Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02755403 2011-10-11
KITCHEN DISPOSER AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING KITCHEN
WASTES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disposer, and more particularly, to a
kitchen
disposer for shredding bones and shells, and a method for processing the
kitchen
wastes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The kitchen wastes contain significant amount of water which makes the
wastes rotten and attracts flies and mosquitoes. The separation of the kitchen
wastes and
general garbage can recycle many of the wastes and garbage to reduce the
burden of the
landfills of the cities. The kitchen wastes can be recycled to reduce the
ashes generated
during burning. The most common way to reuse the kitchen wastes is to compost
the
wastes. However, it takes a long time to compost the wastes and may attract
flies and
mosquitoes during the composting processes. Therefore, a more efficient way to
deal
with the kitchen wastes is needed.
The conventional kitchen disposer has a blade device which rotates
horizontally to crush the kitchen wastes which are hit by the blades and
become smaller
pieces. The smaller pieces are sent to a tank which rotates to remove the
water of the
smaller pieces by eccentric force and the de-hydrated pieces are collected to
be
composted.
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However, the conventional disposer has to be cooperated with the tank for
removing water from the wastes and a high-speed transportation device so that
the cost
for the whole set of disposer is high and the structure is complicated. The
water
removed from the wastes is guided into the sewage system which may not be
available
in some areas.
The way that the disposer crushes the kitchen wastes cannot crush bones or
shells which may be stocked between the blades of the disposer or even break
the
blades.
If the users do not check the kitchen wastes and which may include iron
wastes will damage the disposer.
The present invention intends to provide a compact and less-expensive
disposer which can easily crush bones and shells, and the iron wastes can be
filtered
before shredding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a kitchen disposer and comprises a basket
having a top opening and a stirring member is located within the basket. The
stirring
member is driven by a driving device and the basket has a door which is
located
corresponding to a side opening of a frame. A shredding device is connected
above the
top opening of the basket and has a body and a spiral member. The body has a
space in
which the spiral member is received. The spiral member has a shaft and
multiple
triangular plates which are fixedly and spirally mounted to the shaft. Two
ends of the
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shaft protrude from the body and a second passive gear is connected to one of
the two
ends of the shaft. A funnel is connected above the shredding device. The
driving device
is connected to and drives the shredding device and the stirring member. A
circuit
control unit has a control unit, a heater and a fan, wherein the heater is
located on
outside of the basket and electrically connected with the control unit and the
fan. The
frame has the side opening and is connected to the basket, the shredding
device, the
funnel, the driving device and the circuit control unit.
The disposer further comprises a sub-basket having an opening 70 and the
stirring member is located in the opening. The basket has a door which is
located
corresponding to the side opening of the frame. A door plate is located
between the
basket and the sub-basket which has an overflow hole.
Preferably, the stirring member has a stirring rod and a first passive gear
which is located on outside of the basket and connected with the stirring rod.
The
stirring rod has multiple sub-rods which are located at an angle relative to
each other.
Preferably, the space of the body accommodates the spiral member. The body
and the spiral member are located above the basket and define an air inlet so
that air is
sucked by the fan and enters into the basket via the air inlet. The body has
multiple
holes which are located below the spiral member.
Preferably, the funnel is located above the frame and the top opening of the
basket. A magnetic rod is located above the funnel.
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Preferably, the driving device comprises a motor and two chains. The motor is
electrically connected with the circuit control unit. An active gear is
connected to an
output shaft of the motor. One of the two chains is connected between the
motor and the
shredding device. The other chain is connected between the shredding device
and the
stirring member.
Preferably, the circuit control unit comprises a temperature sensing device
and
a humidity sensing device and is electrically connected to the control unit.
The
temperature sensing device and the humidity sensing device sense change of
temperature and humidity so as to control the heater and the motor.
Preferably, the circuit control unit has a safety switch.
Preferably, the fan has an active carbon filter net at a front end thereof.
The present invention reduces the volume and weight of the kitchen wastes to
be less than 10% of the original volume and weight, and the processed kitchen
wastes
can be made to be fertilizers.
The spiral member with multiple triangular plates includes multiple spaces
which can easily crush and grind the bones and shells.
There is a funnel on the disposer and a magnetic rod is located in the funnel
so
as to attract iron portions which do not enter into the disposer to protect
the disposer.
There is an active carbon filtering net which filters bad smell when the fan
is
activated.
