Abstract: A blender for home or commercial use that is rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The blender includes an upper housing with a front housing door that covers the moving blending machinery. The blender also includes a cupholder receiving area which allows the user to safely insert a frozen food or beverage cup inside a cupholder for blending. After the start button is pressed, the cup and cupholder will be lifted together for blending in a balanced, linear motion by an elevator assembly. Dual lead screws or a dual belt drive are preferably used in the elevator assembly to achieve this balanced, linear motion. As the cupholder is lifted upward, a cover will be pressed over the top opening of the inserted cup to prevent spillage during blending. The elevator assembly continues to lift the cupholder upward until the rotating cutter blades of a spindle assembly cut through successive layers of the frozen food or beverage.

Abstract: A method for blending food or beverages, preferably using a blender that is compact enough for home use, rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The blender includes an upper housing, with a front housing door, that covers the moving blending machinery. The blender also includes a cupholder receiving area which allows the user to safely insert a frozen beverage cup inside a cupholder for blending. After the start button is pressed, a cupholder lip will be grasped by the clamping jaw of an elevator assembly to lift the cupholder up. As the cupholder is lifted upward, a cover will be pressed over the top opening of the inserted cup to prevent spillage during blending. The elevator assembly will then continue to lift the cupholder upward until the rotating cutter blades of a spindle assembly cut through successive layers of the frozen beverage.

Abstract: A blender that is compact enough for home use, rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The blender includes an upper housing, with a front housing door; that covers the moving blending machinery. The blender also includes a cupholder receiving area which allows the user to safely insert a frozen beverage cup inside a cupholder for blending. After the start button is pressed, a cupholder lip will be grasped by the clamping jaw of an elevator assembly to lift the cupholder. As the cupholder is lifted upward, a cover will be pressed over the top opening of the inserted cup to prevent spillage during blending. The elevator assembly will then continue to lift the cupholder upward until the rotating cutter blades of a spindle assembly cut through successive layers of the frozen beverage.

Abstract: A method for blending food or beverages, preferably using a blender that is compact enough for home use, rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The blender includes an upper housing, with a front housing door, that covers the moving blending machinery. The blender also includes a cupholder receiving area which allows the user to safely insert a frozen beverage cup inside a cupholder for blending. After the start button is pressed, a cupholder lip will be grasped by the clamping jaw of an elevator assembly to lift the cupholder up. As the cupholder is lifted upward, a cover will be pressed over the top opening of the inserted cup to prevent spillage during blending. The elevator assembly will then continue to lift the cupholder upward until the rotating cutter blades of a spindle assembly cut through successive layers of the frozen beverage.

Abstract: A blender that is compact enough for home use, rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The blender includes an upper housing, with a front housing door; that covers the moving blending machinery. The blender also includes a cupholder receiving area which allows the user to safely insert a frozen beverage cup inside a cupholder for blending. After the start button is pressed, a cupholder lip will be grasped by the clamping jaw of an elevator assembly to lift the cupholder. As the cupholder is lifted upward, a cover will be pressed over the top opening of the inserted cup to prevent spillage during blending. The elevator assembly will then continue to lift the cupholder upward until the rotating cutter blades of a spindle assembly cut through successive layers of the frozen beverage.

Abstract: A removable spindle for a blender that is compact enough for home use, rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The spindle preferably includes a quick release coupling member, a rotating shaft, cup cover and rotating cutting blades. To facilitate cleaning of the spindle assembly, the quick release coupling member allows the spindle to be quickly detached from the blender. The rotating shaft is preferably housed in an outer sleeve for structural/alignment purposes and to keep the shaft free from food/beverage particles. Slidably attached to the outside of the outer sleeve and trapped between the quick release coupling member and the rotating cutting blades is a moveable cup cover.

Abstract: A blender for home or commercial use that is rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The blender includes an upper housing with a front housing door that covers the moving blending machinery. The blender also includes a cupholder receiving area which allows the user to safely insert a frozen food or beverage cup inside a cupholder for blending. After the start button is pressed, the cup and cupholder will be lifted together for blending in a balanced, linear motion by an elevator assembly. Dual lead screws or a dual belt drive are preferably used in the elevator assembly to achieve this balanced, linear motion. As the cupholder is lifted upward, a cover will be pressed over the top opening of the inserted cup to prevent spillage during blending. The elevator assembly continues to lift the cupholder upward until the rotating cutter blades of a spindle assembly cut through successive layers of the frozen food or beverage.

Abstract: A cupholder for a blender that is compact enough for home use, rugged enough to blend frozen beverages, simple to use and safe. The cupholder preferably has a generally cylindrically shaped body having a bottom and open top. A cupholder upper lip is preferably formed along the upper edge of the cupholder body. The cupholder upper lip preferably has an overhanging front portion that allows a user to slide his or her fingers underneath the overhang to conveniently push the cupholder into the cupholder receiving area or pull it out. A portion of the cupholder lip preferably also has substantially straight side edges to prevent the cupholder from rotating during the blending process. On the sides of the cupholder lip are preferably two lip indentations which allow a user to easily remove a cup with food or beverage from the cupholder.

Abstract: A utility light comprising a light arm having two ends, an LED mounted on one end and a conductive plug mounted on the other end; a main housing which is adapted to contain a battery power source, a conductive socket for removeably receiving the conductive plug, a power control circuit, and cause the power control circuit to receive power from the battery power source only when conductive plug is in the conductive socket, and a power switch for connecting the power source to the battery power control circuit, said power switch adapted to control said power control circuit to output each of two different power levels for providing the LED with two different levels of light output illumination, and wherein said conductive socket includes a sensing switch to detect the presence of the conductive plug in the conductive socket.