1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a waste disposal device for stirring, shredding and drying kitchen waste, more particularly to a grinder assembly for a waste disposal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional waste disposal device, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,710,042 and 6,620,613, generally includes a grinder tank for loading of kitchen waste thereinto, a rotary shaft having vanes or blades rotatably mounted in the grinder tank to stir and shred the loaded kitchen waste, and a heater disposed to heat and dry the loaded kitchen waste during the stirring and shredding process. In such conventional waste disposal device, odor is generated and leaks out during storage of the loaded kitchen waste or the heating process. Besides, as the rotary shaft extends in a horizontal direction and the vanes extend perpendicular to the rotary shaft, the stirring and shredding effect of unsatisfactory.
An object of the present invention is to provide a grinder assembly for a waste disposal device which can efficiently and evenly stir and shred kitchen waste.
According to this invention, the grinder assembly includes a rotary shaft which extends along an axis to be disposed in a stirring and shredding chamber of a grinder tank, and to be rotatable about the axis, a shredding blade unit disposed to be rotated with the rotary shaft, and a plurality of interconnecting ribs, each extending in a radial direction relative to the axis to interconnect the rotary shaft and the shredding blade unit. The shredding blade unit has leading and trailing blade segments which are angularly displaced from each other about the axis, and which are opposite to each other in the direction of the axis. Each of the leading and trailing blade segments has a forward-facing major surface which is oriented to be inclined relative to the axis . By virtue of rotation of the shredding blade unit with the rotary shaft, kitchen waste in the stirring and shredding chamber is successively forced by the forward-facing major surfaces to advance forward. Two adjacent ones of the interconnecting ribs are angularly displaced from each other about the axis so as to firmly interconnect the shredding blade unit and the rotary shaft.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
The grinder assembly of this embodiment is shown to comprise a rotary shaft 3, a shredding blade unit 4, and a plurality of interconnecting ribs 5.
The rotary shaft 3 extends along the axis (L) to have first and second ends 31, 32 which are respectively and rotatably mounted on the front and rear bearing walls 205, 206 so as to be rotatable about the axis (L). One of the first and second ends 31, 32 is disposed to be coupled with the drive unit 300 so as to be driven by the drive unit 300.
The shredding blade unit 4 includes a plurality of the leading blade segments (4a) and a plurality of the trailing blade segments (4b) which are alternately displaced from one another so as to cooperatively form a spiral contour that extends spirally around the axis (L). Two adjacent ones of the leading and trailing blade segments (4a, 4b) are angularly displaced from each other about the axis (L), and opposite to each other in the direction of the axis (L). Each of the leading and trailing blade segments (4a, 4b) has a forward-facing major surface 411 oriented to be inclined relative to the axis (L).
Each interconnecting rib 5 extends in a radial direction relative to the axis (L) to interconnect the rotary shaft 3 and the shredding blade unit 4. Each two adjacent ones of the interconnecting ribs 5 are angularly displaced from each other about the axis (L). Thus, the shredding blade unit 4 is rotated with the rotary shaft 3.
Referring to
As illustrated, by virtue of the shredding blade unit 4 which is moved along a spiral path around the axis (L), i.e., with both a circumferential direction and an axial direction, the stirring and shredding process can be performed efficiently. Further, by virtue of the inclined grinder tank 200, a large amount of waste falls in a rear region of the stirring and shredding chamber 207 and is successively forced by the forward-facing major surfaces 411 to advance forward by rotation of the shredding blade unit 4 for further enhancing the stirring and shredding effect. Moreover, the interconnecting ribs 5 firmly interconnect the rotary shaft 3 and the shredding blade unit 4 to prevent deformation of the shredding blade unit 4, and are configured to forma relatively large passage 41 between the interconnecting ribs 5 and the shredding blade unit 4 for the kitchen waste so as not to be prone to get stuck during rotation.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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100216647 | Sep 2011 | TW | national |