US3322358A

US3322358A - Ice crusher attachment for motor driven power units

Info

Publication number: US3322358A
Application number: US310820A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas W Heermans
Original assignee: Scovill Inc
Current assignee: Scovill Inc
Priority date: 1963-09-23
Filing date: 1963-09-23
Publication date: 1967-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-30

Description

y 0, 1967 T. w. HEERMANS 3,322,358

ICE GRUSHER ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR DRIVEN POWER UNITS Filed Sept. 25, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l3 Ill/ 1 INVENTOR. Thomas W. Heermans I g 2 75% i. M?

'ATTZRNEY May 30, 1967 T. w. HEERMANS 3,322,353

ICE CRUSHER ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR DRIVEN POWER UNITS Filed Sept. 25 1963 73 Sheets$heet 2 IINVENTOR. Thomas W. Heermans BY? n a: ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofi ice 3,322,358 Patented May 30, 1967 3,322,358 ICE CRUSHER ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR DRIVEN POWER UNITS Thomas W. Heermans, Racine, Wis., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., 21 corporation of Connecticut Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,820 12 Claims. (Cl. 241275) This invention relates to an ice crushing attachment which may be mounted on any suitable motor driven power unit or be substituted for the ingredient container of a motor driven blender, such, for example, as the blender shown in US. Patent No. 2,771,111, assigned to the assignee of this application and invention. -I prefer to mount the ice crusher attachment on a blender motor power unit. conventionally, blenders are designed to operate at high speeds.

The main object of this invention is to produce an ice crusher which instantaneously shatters ice cubes of any shape and produces uniform coarse textured ice particles instead of the fine snow commonly produced by ice crushing devices heretofore known.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in an ice crusher of the character described, means permitting quick and easy feeding of the ice cubes into the machine and preventing shattered ice from being thrown out of the feeding entrance.

Another object of the invention is to provide impeller mechanism in the form of a one piece aluminum die casting, comprising a circular base from which rises a radially extending plate designed to prevent ice cubes from slipping on the impeller base until they have been accelerated to the point where centrifugal force causes them to fiy off and shatter against the wall of crusher chamber. Diametrically opposite the radial plate is an arcuate projection which also rises from the base, concentrically, and has a mass and radius of gyration calculated to balance the moment of inertia of the radial plate about the axis of rotation of the impeller.

Another object of the invention is to provide means, in the form of the radial plate, for aiding in the discharge of the ice particles from the crushing chamber by sweeping action.

Another object of the invention is to make the ice crusher interchangeable with the ingredient container of a blender. Since blender motors are designed for high speed rotation and the' crusher impeller may be directly coupled to the blender motor, the shattering of the ice cubes within the crusher chamber is an instantaneous reaction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a discharge spout which is integrally cast with the crusher chamber housing. The latter has a rectangular opening communicating with the spout and having a width substantially less than that of a whole ice cube. The opening is located in the vertical cylindrical wall of the crusher chamber and communicates with the spout between the two converging vertical side walls of the spout, so that shattered ice passes from the crusher chamber through said opening into the spout in the direction of centrifugal force. The upper wall of the outer end of the discharge spout is inclined at an angle so that it absorbs some of the energy of the high velocity ice particles being discharged and allows them to drop into a collecting container. The bottom of the cast discharge spout is partially covered by a bottom plate to con-fine the discharge area to the end of the spout.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an ice crusher embodying my invention, in the planes of the lines 1-1 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the: top ring defining the entrance to the crusher.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view in the plane of the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the crusher, partly in section, with the coupling member omitted, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view in the plane of the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the ice crusher comprises a top ring which defines the ice cube inlet and preferably is flexible, made of vinyl material having durometer hardness of 50-60, or other suitable material. The ring has a concentric groove 11 on its lower marginal surface for receiving therein a part of the cover member of the crusher. The base 12 of the top ring 10 is fiat and provided with a plurality of slits 13 each extending radially from a central opening 14 to a small opening 15. The several openings 15 are located concentrically near the upright peripheral portion of the ring. The construction provides a series of lips which are flexible enough to bend downwardly and permit ice cubes to pass into the subjacent members of the ice crusher while also preventing crushed ice particles from being tossed out of the inlet opening.

The top ring 10 is mounted on a cover member 16 which preferably is a high-impact thermoplastic molding comprising an integrally formed outer wall 17, downwardly and outwardly inclined, and an inner wall 18 downwardly and inwardly inclined, concentric with each other, joined together at their upper edges and terminating in an annular rib 19 which fits into the groove 11 of the top ring. The outer wall 17 extends downwardly and outwardly beyond the horizontal plane of the lower edge of the inner wall 18 and is provided with an internally located horizontal shoulder 20 in the same horizontal plane as the lower edge of the inner wall 18. Beyond the shoulder 20, said outer wall 17 has formed thereon depending bosses 21, preferably three in number, equally spaced apart circumferentially of the wall 17, and provided with threaded bores 22. The peripheral edge of the cover outer wall 17 is provided with an angular surface 23 for seating on the crusher chamber housing 25.

