Thickness adjuster for an ice shaver

A thickness adjuster for an ice shaver includes a flat plate to receive an ice block, a movable gear vertically combined with the flat plate to raise it up and lower it down to adjust the height between the bottom of the ice block and a blade so that shaved tiny ice pieces by the blade may be very fine or very rough. The movable gear is combined with a connecting member and then is engaging a transmitting disc gear also engaging a engaing gear portion or a revolvable adjusting disc, the revolvable adjusting disc being rotated to raise up and lower down the falt plate via the transmitting disc gear and the movable gear.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention concerns a thickness adjuster for an ice shaver, 
particularly able to adjust thickness of shaved tiny ice pieces off an ice 
block, in other words, enabling the ice shaver to shave an ice block into 
various kinds of size, or fine or rough tiny ice pieces. 
Conventional ice shavers can only shave a definite size of tiny ice pieces 
off an ice block, as the height between the bottom of an ice block and a 
blade is stationary unadjustable to shave different thickness or size of 
tiny ice pieces. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is to offer a thickness adjuster for an ice shaver, enabling 
it to shave tiny ice pieces of different thickness or size according to a 
person's taste. 
A thickness adjuster for an ice shaver in the present invention includes a 
flat plate to receive the bottom of an ice block placed thereon to be 
shaved by a blade, a movable gear combined with the flat plate to be 
raised up or lowered down by rotation of the movable gear threadably 
combined with a connecting member. The connecting member has a base for 
receiving a connecting rod portion of a revolvable disc, which has a gear 
at an end of the connecting rod portion. The gear has ratchet teeth to 
engage an center toothed hole of a transmitting disc gear engaging the 
movable gear. So rotation of the revolvable disc can rotate the 
transmitting gear. So rotation of the revolvable disc can rotate the 
transmitting gear and the movable gear to raise up or lower down the flat 
plate, to perform adjusting the thickness of shaved tiny ice pieces by a 
blade of an ice shaver. And rotation of the revolvable disc is limited by 
a semi-circular recess of the connecting member and a square projection of 
the rotating disc stopped by the recess when the revolvable adjusting disc 
is rotated, limiting the height of the flat plate to be raised up or 
lowered down.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A thickness adjuster for an ice shaver in the present invention, as shown 
in FIGS. 1 and 3, 4 and 5 includes a revolvable adjusting disc 1, a 
transmitting disc gear 2, a movable gear 3, a flat plate 4 and a 
connecting member 5 as main components combined together. 
The revolvable adjusting disc 1 has a disc 11, a connecting rod portion 12 
extending laterally from a center portion of the disc 11, a projection 13 
on an outer surface of the rod portion 12 and abutting on the disc 11, an 
engaging gear portion 14 having gear teeht formed at an outer end of the 
rod portion. 
The transmitting disc gear 2 has a disc gear 21 at a left end, and a 
connecting portion 22 at a right end fitting around the connecting rod 
portion 12 of the adjusting disc 1, a plurality of lengthwise ribs with 
each two lengthwise ribs 222 as a pair spaced apart equidistantly on the 
surface of a center hole 221 and engaging comparatively and tightly the 
teeth of the engaging gear portion 14 of the rotating disc 1. 
The movable gear 3 has a male-threaded upper portion 31 and a gear wheel 32 
formed in a lower portion and engaging the disc gear 21, and a center 
opening 33 in the upper portion 31. 
The flat plate 4 has a flat plate body 43 for an ice block to be shaved to 
rest thereon, a tubular post 41 of the small diameter extending down from 
the bottom surface of the flat plate body 43 and having an inner threaded 
hole 411, and a large diameter annular short wall 42 extending down from 
the bottom surface of the flat plate body 43 around the tubular post 41 
and fitting in the upper center opening 33 of the movable gear 3. 
The connecting member 5 has a vertical threaded hole 51 engaging the 
male-threaded upper portion 31 of the movable gear 3, a horizontal base 52 
having a center hole 521 fitting with the connecting rod portion 12, a 
left end of the center hole 521 fitting with a smaller diameter connecting 
portion 22 of the transmitting disc gear 2, and a screw 6 fixing the 
transmitting disc gear 2 with the revolvable adjusting disc 1. 
In using, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the thickness adjuster assembled 
together is to be fixed with an ice shaver 8, with the annular projecting 
wall 42 of the flat plate 4 fitting in the upper center opening 33 of the 
movable gear 3 and a screw 7 fixing the movable gear 3 and the flat plate 
4 together. Then a block of ice is placed in an ice compartment 81 of the 
ice shaver 8 and on the flat plate 4, and the revolvable adjusting disc 1 
is revolved to rotate the transmitting disc gear 3 and then the movable 
gear 3, as shown in FIGS. 4, and 5, adjusting the height of the flat plate 
4 on which the bottom of the ice block is rested. When the flat plate 4 is 
raised to the highest location, the height difference of the bottom of the 
ice block and a blade 82 is the least so that shaved tiny ice pieces off 
the ice block may be the thinnest, i.e. very fine. On the contrary, if the 
flat plate 4 is lowered to the lowest position, the height difference 
thereof is the biggest so that shaved tiny ice pieces off may be the 
thickest, i.e. very rough. In addition, the half-circular recess 53 in a 
right end of the base 52 of the connecting member 5 stops either side of 
the projection 13 of the revolvable adjusting disc 1 when the rotating 
disc 1 is rotated in adjusting, limiting the height of the flat plate 4 
raised up and lowered down. 
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, 
it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be 
made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such 
modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.