Electric gear drive nutcracker
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to nutcrackers and more particularly to electric powered nutcrackers. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     The &#34;Inertia&#34; nutcracker shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,486 and produced and sold by the Charter Company of Raleigh, N.C., has over the past years been one of the most, if not the most, successful nutcrackers marketed in the United States. Its success can be attributed to a number of factors, one of which is its ability to crack the shell of the nut without breaking the inner kernel. 
     The &#34;Inertia&#34; nutcracker referred to above has in the past been of a manual design and as such has included a striker that in operation is manually cocked. To cock the &#34;Inertia&#34; nutcracker requires that the striker be pulled against the tension of one or more of rubber bands to a cocked position, after which the striker is released such that it may impact against an impact nutcracking assembly that holds the nut to be cracked. While this design, as pointed out above, has met with great success, it is known that there is a desire by certain customers for a fully automatic nutcracker. 
     There have been attempts in the past to provide automatic or powered nutcrackers. For example, note the electric nutcracker shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,212. This nutcracker is powered by an electrically operated solenoid. With such automatic nutcrackers, it has been found that they are generally expensive, complicated, and sometimes unreliable. Equally as important, is the fact that most powered or automatic nutcrackers have been of a design that do not produce a whole inner kernel. It is believed that it is very important in any nutcracker that the same produce a whole inner kernel. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a powered or automatic nutcracker that will produce whole kernel nuts and which is simple, relatively inexpensive, and reliable. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention entails an electric powered impact nutcracker having an impact nutcracking assembly that is designed to receive and hold a nut therebetween. A striker is movably mounted adjacent the impact nutcracking assembly and is movable from an impact position adjacent said impact nutcracking assembly to a cocked position. Biasing means associated with said striker normally biases the same toward said impact position. 
     The present invention is provided with an electric gear drive for automatically and continuously cocking said striker. In particular, a gear rotatively mounted adjacent the striker is driven by an electric motor. In the course of operating the electric nutcracker of the present invention, the gear is rotatively driven which in turn is operative to drive and move the striker from the impact position to the cocked position. Once the striker reaches the cocked position, the gear is operative to be disengaged which releases the striker and enables the same, under the influence of the biasing means, to move to said impact position where the same impacts against the impact nutcracking assembly. The electric motor and associated gear can be continuously driven such that the nutcracker is re-cocked in periodic fashion. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive electric nutcracker that is efficient, effective, and reliable. 
     A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of an electric power nutcracker that has the capability to crack nuts such that the internal nut kernel remains whole and is not broken into pieces. 
     Still a further object of the present invention resides in the provision of an electric gear drive automatic nutcracker. 
     Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of an automatic electric gear drive nutcracker wherein a gear is utilized to drive and move a biased striker from an impact position to a cocked position after which the gear is operative to be disengaged so as to release the striker and enable the same, under the influence of biasing means, to move back to said impact position. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic electric nutcracker that is operative to continuously and periodically cock and re-cock the nutcracker. 
     A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of an automatic electric nutcracker of the character referred to above that includes a timing control that provides a pre-selected time period between &#34;impacts&#34; such that the nutcracker can be unloaded and loaded during these time periods. 
     Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of an automatic electric gear drive for an impact type nutcracker wherein there is provided means for enabling the gear to be efficiently disengaged during its operation without interference with the striker as it returns to its impact position. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electric gear drive impact nutcracker of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the electric gear drive impact nutcracker of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the nutcracker of the present invention particularly illustrating the mounting of an electric motor that powers the nutcracker of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the electric gear driven nutcracker of the present invention with the striker thereof shown in an extended or cocked position. 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the stud extending from the striker drive bar and the stud catcher extending from the gear. 
    
    
     With further reference to the drawings, the nutcracker of the present invention is shown therein and indicated generally by the numeral 10. 
     Nutcracker 10 comprises a frame structure 12 that supports the nutcracker over a bin structure 14 that is formed by a pair of opposed end plates 16 joined by a pair of side walls 18. It is appreciated that during operation that hulls and shells resulting from the nutcracking operation may fall into bin 14. 
     Nutcracker 10 is of the basic impact nutcracker design such as shown and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,486, the disclosure thereof being expressly incorporated herein by reference. Generally, nutcracker 10 includes a nutcracking assembly that comprises an anvil 20 and an impact member 24. Impact member 24 and anvil 20 includes opposed concave nut receiving and engaging surfaces for receiving a nut therebetween. In addition anvil 20 includes a shield 22 that is spring biased to lie over anvil 20 but which allows shield 22 to be extended over the area occupied by the nut held between the concave surfaces of anvil 20 and impact member 24. 
     It should be noted that impact member 24 is held within block 26 and is movably mounted therein for limited back and forth movement. Impact member 24 further includes a striking head 24a. 
     Movably mounted adjacent striking head 24a is an elongated striker 28. Striker 28 is held within a channel forming structure 30 that allows striker 28 to slide and move between an impact position (FIG. 2) and a cocked position (FIG. 4). It is appreciated that in the cocked position that striker 28 is spaced from striking head 24a. 
     Biasing means in the form of one or more rubber bands 32 is operatively associated with striker 28 so as to bias the same toward the impact position or that position where striker 28 engages striking head 24a. It is seen that biasing means 32 is operatively interconnected between dowels 34 and 36 with dowel 34 extending from striker 28 while dowel 36 is anchored to the frame structure 12 of nutcracker 10. In addition, striker 28 includes an upstanding handle 38 that, enables nutcracker 10 to be manually operated. 
