner to be described, to a crushed ice discharge port 46 which is disposed at the upper end of the vertical leg portion 24 of the housing 22 overlooking and adjacent the horizontal leg portion 26 thereof. As is best shown in FIG. 5, the discharge port 46 is positioned slightly above an upper edge 48 of the container 28 when same is supported on the horizontal leg portion 26 of the housing 22 whereby the crushed ice is delivered directly into the container 28. During operation of the appliance 20 as a combination ice crusher-drink mixer, it is desirable that the container cover 30 be in place on the container 28 to prevent spillage. Therefore, the container cover 30 is provided with a crushed-ice-receiving opening 50 which, as shown in FIG. 5, is disposed immediately adjacent the crushed ice discharge port 46. It can thus be seen that the path of ice movement through the appliance 20 is in the shape of an inverted N when viewing the appliance from the front as in FIGS. l, 4 and 5. This shape or configuration provides one of the longest and simplest paths possible in a minimum of space and is primarily responsible for the compactness of the combination appliance 20 of our present invention. In recognizing the advantage of using this zig-zag path, one

should keep in mind that most home type ice crushers are almost the same height as the appliance 20 and discharge the crushed ice at the bottom into relatively shallow containers. Our arrangement permits the crushed ice to be discharged into the mouth of the relatively tall mixing container 28.

The housing 22, which may be molded in one piece of plastic, is characterized by front and back L-shaped

walls

52 and 54, by an integral end wall 56 for the vertical leg portion 24, by an integral end wall 58 for the horizontal leg portion 26, and by an integral vertical wall 60 intermediate the vertical and

horizontal leg portions

24 and 26, respectively. The upper end of the vertical leg portion 24 is open and the bottom of the housing 22 is generally open.

A container-receiving cavity or dished-out recess portion 62 is defined in the horizontal leg portion 26 of the housing 22 by a bottom wall 64 which is spaced approximately midway between the upper and lower edges of the horizontal leg portions of the L-shaped front and

back walls

52 and 54. The integrally formed bottom wall 64 blends into the lower edge of the intermediate wall 60 and into the inner surfaces of the end wall 58 and the horizontal leg portions of the L-shaped front and

back walls

52 and 54 with a gentle curvature approximately midway between the upper and lower edges thereof.

For supporting the container 28 in the dished-out recessed portion 62, the front and

back wall sections

52 and 54 are each provided on their inner surfaces with a pair of vertically disposed integral ribs 66 and the end wall 58 is provided on its inner surface with a similar vertical rib 68, the upper surfaces of all of said ribs being spaced above the bottom wall 64 and adapted to support the bottom edges of the container 28 whereby same'issupported above the bottom wall 64 of the dished-out recessed portion 62 for a reason which will be made clear hereinafter.

The bottom wall 64 of the container-receiving cavity 62 is provided along its longitudinal center line with an integral boss 76 which extends both above and below the bottom wall 64 and which has a vertical bore 72 formed therein. The boss is off-set relative to the center of the bottom wall 64 and is disposed closer to the intermediate wall 60 than to the end wall 58 for a purpose to be described. The bottom wall 64 is also provided adjacent the right-hand corners thereof with a pair of integral depending bosses 74 for attachment of a pair of the feet or supporting pads 32 thereto.

The vertical leg portion 24 of the L-shaped housing 22 is also provided with an internal integral wall structure including, as is best shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, an internal bottom wall 76 which is spaced above the lower end of the vertical leg portion 24 of the housing 22. The internal bottom wall 76 is characterized by a first portion '78 having a groove or trough 80 formed therein which is inclined downwardly toward the dished-out portion 62 and which communicates at its lower end with a drain-hole 82 formed in the intermediate wall 60, by an auger-bearing portion 84 which is inclined at an angle of approximately 20 to the horizontal, and by a sharply upwardly inclined ramp portion 86 which is disposed generally beneath the ice chute opening 44. The auger-bearing portion 84 is provided with a depending boss 88 having a vertically disposed bore 90 formed therein with horizontally disposed surfaces being provided at the upper and lower ends of the bore 90.

Depending from the underside of the internal bottom wall 76 area series of bosses 92 against which a motor support bracket 94 is secured by suitable fasteners. A further boss 96 depends downwardly adjacent the end wall 56 to a point adjacent the lower edge of the end wall 56. The open bottom of the housing 22 is closed by a thin metal plate 98 which is secured against the depending bosses 74 and 96-by suitable fasteners.

The internal, integral wall structure of the vertical leg portion 24 of the housing 22 is further characterized by an arcuately curved wall 100 which blends into the front and

back walls

52 and 54 and curves past the intermediate wall 60 at an inclined angle with its upper central portion blending into the upper portion of the intermediate wall 60, as at 102 in FIG. 8, and with its lower end intersecting the bottom wall 76 between the first and auger-bearing

portions

78 and 84, respectively, thereof. The arcuately curved wall portion 100 guides ice cubes into the auger 38 and provides support for the ice-crushing barrel assembly 36 shown in FIGS. 8 and 10.

The barrel assembly 36 is generally cylindrical in configuration. More specifically, the upper portion 104 of the barrel assembly is cylindrical while the lower portion 106 of the barrel assembly is semi-cylindrical with the cut-away portion being the half that would normally be most closely adjacent to the back wall 54. Thus the lower portion of the barrel assembly 36 is open to the lower end of the ice chute 42. The barrel assembly 36 is further characterized by an integral vertical wall portion 108 which is disposed against the side edge of the ramp portion 86 of the bottom wall 76 and which has a vertical edge 110 which abuts against the end wall 56 and is received between a pair of vertical ribs integrally formed thereon. Preferably, the edge 110 is cemented to the end wall 56.

