Modular hand-held kitchen applicance
AssigneeBlack & Decker Inc.
InventorsOleksiy Sergyeyenko, Thomas Landis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a hand-held modular kitchen multitool having a universal powerhead capable of being used with a variety of kitchen appliance attachments, such as a can opener and a coffee grinder. The can opener is a side cutting can opener which provides a more compact size and smoother cut. The coffee grinder has a rotating blade that's only operational when enclosed by a cup and assembled with the powerhead. This prevents unintentional operation and injury to the user.
Claims14
A modular kitchen appliance, comprising:
- a powerhead having motor with an output shaft;
- a grinder attachment, the grinder attachment having a housing and a power coupling configured to connect to the output shaft;
- a blade assembly releasably connected to the power coupling, the blade assembly having a blade for cutting and a blade cover at least partially enclosing the blade;
- a cup for holding material to be cut, the cup being attachable to the blade assembly;
- and
- wherein when the cup is attached to the housing, and the cup and blade assembly are attached together, the blade assembly mechanically connects to the power coupling.
A modular kitchen appliance, comprising:
- a powerhead having motor with an output shaft;
- a grinder attachment, the grinder attachment having a housing and a power coupling configured to connect to the output shaft;
- a blade assembly releasably connected to the power coupling, the blade assembly having a blade for cutting;
- a cup for holding material to be cut, the cup being attachable to the blade assembly;
- wherein the blade is operational only when the cup is attached to the housing;
- wherein the blade assembly includes a transmission axle and the blade is fixedly connected to the transmission axle, the transmission axle being releasably connected to the power coupling to transfer power to the blade;
- wherein the blade assembly includes a blade cover at least partially enclosing the blade;
- and
- a plate adjacent the blade cover and biasing the blade cover away from the power coupling so that the transmission axle is detached from the power coupling.
A grinder attachment for a modular kitchen appliance, comprising:
- a housing;
- a power transmission assembly configured to attach to an output shaft of a powerhead;
- a blade assembly releasably connected to the power transmission assembly, the blade assembly having a blade for cutting and a blade cover at least partially enclosing the blade;
- a plate adjacent the blade cover and biasing the blade cover away from the power coupling so that the transmission axle is detached from the power coupling;
- a cup for holding material to be cut, the cup being attachable to the blade assembly;
- and
- wherein when the cup is attached to housing, the blade is operational and is mechanically connected to the output shaft.
A method for grinding comprising the steps of:
- providing a powerhead having motor with an output shaft, and a grinder attachment having a housing, a power coupling configured to connect to the output shaft and a blade assembly, the blade assembly having a blade for cutting and a blade cover at least partially enclosing the blade, a plate adjacent the blade cover and biasing the blade cover away from the power coupling so that the transmission axle is detached from the power coupling;
- placing materials to be ground into a cup;
- securing the cup to the blade assembly;
- attaching the cup to the housing, wherein the blade is operational only after the cup is secured to the housing;
- attaching the grinder attachment to the powerhead;
- and
- turning on the powerhead.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.