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The present invention will become more obvious from the following
description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which
show, for
purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the
present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view to show the kitchen disposer of the present
invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded view to show the kitchen disposer of the present
invention;
Fig. 3 shows the block diagram of the circuit control unit of the present
invention;
Fig. 4 is a front view of the kitchen disposer of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a side view of the kitchen disposer of the present invention;
Fig. 6 shows the steps of processing the kitchen wastes of the present
invention;
Fig. 7 shows that two of the kitchen disposers of the present invention are
combined, and
Fig. 8 shows another embodiment of the kitchen disposer of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
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Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the kitchen disposer of the present invention
comprises a basket 2, a shredding device 3, a funnel 4, a driving device 5, a
circuit
control unit 6 and a frame 1.
The basket 2 has a top opening 20 and is located in the frame 1. The basket 2
has a door 21 which is located corresponding to a side opening 11 of the frame
1. A
stirring member 22 is located within the basket 2 and comprises a stirring rod
221 and a
first passive gear 223 which is located on outside of the basket 2 and
connected with the
stirring rod 221. The stirring rod 221 has multiple sub-rods 222 which are
located at an
angle relative to each other. When the first passive gear 223 is driven by the
driving
device 5, the stirring rod 221 and sub-rods 222 are co-rotated.
The shredding device 3 is connected above the top opening 20 of the basket 2
and driven by the driving device 5. The shredding device 3 has a body 31 and a
spiral
member 32, wherein the body 31 having a space 312 defined therein and the
spiral
member 32 is located in the space 312. The body 31 and the spiral member 32
are
located above the basket 2 and cover 2/3 of the top opening 20. The body 31
has
multiple holes 311 which are located below the spiral member 32. Referring to
Figs. 3
and 4, the spiral member 32 has a shaft 321 and multiple triangular plates 322
which are
fixedly and spirally mounted to the shaft 321. Two ends of the shaft 321
protrude from
the body 31 and a second passive gear 33 is connected to one of the two ends
of the
shaft 321. The second passive gear 33 is driven by the driving device 5 and
rotates the
spiral member 32.
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The funnel 4 is connected above the shredding device 3 and the frame 1. The
funnel 4 is located above the top opening 20 of the basket 2. A magnetic rod
41 is
located on a top portion of the funnel 4.
The driving device 5 is located on the left side of the shredding device 3 and
comprises a motor 51 and two chains 52. The motor 51 is electrically connected
with
the circuit control unit 6 as shown in Fig. 3, and an active gear 511 is
connected to the
output shaft of the motor 51. One of the two chains 52 is connected between
the motor
51 and the second passive gear 33 of the shredding device 3. The other chain
52 is
connected between the shredding device 3 and the first passive gear 223 of the
stirring
member 22. By the motor 51 driving the active gear 511, the shredding device 3
and the
stirring member 22 are activated.
Referring to Fig. 3, the circuit control unit 6 comprises a control unit 61, a
heater 62, a fan 63, a temperature sensing device 64, a humidity sensing
device 65 and a
safety switch 66. The heater 62 is located on outside of the bottom of the
basket 2 and
electrically connected with the control unit 61, the fan 63, the temperature
sensing
device 64, and the humidity sensing device 65 so as to grind the kitchen
wastes and
controls the operation of the temperature and humidity when fermenting. The
temperature sensing device 64 and the humidity sensing device 65 sense change
of
temperature and humidity so as to control the heater 62 and the motor 51. The
fan 63
has an active carbon filter net 631 at THE front end thereof. The safety
switch 66 has
touch-activation switches which are respectively connected to the cover 12 and
the door
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21. When the cover 12 or the door 21 is opened, the touch-activation switch is
cut off,
the motor 51 stops. When the cover 12 or the door 21 is closed again, the
touch-activation switch is set to be ON, and the motor 51 is activated again.
The frame 1 has a board on the periphery and the bottom and one of the
boards has the side opening 11 so that the basket 2, the shredding device 3,
the funnel 4,
the driving device 5 and the circuit control unit 6 are connected to each
other via the
side opening 11. The side opening 11 is located corresponding to the door 21
of the
basket 2 and the frame 1 has the cover 12. Multiple wheels 13 are connected to
the
underside of the frame 1.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the frame 1 has the basket 2 in which the stirring
member 22 is receive, the shredding device 3 is located above the basket 2 and
the
funnel 4 is located above the shredding device 3. The funnel 4 has the
magnetic rod 41
and the cover 12 is located above the funnel 4. The motor 51 is located on the
left side
of the shredding device 3 and one of the chains 52 is trained between the
active gear
511 of the motor 51 and the second passive gear 33 of the shredding device 3,
and the
other chain 52 is trained between the second passive gear 33 and the first
passive gear
223 of the stirring member 22. The motor 51 drives the shredding device 3 and
the
stirring member 22, and the body 31 beneath the spiral member 32 has multiple
holes
311. The spiral member 32 has multiple triangular plates which define multiple
spaces
so as to easily crush and grind the bones and shells. The shredding device 3
covers the
2/3 of the basket 2, so as to define an air inlet so that air is sucked by the
fan 63 and
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enters into the basket 2 via the air inlet, and the bad smell cannot escape
from the
basket 2.