The inner bore of the barrel assembly 36 is provided around its circumference with a series of longitudinally extending serrated flutes 112, best shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, which define a series of longitudinally extend ing edges 114 and longitudinally extending shoulders 116 which face in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the auger 38 for reasons to be fully discussed hereinafter. The term serrated flutes has been used in view of the serrated configuration which is apparent when viewing the barrel assembly 36 from either end and is not used in a sense that the flutes 112 or the edges 114 are provided with transverse grooves or serrations.

In assembly of the barrel assembly 36 in the L-shaped housing 22, the assembly 36 is cemented in position using a suitable cement suchas ethylene chloride solvent thickened with ABS. As shown in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings; the axis of the barrel assembly 36 is disposed at an angle of approximately 20 to the vertical.

As best shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, an arcuately curved spike plate 118 having several downwardly depending spikes 120 is mounted in the barrel assembly 36 adjacent the backside of the upper barrel portion 104. A resilient stripper spring 122 is also mounted in the barrel assembly 36 between the spike plate 118 and the curved wall 100.

The auger 38, as best shown in FIGS. and 14, has a planar bottom end 124 which is adapted to be rotatably seated aginst the auger-bearing portion 84 of the bottom wall 76 and a knob or hand grip formation 126 at its upper end. The root diameter of the helix 128 of the auger 38 increases progressively from the lower end of the same toward its upper end. A stainless steel spike 130 projects radially from the root diameter of the auger 38 near the lower end thereof and serves to initiate engagement of ice cubes 40 by the auger 38. The planar bottom end 124 of the auger 38 is provided with an axially aligned, generally square recess 132 for engagement with a suitable driving member.

The open upper end of the vertical leg portion 24 of the housing 22 is provided with a cover 134 which is telescopically fitted into the open upper end of the vertical housing portion 24 and secured in place by a series of press-fitted plastic pins. One corner of the cover 134 is provided with the generally rectangular opening 44 of the ice chute 42 and the diagonally opposite corner has a recessed configuration 136 which is partially circular whereby same is fitted over the upper end of the barrel 36. The cover configuration 136 is further characterized by a notch at the upper edge of the intermediate wall 60 which defines the sides and lower edge of the crushed ice discharge port 46. A slidably mounted cap 138 for the auger barrel 36 defines the upper edge of the discharge port 46. As best illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the barrel cap 138 has a pair of side lugs 140 which are slidably received in a pair of slots 142 provided in the housing cover 134. The inner end of the cap 138 is provided with a locking lug 144 which, as the cap 138 is slidably assembled to the housing cover 134, snap-locks into engagement with a slot 146 formed in the cover 134. To disengage the locking nut 144 from the slot 146, only a slight twisting movement of the cap 138 is necessary. The cap 138 may be provided with indicia indicating which direction it should be twisted for release, as shown, and a roughened portion 148 to facilitate such twisting movement.

The ice chute opening 44 in the cover 134 is provided with a two part cover 150 which includes an upper door 152 and a lower door 156. The upper door 152 is mounted by suitable hinge pins along the side of the ice chute opening 44 furthest from the end wall 56 and is provided'with a pair of integral depending quandrant-shaped side skirts 154. The lower door 156 is connected by suitable hinge pins to the edge of the ice chute opening 44 immediately adjacent the end wall 56 and is provided with a pair of depending integral quandrant-shaped skirts 158 which are slidable along the inner surfaces of the skirts 154 of the upper door 152 during opening and closing of the two-part ice chute cover 150. The skirts 158 of the lower door 156 are provided with elongated slots 160 in which are received integral pins 162 formed on the inner surfaces of the skirts 154 of the upper door 152. Thus, when the upper door 152 is opened and closed, the lower door 156 is opened and closed simultaneously therewith.

When the two-part cover 150 is closed, the upper surface of the upper door 152 is flush with the upper surface of the cover 134 as is clearly indicated in FIG. 8. In its closed position, the closing edge of the upper door 152 projects just slightly beyond the vertical wall 56 as is shown in FIGS. 8 and 11. This slight extension together with a chamfered notch 164 formed in the housing cover 134 immediately below the door 152, when closed, facilitates engagement of the upper door 152 by the fingers when it is desirable to open the twopart cover 150 to deposit ice cubes 40 in the appliance 20. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the upper surface of the upper door 152 may have the legend lce Chute molded thereon adjacent the closing edge thereof.

When the two-part cover 150 is open to receive ice cubes 40, as illustrated in FIG. 1, it is noted that the two

doors

152 and 156 define an upward extension of the ice chute 42 with the opening or entrance thereto being spaced above the top surface of the housing cover 134. The cover 150 thus serves as a safety feature by increasing the distance between the entrance to the ice chute 42 and the ice crushing mechanism 34. Although not shown in the drawings, the underside of the upper door 152 along the closing edge thereof has a legend molded thereon which is readily readable by one about to insert ice cubes 40 into the appliance 20 and which reads Caution Keep fingers out.

The

doors

152 and 156 may preferably be formed of polypropylene whereby both doors may be molded flat in a family mold for part and tool simplicity and for economy. Each

door

152 and 156 is folded into its U- shaped, along living hinge fold lines, matched together and assembled as part of the housing assembly. Their natural resilience keeps them snug to each other and to the walls of the ice chute 42.

