HANDHELD FOOD BLENDER WITH MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS

Abstract

A handheld food blender includes a main body configured to house a motor, a drive shaft assembly removably connected to the main body, the drive shaft assembly having a transmission shaft configured to be driven by the motor, and a processing tool attachment removably connected to a distal end of the drive shaft assembly, the processing tool attachment having a food processing implement and a drive shaft. The transmission shaft is configured to transmit a rotational output of the motor to the drive shaft of the processing tool attachment to rotate the food processing implement.

Description

Claims

1. A handheld food blender, comprising: a main body configured to house a motor;a drive shaft assembly removably connected to the main body, the drive shaft assembly having a transmission shaft configured to be driven by the motor; anda processing tool attachment removably connected to a distal end of the drive shaft assembly, the processing tool attachment having a food processing implement and a drive shaft;wherein the transmission shaft is configured to transmit a rotational output of the motor to the drive shaft of the processing tool attachment to rotate the food processing implement.

2. The handheld food blender of claim 1, wherein: the drive shaft assembly includes an elongate housing a plurality of lugs at a distal end of the elongate housing;wherein the plurality of lugs are configured for removable connection to the processing tool attachment.

3. The handheld food blender of claim 2, wherein: the processing tool attachment includes a plurality of keyhole openings corresponding to the plurality of lugs of the drive shaft assembly;wherein the plurality of keyhole openings are configured to receive the plurality of lugs of the elongate housing.

4. The handheld food blender of claim 3, wherein: at least one of the plurality of keyhole openings includes a clearance portion and retaining portion.

5. The handheld food blender of claim 4, wherein: the at least one of the plurality of keyhole openings includes at least one protrusion forming a reduced width section of the keyhole opening adjacent to the retaining portion.

6. The handheld food blender of claim 5, wherein: the plurality of lugs each include a neck portion and enlarged head portion.

7. The handheld food blender of claim 5, wherein: the processing tool attachment includes a shroud within which the food processing implement is housed; andwherein the plurality of keyhole openings are formed in the shroud.

8. The handheld food blender of claim 7, wherein: the shroud includes at least one relief opening adjacent to the at least one protrusion of the keyhole opening, the at least one relief opening being configured to allow deformation of the keyhole opening to permit at least one of the lugs to pass from the clearance portion, beyond the at least one protrusion, and into the retaining portion.

9. The handheld food blender of claim 8, wherein: the at least one protrusion is configured to resist movement of the at least one of the lugs from the retaining portion of the keyhole opening to the clearance portion of the keyhole opening.

10. The handheld food blender of claim 9, wherein: each of the keyhole openings includes the clearance portion, the retaining portion, and the at least one protrusion.

11. The handheld food blender of claim 1, wherein: the food processing implement is one of an S-blade, a wave disc, an ice crushing blade and a spiral wire.

12. The handheld food blender of claim 1, wherein: the processing tool attachment includes a shroud within which the food processing implement is housed, the shroud including a plurality of through apertures;wherein the food processing implement includes a rotary shredding disc connected to the drive shaft; andwherein the rotary shredding disc is configured to shred a food item for extrusion through the through apertures in the shroud.

13. The handheld food blender of claim 12, wherein: an underside of the shroud includes a plurality of radially extending ribs configured to scrape the shredded food item from a backside of the rotary shredding disc.

14. The handheld food blender of claim 1, wherein: the processing tool attachment includes a plurality of ribs configured to be received within a corresponding plurality of grooves of the drive shaft assembly.

15. A method of processing a food item, comprising the steps of: removably connecting a drive shaft assembly to a main body having a motor such that a transmission shaft of the drive shaft assembly can be driven by the motor; andremovably connecting a processing tool attachment to a distal end of the drive shaft assembly in such a manner such that an output of the motor can be transmitted to a food processing implement of the processing tool attachment.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: the step of removably connecting the processing tool attachment to the distal end of the drive shaft assembly includes receiving a plurality of lugs on the distal end of the drive shaft assembly within a corresponding plurality of keyhole openings in the processing tool attachment, and rotating the drive shaft assembly with respect to the processing tool attachment to seat the plurality of lugs in respective retaining portions of the keyhole opening.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: the plurality of keyhole openings each include a pair of opposed protrusions defining a reduced width section of the keyhole openings;wherein when the plurality of lugs are received in the retaining portions of the corresponding keyhole openings, the pair of opposed protrusions inhibit movement of the plurality of lugs out of the retaining portions.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein: the food processing implement is one of an S-blade, a wave disc, an ice crushing blade, a spiral wire and a rotary shredding disc.

19. A handheld food blender, comprising: a main body portion defining a housing;an electric motor within the main body portion and configured to produce a rotational output;a drive shaft assembly removably coupled to the main body portion, the drive shaft assembly having an elongate housing and a transmission shaft received within the housing and being configured to be driven by the motor, the drive shaft further including an annular flange at a distal end thereof, and a plurality of lugs depending from the annular flange; anda processing tool attachment removably connected to a distal end of the drive shaft assembly, the processing tool attachment having a food processing implement and a drive shaft, and a plurality of keyhole openings configure to receive the plurality of lugs;wherein the transmission shaft is configured to transmit the rotational output of the motor to the drive shaft of the processing tool attachment to rotate the food processing implement.

20. The handheld food blender of claim 19, wherein: the food processing implement is one of a S-blade, a wave disc, an ice crushing blade, a spiral wire and a rotary shredding disc.