The micro-organisms are stored in the room temperature and are mixed with
the kitchen wastes and the micro-organisms are in dormancy status when the
temperature is down to minus 30 degrees Celsius. When the kitchen wastes are
heated
to about 40 degrees Celsius, the micro-organisms are activated. If the kitchen
wastes is
kept at the temperature about 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, the micro-organisms
are more
active. Preferably, the micro-organisms are more vigorous when the water
content of
the kitchen wastes is about 20% to 40%.
Sawdust, the micro-organisms, water are poured in the basket 2 from the
funnel 4, the heater 62 of the circuit control unit 6 heats the basket 2 to 40
degrees in
Celsius to activate the micro-organisms. The kitchen wastes including bones,
shells or
even those portion including iron portions are poured into the funnel 4. The
magnetic
rod 41 attracts the iron portions and the bones and shells are shredded by the
shredding
device 3. The small pieces of the shredded wastes drop into the basket 2 via
the holes
311. The stirring member 22 stirs and mixes the shredded bones, shells,
sawdust and the
micro-organisms. The fan 63 sucks air into the basket 2. By the temperature
sensing
device 64, the temperature in the basket 2 is kept at about 40 degrees
Celsius.
The way of the stirring of the stirring member 22 is controlled by the control
unit 61, the motor 51 activates the stirring member 22 to rotate 2 minutes
clockwise,
stop 4 seconds, rotate 2 minutes counter clockwise, stop 4 seconds, rotate 2
minutes
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clockwise, stop 4 seconds, rotate 2 minutes counter clockwise, and stop 25
minutes.
The above mentioned stirring pattern is repeated for 2 hours. The disposer
then enters
the energy-saving mode to allow the micro-organisms to ferment. When the
humidity
sensing device 65 detects that the contents of water is less than 10%, which
means the
fermenting process is completed, the heater 62 automatically stops (the heater
stops
when the temperature is over 50 degrees Celsius). The fermentation makes the
kitchen
wastes become organic fertilizers which is only 10% of the volume and weight
of the
kitchen wastes. The organic fertilizers do not include water and grease.
Referring to Fig. 6, the method for processing kitchen wastes of the present
invention comprises:
step (a) mixing micro-organism, kitchen wastes and water (20% to 40%);
step (b) filtering the iron components out from the kitchen wastes;
step (c) shredding the kitchen wastes;
step (d) adding air and stirring the kitchen wastes, heating the kitchen
wastes
to 40 to 50 degrees Celsius;
step (e) fermenting the kitchen wastes at the temperature between 40 to 50
degrees Celsius until only 10% of water left, and
step (f) forming organic fertilizer.
Fig. 7 shows that two disposers of the present invention are combined as one
to increase the efficiency of fermentation.
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Fig. 8 shows that the basket 2 has a sub-basket 70 which has an opening 70. A
slot and a port 73 are connected between the sub-basket 7 and the basket 2. A
door plate
71 is engaged with the slot and located between the basket 2 and the sub-
basket 7. The
door plate 71 has an overflow hole 72. The extra kitchen wastes that are over
the
overflow hole 72, the kitchen wastes will drop into the sub-basket 7 via the
in the
overflow hole 72. The door plate 71 can also be pulled out if the overflow
hole 72 is not
large enough, so that the extra kitchen wastes directly enter the sub-basket 7
via the port
73 which is larger than the overflow hole 72. Although the kitchen wastes are
fermented
for 24 hours by the method and the disposer of the present invention, and half
of
kitchen wastes become organic fertilizer, in order to dehydrate the
fertilizer, the
fertilizer fermented for 24 hours that fills about 80% of the basket 2 can be
removed to
the sub-basket 7 via the door plate 71, so that each of the basket 2 and the
sub-basket 7
have half of the fertilizer. The two baskets 2, 7 are then left for 72 hours
and the
micro-organisms continue to ferment so as to form organic fertilizer in the
two basket 2,
7 completely.
While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the
present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further
embodiments
may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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