The auger 38 is adapted to be rotatably driven by an induction type shaded pole electric motor 166 which is supported in a suitable manner from the motor support bracket 94 with its drive shaft 168 disposed vertically. The drive shaft 168 is supported in upper and lower bearings 170 and has a circular fan member 172 mounted on its lower end with fan blades 174 adapted to circulate cooling air past the motor windings. Al'- though not shown in the drawings, the bottom plate 98 is provided with a series of airvent openings immediately adjacent the fan member 172. For a reason to be described hereinafter, the outer periphery of the fan member 172 is provided with a grooved pulley configuration 176. j

The auger 38 is driven by the motor 166 through a 100:1 gear reduction mechanism which includes a drive pinion 178 mounted on the upper end of the drive shaft 168, a spur gear 180 and a pinion 182 mounted on a stub shaft 181, a spur gear 184 in driving engagement with the pinion 182 and mounted on a vertically disposed shaft 188 having a novel universal driving head 186 incorporated on the upper end thereof. The shaft 188 of the driving head 186 is rotatable in a bearing 190 mounted in the bore 90 formed in the boss 88 of the bottom wall 76.

The driving head 186 has a unique configuration inasmuch as it is disposed vertically for driving engagement with the auger 38 which is disposed at an angle of 20 to the vertical and is designed to provide a modifled universal-joint type driving connection. The driving head 186 'which is integrally formed on the shaft 88 and is received in the generally square recess 132 formed in the bottom end of the auger 38 may best be described as being in the form of a pair of upper and lower truncated pyramids wherein the bases are positioned together with the pyramidal sides of the driving head 186 being disposed at angles of approximately 22 to the vertical.

With this arrangement, when the barrel cap 138 is removed, the auger 38 may be readily removed from the barrel 36 as shown in FIG. 4 for cleaning of both the barrel 36 and the auger 38. When the auger 38 is again inserted into the barrel 36, a slight twisting movement 10 will insure reengagement of the auger 38 with the driving head 186.

As it is possible that the appliance 20 may be turned on while one or more pieces of ice are disposed in the ice crushing mechanism 34, the motor 166 is provided with a built-in impact clutch 192 which provides a high apparent starting torque and some starting impact for rotation of the auger 38. As is best illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the impact clutch 192 includes a first pin 194 which projects radially from the motor drive shaft 168 and a second tubular rotor pin 196 which extends upwardly from the upper end of the rotor of the motor 166 offset from the center thereof so that the tubular pin 196 is engageable by the shaft pin 194. A return spring 198 wrapped around the motor shaft 168 has one end anchored to the shaft pin 194 and the other end anchored in the tubular pin 196. The return spring 198 is assembled in a manner such that when the motor 166 is not energized the spring 198 turns the rotor, which is free to rotate on the shaft 168, in a counter operating direction to a position wherein the

pins

194 and 196 rest against each other as shown in FIG. 16. When the motor is energized, the rotor will rotate approximately one full revolution before the

pins

194 and 196 are engaged whereby the shaft 168 is turned through engagement of the rotor pin 1 96 with the shaft pin 194. The impact clutch 192 has been found to provide almost twice the normal starting'torque of the motor 166 with the resulting high torque jolt being sufficient to free any ice jam or other high load starting condition. The impact clutch 192 permits the use of a relative inexpensive shaded pole motor even though such a motor is characterized as having low starting torque and as not suitable for applications in which high starting torques are required.

A standard power cord 242 for connecting the electric motor 166 to a source of electrical energy enters the housing 22 through a grommet 244 mounted in the bottom plate 98. The ends of the power cord 242 are connected to the field coil of the electric motor 166 in series through a single throw snap action on-off rocker switch 250 which is snapped in place in an opening formed in the front wall 52 ofthe L-shaped housing 22. One lead of the power cord 242 may be connected by a known type wire nut 248 to one of the field leads 246 of the electric motor 166 with the other lead of the power cord 242 being connected to one terminal of the switch 250. The other terminal of the switch 250 is connected to the other field lead of the electric motor 166.

The crushed-ice-receiving and drink-mixing container 28 is provided with an integral bottom wall 200 which is spaced above the lower edges of the side walls of the container 28 and which slants generally conically downward from the side walls to facilitate the feeding of mixing ingredients into the agitator described hereinafter. The bottom edges of said side walls are supported on the

ribs

66 and 68 whereby the container 28 is supported above the bottom wall 64 of the container-receiving cavity 62. The bottom wall 200 of the container 28 is formed with an upstanding boss 202 which is centered relative to the front and back walls of the container but which is off-center relative to the end walls of the container 28. The boss 202 is provided with a vertical bore 204 in which is mounted a sleeve bushing 206.

The container 28 is provided with a drink-mixing agitator or impeller 208 which is riveted to the upper end of a shaft 210 by means of forming-over the shouldered end of the shaft 210, as at 214, which shaft 210 is rotatable in the sleeve bushing 206 mounted in the boss 202. An O-ring 212 is provided at the upper end of the bore 204 in the boss 202 to prevent leakage of liquids from the container 28. The agitator 208 is characterized by a pair of diametrical flutes 216 disposed perpendicular to one another and by a pair of downwardly inclined mixing arms or blades 218 which insure adequate mixing of a minimum amount of liquid or food, such as for a single drink or even a single egg.

The lower end of the agitator shaft 210 extends slightly below the bottom wall 200 of the container 28 and has a coupling member 220 press fitted thereon, which coupling member has a series of right-triangular clutch teeth 222 depending therefrom. The coupling member 220 does not depend below the bottom edges of the walls of the container 28 whereby to insure stability of the container 28 when placed on a table or countertop.

An identical mating coupling member 228 having upwardly projecting right-triangular clutch teeth 230 is mounted on the upper end of a shaft 224 which extends through the bore 72 which is formed in the boss 70 provided off-center in the bottom wall 64 of the containerreceiving cavity 62. The shaft 224 is rotatable in a sleeve bushing 226 fitted in the bore 72 of the boss 70.

