Portable blender

A blender for blending materials, comprising:

• a container having an upper end, a lower end and a container opening extending a distance therethrough and intersecting the upper end thereof, the container opening being shaped to receive the material to be blended through the open upper end and to retain such material to be blended generally within the container opening;
• a cap removably connectable to the open upper end of the container and substantially closing the open upper end of the container when connected thereto, the cap having a cap base and a cap wall extending a distance generally about the cap base;
• a support base having an upper end and a lower end, a receptacle opening being formed through the support base terminating with a receptacle lower end to form a receptacle adapted for receiving the cap with the container connected thereto, the cap being disposed generally near the receptacle lower end when the cap with the container connected thereto is disposed within the receptacle opening, and the support base having a ledge formed on the wall formed by the receptacle opening and extending circumferentially about the receptacle opening, the ledge being spaced a distance above the receptacle lower end adapted to engage the cap to limit the movement of the cap in a direction generally toward the receptacle lower end, the ledge cooperating to position the cap in the receptacle opening spaced a predetermined distance above the receptacle lower end, the support base also having a component space being formed in a portion of the support base, and the receptacle lower end having an opening formed therethrough;
• a mixer for blending the material, the mixer being connectable to the container and having a portion disposable within a portion of the container opening when the cap is connected to the container, and the mixer comprising:
• a mixer shaft extending through a central portion of the cap base, a portion of the mixer shaft extending a distance through the space formed by the cap wall and another portion of the shaft extending a distance in the opposite direction from the cap base;
• mixer blades attached to the end portion of the shaft extending through the space formed by the cap wall, the shaft extending the distance from the cap base so the blades are disposed generally within a portion of the container opening in a connected position of the cap and the container;
• and
• means for forming a fluid seal between the cap and the shaft;
• a drive assembly having a portion removably engageable with a portion of the mixer, the drive assembly driving the mixer to blend the material in the container in a driving condition of the drive assembly, comprising:
• a DC motor supported within the component space for driving the mixer when the motor is in a driving condition and comprising a drive shaft extending through the opening in the receptacle lower end;
• a drive connector connected to the drive shaft and being disposed in the receptacle generally near the receptacle lower end;
• batteries supported within the component space connected to the motor for conditioning the motor in a driving condition when electrical continuity is established between the motor and the batteries;
• a switch supported within the component space and interposed between the batteries and the motor for establishing electrical continuity between the batteries and the motor in a closed position of the switch and for interrupting electrical continuity between the motor and the batteries in an opened position of the switch, the switch being normally opened;
• means for positioning the switch in the closed position;
• and
• a mixer connector connected to the mixer shaft, the mixer connector being removably connectable to the drive connector, the motor drivingly rotating the mixer blades in a driving condition of the motor when the mixer is connected to the motor via the connection provided via the mixer connector and the drive connector, the cap being supported on the ledge in a connected position of the drive connector and the mixer connector.