The crusher housing 25 comprises an outer side wall 26 and an inner vertically disposed cylindrical wall 27 Which encloses a crusher chamber 28%. The

walls

26 and 27 merge at their lower portions as indicated at 29 and are integral with a base 30 which is inclined radially downwardly and outwardly from the hub 31 on the upper surface 32 of said base. A depending collar 33 supports the crusher on a power unit (not shown) and is provided with four external recesses 34 for engagement with the rubber lined bosses provided on blender motor housings (not shown). The collar 33 also encloses the coupling member 35 which is designed to be driven by another coupling member on the power unit shaft (not shown).

The crusher housing base 30 is provided with four or more holes 36 for draining water from the crushed ice. The housing 25 is connected to the cover member 16- by screw threaded bolts 37 which extend through vertical bores in the portion 29 and engage the threaded bores 22 of the cover 16.

An impeller indicated as a whole at 40 is a one piece aluminum die casting comprising a circular disc 41 having a flat upper surface between its peripheral edge 42 and a centrally located frusto-conical member 43 shaped to fit over the upper end of the rotated shaft 44 which extends through a central hole in the impeller member 43. A nut 45 screwed on the threaded end 46 of the shaft 44 holds the impeller disc 41 firmly on the shaft to rotate therewith. Rising from the flat portion of the impeller disc 41 is a radially extending vertical plate 47.

Diametrically opposite the plate 47, rising from the disc 41, is an arcuate vertically projecting member 48, concentric with the disc 41 and frusto-conical member 43. The member 48 has a mass and radius of gyration calculated to balance the moment of inertia of the radial plate 47 about the axis of rotation of the impeller 40. The radial plate 47 prevents ice cubes from slipping on the impeller disc surface until it has been accelerated to the point where centrifugal force causes the cube to fly off and shatter against the wall 27 of the crusher housing 25. The plate 47 also aids in the discharge of the shattered particles from the crushing chamber 28 by its sweeping action. As conventional blender motors are designed for high speed rotation and the impeller is directly coupled to the blender motor or other suitable motor driven power unit, the shattering of the cubes takes place instantaneously.

A fiat thin ring 49 provides a cover for the crusher chamber 28 and closes the bottom opening between the

cover walls

17, 18, preventing ice particles from collecting between said walls.

The chamber 28 communicates through an opening 50 in the wall 27 with a discharge spout 51. The opening 50 is a rectangular opening having a width substantially less than that of a conventional whole ice cube, and located in the vertical cylindrical wall of the crusher chamber and communicates with the spout between the two converging vertical side walls of the spout, so that the shattered ice passes from the crusher chamber through said opening into the spout in the direction of centrifugal force against the inclined upper and end walls of the spout from which it falls by gravity. The spout 51 is cast integrally with the crusher housing 25. It comprises converging side walls 52, a downwardly inclined top wall 53 having a sharply inclined end portion 54 which absorbs some of the energy of the high velocity ice particles being discharged. The open bottom of the spout is partially covered by a bottom plate 55, confining the discharge area 56 to the end of the spout, for delivery of ice particles to a receiving container (not shown). The bottom plate 55 is fastened by screw 57 to a web 58 in the spout and by the bolts 37 which also connect the crusher housing to the cover member 16.

The construction of the ice crusher attachment is such that the several parts may be die cast economically; that the crusher housing 25 with integral spout 51 may be connected to the cover member 16 by only three hidden bolts, and the top ring 10 frictionally held on or bonded to the cover member, and that the interior surfaces such as the intake chute walls 18 and the crusher housing side wall 27 are smooth, generally cylindrical and efficient for their intended purposes. The form and construction of the impeller member produces instantaneous shattering of ice cubes into uniform coarse particles when the cubes are forcibly thrown by centrifugal force against the housing wall 27. The absence of cutting blades and sharp projections avoids formation of fine snow in the shattered ice. The radial plate 47 serves the dual purpose of retaining the ice cubes in position on the impeller base in readiness for centrigually influenced motion, and of sweeping the shattered ice toward the opening 50 for passage through the spout.

Changes may be made in details of construction and form of some of the parts without departing from the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ice crusher attachment for motor driven power units for producing uniformly coarse ice particles, characterized by the absence of blades and projections which shave ice cubes into snow-like particles, comprising (a) an ice crusher housing forming a generally cylindrical vertical walled chamber having a circular base,

(b) a driven shaft vertically mounted in the base,

() an impeller comprising (c-l) an ice cube supporting disc within the chamber and of substantially the same diameter as said chamber concentrically mounted on the shaft to rotate therewith,

(c2) a vertical radially extending plate rising from the disc and extending between the center and close to the peripheral edge of the disc preventing slipping of ice cubes on the disc during acceleration of rotation and until said cubes are thrown against the chamber side wall by centrifugal force, and

(c3) means on the disc diametrically opposite the radially extending plate for balancing said impeller,

(d) a discharge spout connected to the crusher housing,

and

(e) an opening in the vertical cylindrical side wall of the housing between the crusher chamber and interior of the spout, said radially extending plate serving to sweep shattered ice particles from the crusher chamber through said opening into the spout.