A pulley 232 is press-fitted on the lower end of the shaft 224 and a drive belt 234 extends around the pulley 232 and the pulley configuration 176 of the fan 172 associated with the electric motor 166 whereby during energization of the motor 166 the coupling 228 is simultaneously driven. As the diameter of the pulley 232 is the same as the diameter of the fan 172, the drive ratio between the motor 166 and the coupling 228 is 1:1. The bottom plate 98 is provided with an opening 236 which accommodates the hub portion of the pulley 232 and with an air vent 238. A fibre-board air baffle 240 is provided in the housing'22 adjacent the motor 166 to direct the ventilating air efficiently over critical motor areas.

With the agitator 208 being positioned off-center in the bottom of the container 28 and with the agitator drive coupling 228 being positioned off-center relative to the bottom of the container-receiving cavity 62, the

combination appliance 20 may be used as an ice crusher alone, or as a drank or food mixing appliance alone, or as a unique combination of the two functions whereby crushed ice may be delivered into the container 28 simultaneously during a drink-mixing operation. With the container 28 positioned in the containerreceiving cavity 62 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the two

mating coupling members

220 and 228 are misaligned and not engaged whereby the appliance serves only as an ice crusher and the container 28 serves merely as a collector of crushed ice. However, if the contianer 28 is turned 180 and again positioned in the containerreceiving cavity 62, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the

coupling members

220 and 228 are automatically engaged, and when the motor 166 is energized, the auger 38 and the agitator 208 are simultaneously rotated. With the container 28 thus positionedQand with the ice cubes 40 being fed down the ice chute 42, crushed ice will be delivered into the container 28 simultaneously during the mixing of a drink or other liquids therein, as shown in FIG. 5. If no ice is fed into the ice chute 42, the appliance serves merely as a drink mixing appliance as shown in FIG. 2.

Y is formed to provide apouring spout 252. The end wall of the container opposite the pouring spout 252 and approximately one-third of each of the side walls adjacent thereto are grained or roughened and preformed inwardly as at 254, to form a slip-resistant hand grip configuration whereby to facilitate gripping of the container 28 during a drink pouring operation, as shown in FIG. 3.

The container cover 30 is provided with depending side and end walls 256 with the lower edges thereof being reduced in thickness whereby to define downwardly facing shoulders 258 which are engageable with the upper edges of the side and end walls of the container 28, the upper edges of the container 28 being slightly offset outwardly to receive the side and end walls 256 of the cover 30. As previously noted herein, one end wall 256 of the container cover 30 is cut away to define the crushed-ice-receiving opening 50 which is positioned adjacent the crushed ice discharge port 46. The corner of the container cover 30 adjacent the pouring spout 252 is cut away and provided with a series of integral depending and converging ribs which serve to define a strainer formation 260 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. 1 7

Although the combination appliance 20 may be used most often to prepare mixed alcoholic drinks, it is noted that it may also be used for preparation of frozen juices, milkshakes and malts, instant breakfast, sauces of all types, whipped cream, scrambled eggs, puddings, etc. Although not forming part of the invention, it is noted that this combination appliance comes packaged in a polystyrene ice bucket.

In operation, ice cubes 40 to be crushed are dropped into the ice chute 42 where they are engaged by the auger 38 and carried upwardly with preliminary breaking of the ice cubes being provided by the spike and the spike plate 118, then on through the barrel as- .sembly 36 with the ice beingcompression-crushed and sized prior to discharge of same through the crushed ice discharge port 46. The simultaneous compressioncrushing and upward movement of the ice is due to the increasing root diameter of the auger 38 and the shoulder 1 16 defined in the fluted barrel bore. The shoulders 116, which face in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the auger 38, serve to reduce the rotary motion of the ice:so that the auger 38 can effectively drive the ice upwardly to the discharge port 46. The spike plate 118 and the auger spike 130 in breaking up the cubes 40 prevent jamming which might occur if unbroken chunks of ice became lodged between the auger 38 and the wall of barrel assembly 36. The stripper spring 122 also serves to prevent jamming of the ice.

Any residual water attendant with an operation such as ice crushing drains from the interior of the housing 22 down the trough 8 0 to the'drain hole 82. into the container-receiving cavity 62. This water is readily wiped from this exposed area and countertop puddles are avoided.

Although a substantial number of parts of the combination appliance 20 disclosed herein may be formed of various plastics, it is to be understood that other suitable materials may also be used. If plastics are used, however, certain plastics have been found to be particularly well adapted for certain parts of this appliance 20. For instance, the auger 38 and the two

doors

152 and 156 of the two-part ice chute cover may be formed of high strength polypropylene, as previously discussed herein. An auger 38 formed of this particular plastic may sustain shock forces up to lOft-lbs. The housing 22, the barrel assembly 36 and the housing cover 134, together with the pins connecting the cover 134 to the housing 22, may be formed of high impact ABS. The barrel cap 138, because of the forces exerted thereon by the crushed ice being discharged from the barrel assembly 36, may preferably be formed of a tough polycarbonate. The container 28 and the container cover may be formed of styrene acrylonitrile copolymer. The

couplings

220 and 228, the fan member 172 and the pulley 232 may be formed of nylon. A suitable plastic for the gear 180 has been found to be molybdenum disulfide-filled nylon.

While there has been shown and described a single embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and it is, therefore, contemplated in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit' and scope of the present invention.

