Tablet pulverizer

Claim 1

A hand-operated tablet pulverizer for crushing solid tablets into powder, comprising a tubular body portion having a screen located therein adjacent to the bottom thereof, said tablets to be crushed being received in said body portion and in engagement with said screen, said screen having a plurality of small diameter openings formed therein and being molded in a one-piece construction to the interior of said tubular body portion, said screen having an inverted conical configuration that defines a pocket for receiving said tablets therein, a bottom container removably mounted on the lowermost end of said body portion, the interior of said bottom container being disposed directly beneath said screen, an elongated axially movable crusher member extending into said body portion, the lowermost end of said crusher member being movable into engaging relation with said tablets as located on said screen, a cap member engaging the upper end of said crusher member and defining the top of said pulverizer, said cap member being movable axially with said crusher member to urge the lower end of said crusher member into intimate contact with said tablets and being rotatable to cause said lower end to produce a grinding action on said tablets, wherein said tablets are ground into powder, the powder filtering through said screen for collection in said bottom container, said crusher member including an elongated shank portion, a spring surrounding said shank portion for a major portion of the length thereof, and engaging said crusher member for normally urging the lower end thereof into engagement with the tablets as located in the screen pocket, a sleeve mounted on said tubular body portion and surrounding said shank portion and a portion of said spring, said sleeve receiving the uppermost end of the spring in abutting relation thereagainst, wherein a downward thrust is exerted on said crusher member, the uppermost end of said sleeve having an opening formed therein through which the uppermost end of said shank portion extends, wherein said cap member is received on said shank portion for movement therewith, said cap member being slidably received on said sleeve for being movable in the axial and rotatable motion thereof with said crusher member during a crushing and grinding action of said tablets.