     The above discussed structure is conventional with the &#34;Inertia&#34; nutcracker of the type shown and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,486 which has been expressly incorporated herein by reference. For a more complete and thorough understanding of this type of nutcracker and its design and structure, one is referred to this patent. 
     The present invention entails and electric gear drive for automatically cocking striker 28 of nutcracker 10. The electric gear drive is generally referred to by numeral 40. 
     Continuing to refer to the drawings, electric gear drive 40 includes a motor housing 42 that is integrally constructed with nutcracker bin 14. Motor housing 42 includes a pair of spaced apart motor supports, as seen in FIG. 3, which are designed to support an electric motor 44. There is also provided a motor mounting plate 46 that attaches electric motor 44 to the motor housing structure 42. It is further seen that motor 44 includes an electrical cord 54 extending therefrom and there is also provided a switch 52 that is operatively associated with motor 44 for actuating and deactuating the same. 
     Extending upwardly from motor 44 and through motor mounting plate 46 is a drive shaft 48. Drive shaft 48 has a gear 50 secured thereto. Gear 50 includes a series of teeth that are referred to as a gear teeth drive segment. It should be pointed out, as viewed in FIG. 2, that gear 50 is adapted to be rotatively driven clockwise. With that in mind, gear teeth drive segment includes a leading tooth 50a and a series of intermediate following teeth 50b, and a final tooth 50c. 
     Motor 44 and gear 50 are mounted adjacent striker 28. Secured to the side of striker 28 facing gear 50 is a striker drive bar 56. Striker drive bar 56 includes a series of aligned and longitudinally spaced gear teeth receiving openings 58. Respective openings 58 are formed by a series of vertical bars 60 that extend between consecutive openings 58. 
     Gear 50 and striker drive bar 56 are so arranged and spaced such that as gear 50 is rotated clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, the respective teeth thereof project into respective openings 58 of striker drive bar 56. As gear 50 is continued to be rotated, respective teeth engage respective vertical bars 60 of striker drive bar 56 and cause striker 28 to be moved and advanced left to right as viewed in FIG. 2. It is therefore appreciated that the clockwise rotation of gear 50, as viewed in FIG. 2, causes striker 28 to be moved from the impact position adjacent striking head 24a toward a cocked position, as shown in FIG. 4. 
     Electric gear drive 40 is designed such that once striker 28 reaches a pre-selected position spaced from striking head 24a, the gear 50 will disengage striker drive bar 56 so as to effectively release striker 28. By releasing striker 28, it is appreciated that the same will move toward said striking head 24a and because of the influence of biasing means 32 move toward said impact position and actually impact against striking head 24a. This impact will result in limited right to left movement, as viewed in FIG. 2, of impact member 24. This will result in a nut held between anvil 20 and impact member 24 being cracked. 
     It is seen that once the teeth of gear 50 disengage striker drive bar 56 that gear 50 will continue to rotate for a selected period of time without engaging striker drive bar 56. This enables the operator to remove the cracked nut and reload the nutcracker 10. In a continuous nutcracking operation, gear 50 will continue to rotate, clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2, and as the same rotates will effectively cock and release striker 28 one time for each complete revolution. 
     There may be a tendency for striker drive bar 56 to engage gear 50 and respective teeth thereon once the final tooth 50c begins to disengage the striker drive bar and the striker drive bar begins to return to the impact position. To assure that there is no initial interference between striker drive bar 56 and gear 50 upon disengagement of the final tooth 50c, the present invention has incorporated a mechanism that momentarily prevents striker drive bar 56 from moving back toward the impact position upon disengagement of the final tooth 50c. This mechanism comprises a stud 62 that extend outwardly from the side of striker 28 that faces gear 50. Stud 62 is particularly spaced on striker drive bar 56. There is also provided a stud catcher 64 that is designed to engage stud 62 as the final tooth 50c begins to disengage striker drive bar 56. Stud catcher 64 in this case includes a tooth like member that extends from gear 50 which generally trails the final tooth 50c. Stud catcher 64 in this case simply comprises a tooth that has been turned downwardly out of the plane of the other teeth, 50a, 50b, and 50c of gear 50. Specifically stud catcher 64 is curved down such that it aligns with stud 62. As illustrated in the drawings, as final tooth 50c disengages striker drive bar 56, stud catcher 64 is operative to engage stud 62 and to slightly advance striker drive bar 56 from left to right as viewed in FIG. 4. This slight advancement of striker drive bar 56 enables the teeth of gear 50 to clear the striker drive bar 56 such that the striker bar 56 does not engage and interfer with any other teeth as it returns from its cocked position to the impact position. As gear 50 continues to rotate stud catcher 64 will simply slide past and disengage stud 62 which will result in the entire striker 28 and striker drive bar 56 being released and the striker impacting against striking head 24a. 
     In operation, it is appreciated that there is a lapse of time between the time stud catcher 64 disengages stud 62 and when the first tooth 50a engages striker drive bar 56. This provides ample time for the cracked nut to be removed from the nutcracker and a new nut inserted between anvil 20 and impact member 24. 
     The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claim are intended to be embraced therein.