We claim:

l. A combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing appliance comprising, a housing portion, a container portion, an agitator rotatably mounted in said container portion, ice entrance means and crushed ice exit means both provided adjacent the top of said housing portion, ice-crushing means in said housing portion for delivering crushed ice to said container portion with the path of movement of ice through said housing portion from said entrance means to said exit means being generally V-shaped, and drive means for said agitator and said ice-crushing means.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said container portion has two selective positions relative to said housing portion whereby in one position said agitator is operably connected to said drive means and in the other position said agitator is not operably connected to said drive means.

3. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said ice-crushing means comprises an auger rotatably mounted in an icecrushing barrel with said auger having an increasing root diameter from its ice-receiving end to its icedischarging end whereby ice carried through said barrel by said auger is crushed.

4. The appliance of claim 3 wherein said housing portion is provided with a generally vertically disposed ice chute for receiving ice cubes to be crushed and wherein said ice-crushing barrel and said auger are upwardly inclined with their lower ends being in communication with the lower end of said ice-chute and with their upper ends being adjacent to and above said container portion.

5. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the upper end of said barrel is provided with a removable snap-lock cap and wherein the upper end of said auger is provided with a knob to facilitate removal of same when said cap is removed.

6. The appliance of claim 3 wherein said ice-crushing barrel and said auger are formed of high strength plastic.

7. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said container portion is characterized by a cover, by a pouring spout and strainer in one corner, by a roughened hand grip configuration, and by a crushed ice-receiving opening.

8. In a combination ice crusher and drink mixer appliance, the improvement comprising, an ice chute into which ice cubes are dropped, a drink-mixing container for receiving crushed ice, an upwardly inclined rotatable auger and fixed barrel combination disposed in communication with a lower end of said ice chute and adapted to crush ice cubes dropped into the ice chute while simultaneously carrying the ice upwardly to a discharge port for discharge into said drink-mixing container positioned adjacent thereto, drive means for said auger, and an agitator mounted in the base of the container and adapted to be coupled to said auger drive means for rotation thereby.

9. The appliance of claim 8 wherein said auger and barrel combination are formed of high-strength plastic.

10. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the root diameter of said auger increasesprogressively in an upward direction and wherein said barrel is provided on its bore with a series of longitudinally extending serrated flutes defining shoulders facing in a direction'opposite to the direction of rotation of said auger, whereby to aid in crushing and advancing the ice upwardly through said barrel.

11. The appliance of claim 8 wherein said agitator is positioned in said container in a manner such that said agitator may be selectively coupled to said auger drive means when said container is positioned adjacent said crushed ice discharge port.

12. A combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing appliance comprising, a housing having an agitator drive associated therewith, a crushed ice-receiving and drink-mixing container having an agitator rotatably mounted in the bottom thereof, said container being selectively positionable with said agitator either in or out of engagement with said agitator drive, ice-crushing means in said housing and adapted to deliver crushed ice to a discharge port above the edge of said container in either selective position of same, and drive means in said housing operably connected to both said agitator drive and said ice-crushing means.

13. The appliance of claim 12 wherein said housing is generally L-shaped with said ice-crushing means being disposed in the vertical leg portion thereof and said discharge port being adjacent the upper end thereof, and wherein the horizontal leg portion of said L-shaped housing defines a dished-out containerreceiving recess, said discharge port being spaced above one side of said recess.

1.4. The appliance of claim 13 wherein said agitator drive projects upwardly into said container-receiving recess and is offset relative to the center of same, and wherein said agitator is offset relative to the center of the bottom of said container whereby in one position of said container said agitator is engaged with said agi tator drive to provide a drink-mixing action during operation of said ice-crushing means and whereby in the other position of said container said agitator is not engaged with said agitator drive and said container serves only as a collector of crushed ice.

15. The appliance of claim 13 wherein said icecrushing means comprises a downwardly extending icechute formed in said vertical leg portion of said housing, an upwardly inclined ice-crushing barrel formed in said vertical leg portion of said housing and having its lower end in communication with the lower end of said ice-chute and with its upper end in communication with said discharge port, and an ice-crushing auger operably connected to said drive means and rotatable in said barrel for simultaneously crushing and carrying ice cubes dropped into said ice-chute upwardly for discharge through said discharge port into said container.

16. The appliance of claim 15 wherein the root diameter of said auger increases progressively from its lower end to its upper end, and wherein the bore of said barrel is provided with a series of longitudinally extending serrated flutes having longitudinally extending shoulders facing in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said auger whereby to aid in preventing rotation of the ice and thus aid in crushing and upward movement of same.

17. The appliance of claim 12 wherein one upper corner of said container is formed to provide a pouring spout, and wherein the sides of said container opposite said pouring spout are roughened and formed to provide a non-slip hand grip.

18. The appliance of claim 17 wherein said container is provided with a cover having a strainer formation in one corner thereof for cooperation with said pouring spout and having a crushed ice opening adapted to be positioned adjacent said discharge port in said housing in either position of said container.

19. The appliance of claim 12 wherein the path of ice movement through said appliance to the bottom of said container is in the form of an inverted N.

20. A motor operated, combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing electric appliance comprising, a housing having a container-receiving portion, a crushed icereceiving and drink-mixing container adapted to be disposed in said container-receiving portion of said housing in either of two positions,.ice-crushing means in said housing and adapted to deliver crushed ice to a discharge port positioned above and adjacent to the upper edge of said container when said is disposed in either of its two positions, an agitator drive shaft projecting upwardly from said container-receiving portion of said housing and positioned off-center relative thereto, an electric motor in said housing operably connected to both said ice-crushing means and said agitator drive shaft, an agitator disposed in the bottom of said container off-center relative thereto and having a shaft extending through the bottomof the container and mating coupling members mounted on the upper end of said agitator drive shaft and the lower end of said agitator shaft,'said coupling members being engageable in one position of said container in said containerreceiving portion of said housing whereby to provide drink-mixing agitation of liquids in said container during operation of said ice-crushing means and said coupling members being misaligned in the other position of said container whereby said container serves only as a collector of crushed ice.