2. The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 1, in which the circular base of the crusher housing is inclined radially downwardly and outwardly, and apertured for drainage of melted ice.

3. The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 1, in which the impeller disc is provided with a centrally located frusto-conical portion in which the rotated shaft is mounted, and the radially extending plate is located between said f-rusto-conical portion and the periphery of the disc.

4. The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 1, in which the impeller balancing means is a vertical arcuate projection concentrically rising from the impeller disc between the center and periphery of the disc.

5. The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 1, in which the spout comprises side walls, an inclined top wall terminating in a sharply inclined outer end portion, and a bottom plate closing the major portion of the spout bottom excepting a discharge opening located beneath said sharply inclined top wall end portion.

6. The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 1, in which the opening between the crusher chamber and spout is rectangular in shape and narrower than a conventional whole ice cube.

7. The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 1, which includes a vertically elongated cover member mounted on the crusher housing and provided with a centrally located intake chute communicating with the crusher chamber, and a flexible top ring on the cover provided with a slit closure member for covering the intake chute and permitting ice cubes to be passed through said slitted closure member.

8. An ice crusher attachment for motor driven power units for producing uniformly coarse ice particles, comprising (a) an integrally die cast crusher housing and spout,

(a-1) said crusher housing having spaced apart inner and outer side walls joined together at their lower portions,

(a-2) a passageway from the inner side wall to the interior of the spout,

(a-3) a base extending across the lower portion of the housing,

(b) a bladeless disc impeller rotatably mounted in the base,

(c) an integrally molded cover member comprising (c-l) spaced apart inner and outer side walls joined together at their upper edges and forming an upwardly projecting concentric rib,

(c-2) the inner cover wall forming an elongated intake chute leading into the crusher housing,

(c-3) the outer cover w-all being radially inclined downwardly and outwardly and seated on the outer wall of the crusher housing,

(d) a plurality of depending internally threaded bosses on the outer cover wall projecting into the space between the inner and outer walls of the crusher housing when the parts are assembled,

(e) bolts extending through the lower portion of said crusher housing upwardly into said threaded bosses for connecting the cover member and the crusher housing together, and

(f) a top ring mounted on the upwardly extending rib on the cover member,

(f-l) said top ring having a slitted closure member for covering the intake chute and permitting passage of ice cubes through the slitted closure memher into the intake chute.

9. An ice crusher attachment for seating on the motor driven power unit of a blender or the like, comprising (a) a crusher housing having a side wall and a base defining a crusher chamber,

(b) a depending collar on the bottom of the base corresponding in shape to the lower end of a conventional blender ingredient container,

(c) a driven shaft rotatably mounted in the base,

(d) a bladeless disc impeller in the crusher chamber mounted on said shaft,

(e) a spout connected to the crusher housing communicating at one end with the chamber and having a discharge opening in its free end,

(f) a vertically elongated cover member having its lower peripheral edge seated on the side wall of the crusher housing and forming an intake chute leading into the crusher chamber, and

(g) a closure member on the cover which is flexible and slitted to permit ice cubes to be passed through said member into the cover chute.

10. The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 9 in which the impeller comprises a disc concentrically mounted on the shaft, a vertical radially extending plate rising from the disc between its center and peripheral edge, and means on the disc located diametrically opposite said plate balancing the impeller.

11.The ice crusher attachment defined by claim 10, in which the balancing means on the impeller disc is a vertical arcuate projection rising from the disc between the center and peripheral edge of the disc.

12. An ice crusher attachment for motor driven power units for producing uniformly coarse ice particles comprising a housing having a cylindrical wall and an exit opening in said wall, means for guiding ice cubes into the housing, and means comprising a rotatable disc of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the housing and a plate on the disc extending along a radius thereof within the housing for receiving the ice cubes from the guiding means and throwing said cubes against the housing wall with sufiicient force to shatter the cubes into coarse ice particles and for sweeping the particles through the opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 44,989 11/1864 Whelpley 241-275 X 736,657 8/1903 Whitharn 241-259 1,921,914 8/1933 Edman 241-76 2,780,417 2/1957 Harris 241-275 X 2,905,397 9/1959 DeAngelis 241-188 3,165,270 1/1965 Stout 241-188 X 3,171,605 3/1965 Knapp 241-257 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner. D. G. KELLY, Assistant Examiner,

Claims

12. AN ICE CRUSHER ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR DRIVEN POWER UNITS FOR PRODUCING UNIFORMLY COARSE ICE PARTICLES COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A CYLINDRICAL WALL AND AN EXIT OPENING IN SAID WALL, MEANS FOR GUIDING ICE CUBES INTO THE HOUSING, AND MEANS COMPRISING A ROTATABLE DISC OF A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE HOUSING AND A PLATE ON THE DISC EXTENDING ALONG A RADIUS THEREOF WITHIN THE HOUSING FOR RECEIVING THE ICE CUBES FROM THE GUIDING MEANS AND THROWING SAID CUBES AGAINST THE HOUSING WALL WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO SHATTER THE CUBES