21. The appliance of claim 20 wherein said icecrushing means comprises an upwardly inclined ice- 16 crushing barrel formed in said housing with the upper open end of said barrel terminating at said crushed ice discharge port and with the lower end of said barrel being in communication with a supply of ice cubes to be crushed, and an auger rotatably mounted in said barrel and operably connected to said electric motor whereby the ice cubes are simultaneously crushed and carried upwardly to said discharge port.

22. The appliance of claim 21 wherein the root diameter of said auger increases progressively from the lower end to the upper end of same whereby to provide compression-crushing and sizing of the ice, and wherein the bore of said barrel is provided with longitudinally extending serr'atedflutes which are curved in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said auger whereby to deter rotation of the ice being crushedand thus aid in the compression-crushing and upward movement of the same.

23. The appliance of claim 21 wherein said icecrushing barrel and said auger are formed of plastic.

24. The appliance of claim 21 wherein said housing is provided with a downwardly extending ice-chute for delivering ice cubes to the lower end of said barrel.

25. The appliance of claim 21- wherein said auger is rotatable about an axis which is inclined at an angle of 20 to the vertical, wherein the drive shaft of said electric motor is disposed vertically, and wherein said operable connection between said auger and said electric motor comprises a modified universal joint, an impact clutch, and gear reduction means.

26. A combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing appliance comprising a generally L-shaped housing having a vertical leg portion with an internal bottom wall spaced above the lower end of said vertical leg portion and a horizontal leg portion having an upwardly opening depression adapted to receive a container, a crushed-ice-receiving and drink-mixing container adapted to be supported in said depression in said horizontal leg portion, an electric motor mounted in said vertical leg portion of said housing below said internal bottom wall, means defining an ice chute in said vertical leg portion which extends from the upper end of said vertical leg portion downwardly to said internal bottom wall, a closable cover to said ice-chute, means defining an upwardly. inclined ice-crushing barrel in said vertical leg portion which extends from said internal bottom wall upwardly to the upper end of said vertical leg portion, a .rotatable ice-crushing auger removably disposed in said barrel, a removable cap for the upper end of said barrel, said cap and said vertical leg portion of said housing defining a crushed-ice discharge port which is disposed above and adjacent to said container when supported in said horizontal leg portion of said housing, drive means extending through said internal bottom wall and operably connected between said electric motor and the lower end of said auger whereby, during operation of said motor, ice cubes dropped into said ice-chute are simultaneously crushed and carried upwardly to said discharge port by said auger for discharge into said container, a drinkmixing agitator rotatably mounted in the bottom of said container and having a coupling member disposed below the container bottom, an agitator drive means projecting upwardly into said depression in said horizontal leg portion of said housing and having a coupling member mounted on its upper end and adapted for engagement with said agitator coupling member, and

means operably connecting said electric motor to said agitator drive means whereby to provide drink-mixing operation of said agitator when said two coupling members are operably engaged.

27. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said agitator drive means is offset relative to the center of said depression in said horizontal leg portion of said housing and wherein said agitator is offset relative to the center of the bottom of the container whereby in one position of said container in said depression in said horizontal leg portion said two coupling members are engaged while in a 180 turned position of said container said two coupling members are not engaged and said container serves as a collector of crushed ice.

28. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said barrel is provided on its inner bore with a series of longitudinally extending serrated flutes defining a series of edges facing against the direction of rotation of said auger, and wherein the root diameter of said auger increases progressively from the bottom of said auger to its upper end, said flute edges and said increasing root diameter of said auger serving to aid in compression-crushing of the ice being carried upwardly by said auger to said discharge port.

29. The appliance of claim 28 wherein a spike projects radially from the root diameter of said auger near the lower end thereof to aid in initially moving ice cubes from the lower end of said ice chute upwardly through said ice-crushing bar-rel.

30. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said barrel cap has a readily releasable snap-lock engagement with said housing and wherein said auger has a hand-grip portion on its upper end to facilitate removal of same from said barrel when said barrel cap is removed.

31. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said auger drive means is characterized by a vertically disposed shaft having a driving head which is in the form of a pair of upper and lower truncated pyramids with their bases positioned together and by a generally square recess formed in the lower end of said auger, said driving head being received in said recess whereby to provide a modified universal joint type driving connection.

32. The appliance of claim 31 wherein the axis of rotation of said auger is at an angle of approximately to the vertical and wherein the pyramidal sides of said auger driving head are at angles of approximately 22 to the vertical.

33. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said auger drive means is operably connected to said electric motor through a 100:1 gear reduction means and an impact clutch.

34. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said electric motor has a fan member mounted on the motor shaft, wherein the periphery of said fan member is formed to provide a pulley, wherein said agitator drive means is provided with a pulley of the same diameter as said fan member pulley, and wherein a drive band encircles both of said pulleys whereby said agitator'is driven at the same speed as said electric motor.

35. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said container has a pouring spout formed in one corner and wherein the sides of the container opposite said pouring spout are roughened and formed so as to provide a non-slip hand grip.

36. The appliance of claim 35 wherein said container is provided with a cover having one corner formed to define a strainer for association with said pouring spout, and wherein the portion of said cover adjacent said discharge port is provided with a crushed-icereceiving opening.

37. A motor operated, combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing electric appliance comprising, a housing having a vertically disposed portion and a container supporting portion adjacent thereto, a crushed-icereceiving and drink-mixing container removably disposed in said container-supporting housing portion, a generally vertically disposed ice chute defined in said vertically disposed housing portion and adapted to receive ice cubes at the upper end thereof, a generally vertically inclined ice-crushing barrel in said vertically disposed housing portion with the lower end thereof being in communication with the lower end of said ice chute and the upper end thereof being disposed above the upper edge of said container positioned in said container-supporting housing portion, a rotatable auger mounted in said barrel for simultaneously crushing and transporting ice upwardly through said icecrushing barrel and discharging same into said container, agitator drive means projecting upwardly from said container-supporting housing portion, a rotatable agitator disposed in said container and having a shaft extending through the bottom of said container and being selectively engageable with said agitator drive means, an electric motor mounted in said housing and operably connected to both said auger and said agitator drive means.

.38. The appliance of claim 37 wherein the entrance to said ice chute and the upper end of said barrel are both disposed at the upper end of said vertically disposed housing portion.

39. The appliance of claim 37 wherein the root diameter of said auger increases progressively in an upward direction whereby to provide compression-crushing of v the ice cubes against the bore of said barrel.

40. The appliance of claim 39 wherein the bore of said ice-crushing barrel is characterized by longitudinally extending serrated flutes defining longitudinally extending shoulders facing against the direction of rotation of said auger whereby to engage the ice and aid in preventing rotation of same, thus aiding in the compression-crushing and upward movement of the ice.

41. The appliance of claim 37 wherein a spike plate is disposed adjacent said barrel with spikes extending longitudinally toward the lower end of said barrel whereby to provide vpreliminary/crushing of said ice cubes driven into said spikes by said auger.

42. The appliance of claim 37 wherein a stripper spring is provided adjacent said barrel to aid in the prevention of ice jams.

43. The appliance of claim 37 wherein said ice chute is provided with a two-door cover with each door being hinged along opposite edges of an entrance opening to the ice chute and with each door having a pair of depending side skirts providing a generally inverted U- shaped configuration, wherein said doors are molded flat of polypropylene with said side skirts being folded downwardly along living hinge" fold lines, and wherein adjacent side skirts of said two doors are interconnected by pin-and-slot means for simultaneous opening and closing movement and with said cover, when open, defining an upward extension of said ice chute.

Claims

1. A combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing appliance comprising, a housing portion, a container portion, an agitator rotatably mounted in said container portion, ice entrance means and crushed ice exit means both provided adjacent the top of said housing portion, ice-crushing means in said housing portion for delivering crushed ice to said container portion with the path of movement of ice through said housing portion from said entrance means to said exit means being generally V-shaped, and drive means for said agitator and said ice-crushing means.

3. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said ice-crushing means comprises an auger rotatably mounted in an ice-crushing barrel with said auger having an increasing root diameter from its ice-receiving end to its ice-discharging end whereby ice carried through said barrel by said auger is crushed.

10. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the root diameter of said auger increases progressively in an upward direction and wherein said barrel is provided on its bore with a series of longitudinally extending serrated flutes defining shoulders facing in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said auger, whereby to aid in crushing and advancing the ice upwardly through said barrel.

13. The appliance of claim 12 wherein said housing is generally L-shaped with said ice-crushing means being disposed in the vertical leg portion thereof and said discharge port being adjacent the upper end thereof, and wherein the horizontal leg portion of said L-shaped housing defines a dished-out container-receiving recess, said discharge port being spaced above one side of said recess.

14. The appliance of claim 13 wherein said agitator drive projects upwardly into said container-receiving recess and is offset relative to the center of same, and wherein said agitator is offset relative to the center of the bottom of said container whereby in one position of said container said agitator is engaged with said agitator drive to provide a drink-mixing action during operation of said ice-crushing means and whereby in the other position of said container said agitator is not engaged with said agitator drive and said container serves only as a collector of crushed ice.

15. The appliance of claim 13 wherein said ice-crushing means comprises a downwardly extending ice-chute formed in said vertical leg portion of said housing, an upwardly inclined ice-crushing barrel formed in said vertical leg portion of said housing and having its lower end in communication with the lower end of said ice-chute and with its upper end in communication with said discharge port, and an ice-crushing auger operably connected to said drive means and rotatable in said barrel for simultaneously crushing and carrying ice cubes dropped into said ice-chute upwardly for discharge through said discharge port into said container.

20. A motor operated, combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing electric appliance comprising, a housing having a container-receiving portion, a crushed ice-receiving and drink-mixing container adapted to be disposed in said container-receiving portion of said housing in either of two positions, ice-crushing means in said housing and adapted to deliver crushed ice to a discharge port positioned above and adjacenT to the upper edge of said container when said is disposed in either of its two positions, an agitator drive shaft projecting upwardly from said container-receiving portion of said housing and positioned off-center relative thereto, an electric motor in said housing operably connected to both said ice-crushing means and said agitator drive shaft, an agitator disposed in the bottom of said container off-center relative thereto and having a shaft extending through the bottom of the container and mating coupling members mounted on the upper end of said agitator drive shaft and the lower end of said agitator shaft, said coupling members being engageable in one position of said container in said container-receiving portion of said housing whereby to provide drink-mixing agitation of liquids in said container during operation of said ice-crushing means and said coupling members being misaligned in the other position of said container whereby said container serves only as a collector of crushed ice.

21. The appliance of claim 20 wherein said ice-crushing means comprises an upwardly inclined ice-crushing barrel formed in said housing with the upper open end of said barrel terminating at said crushed ice discharge port and with the lower end of said barrel being in communication with a supply of ice cubes to be crushed, and an auger rotatably mounted in said barrel and operably connected to said electric motor whereby the ice cubes are simultaneously crushed and carried upwardly to said discharge port.

22. The appliance of claim 21 wherein the root diameter of said auger increases progressively from the lower end to the upper end of same whereby to provide compression-crushing and sizing of the ice, and wherein the bore of said barrel is provided with longitudinally extending serrated flutes which are curved in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said auger whereby to deter rotation of the ice being crushed and thus aid in the compression-crushing and upward movement of the same.

23. The appliance of claim 21 wherein said ice-crushing barrel and said auger are formed of plastic.

25. The appliance of claim 21 wherein said auger is rotatable about an axis which is inclined at an angle of 20* to the vertical, wherein the drive shaft of said electric motor is disposed vertically, and wherein said operable connection between said auger and said electric motor comprises a modified universal joint, an impact clutch, and gear reduction means.

26. A combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing appliance comprising a generally L-shaped housing having a vertical leg portion with an internal bottom wall spaced above the lower end of said vertical leg portion and a horizontal leg portion having an upwardly opening depression adapted to receive a container, a crushed-ice-receiving and drink-mixing container adapted to be supported in said depression in said horizontal leg portion, an electric motor mounted in said vertical leg portion of said housing below said internal bottom wall, means defining an ice chute in said vertical leg portion which extends from the upper end of said vertical leg portion downwardly to said internal bottom wall, a closable cover to said ice-chute, means defining an upwardly inclined ice-crushing barrel in said vertical leg portion which extends from said internal bottom wall upwardly to the upper end of said vertical leg portion, a rotatable ice-crushing auger removably disposed in said barrel, a removable cap for the upper end of said barrel, said cap and said vertical leg portion of said housing defining a crushed-ice discharge port which is disposed above and adjacent to said container when supported in said horizontal leg portion of said housing, drive means extending through said internal bottom wall and operably connected between said electric motor and the lower end of said auger whereby, during operation of said motor, ice cubes dropped into said ice-chute are simultaneously crushed and carried upwardly to said discharge port by said auger for discharge into said container, a drink-mixing agitator rotatably mounted in the bottom of said container and having a coupling member disposed below the container bottom, an agitator drive means projecting upwardly into said depression in said horizontal leg portion of said housing and having a coupling member mounted on its upper end and adapted for engagement with said agitator coupling member, and means operably connecting said electric motor to said agitator drive means whereby to provide drink-mixing operation of said agitator when said two coupling members are operably engaged.

27. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said agitator drive means is offset relative to the center of said depression in said horizontal leg portion of said housing and wherein said agitator is offset relative to the center of the bottom of the container whereby in one position of said container in said depression in said horizontal leg portion said two coupling members are engaged while in a 180* turned position of said container said two coupling members are not engaged and said container serves as a collector of crushed ice.

29. The appliance of claim 28 wherein a spike projects radially from the root diameter of said auger near the lower end thereof to aid in initially moving ice cubes from the lower end of said ice chute upwardly through said ice-crushing barrel.

32. The appliance of claim 31 wherein the axis of rotation of said auger is at an angle of approximately 20* to the vertical and wherein the pyramidal sides of said auger driving head are at angles of approximately 22* to the vertical.

34. The appliance of claim 26 wherein said electric motor has a fan member mounted on the motor shaft, wherein the periphery of said fan member is formed to provide a pulley, wherein said agitator drive means is provided with a pulley of the same diameter as said fan member pulley, and wherein a drive band encircles both of said pulleys whereby said agitator is driven at the same speed as said electric motor.

36. The appliance of claim 35 wherein said container is provided with a cover having one corner formed to define a strainer for association with said pouring spout, and wherein the portion oF said cover adjacent said discharge port is provided with a crushed-ice-receiving opening.

37. A motor operated, combination ice-crushing and drink-mixing electric appliance comprising, a housing having a vertically disposed portion and a container supporting portion adjacent thereto, a crushed-ice-receiving and drink-mixing container removably disposed in said container-supporting housing portion, a generally vertically disposed ice chute defined in said vertically disposed housing portion and adapted to receive ice cubes at the upper end thereof, a generally vertically inclined ice-crushing barrel in said vertically disposed housing portion with the lower end thereof being in communication with the lower end of said ice chute and the upper end thereof being disposed above the upper edge of said container positioned in said container-supporting housing portion, a rotatable auger mounted in said barrel for simultaneously crushing and transporting ice upwardly through said ice-crushing barrel and discharging same into said container, agitator drive means projecting upwardly from said container-supporting housing portion, a rotatable agitator disposed in said container and having a shaft extending through the bottom of said container and being selectively engageable with said agitator drive means, an electric motor mounted in said housing and operably connected to both said auger and said agitator drive means.

38. The appliance of claim 37 wherein the entrance to said ice chute and the upper end of said barrel are both disposed at the upper end of said vertically disposed housing portion.

39. The appliance of claim 37 wherein the root diameter of said auger increases progressively in an upward direction whereby to provide compression-crushing of the ice cubes against the bore of said barrel.

41. The appliance of claim 37 wherein a spike plate is disposed adjacent said barrel with spikes extending longitudinally toward the lower end of said barrel whereby to provide preliminary crushing of said ice cubes driven into said spikes by said auger.

43. The appliance of claim 37 wherein said ice chute is provided with a two-door cover with each door being hinged along opposite edges of an entrance opening to the ice chute and with each door having a pair of depending side skirts providing a generally inverted U-shaped configuration, wherein said doors are molded flat of polypropylene with said side skirts being folded downwardly along ''''living hinge'''' fold lines, and wherein adjacent side skirts of said two doors are interconnected by pin-and-slot means for simultaneous opening and closing movement and with said cover, when open, defining an upward extension of said ice chute.