| 摘要 |
A device is disclosed for efficiently grating and dispensing blocks of hand soap, comprising a housing and soap grating mechanism. The housing includes a tubular feed tower, a hollow cage and a funnel which collectively define a laterally enclosed passageway through which the soap travels. A grating disc is rotatably mounted in the housing, having an annular rim, a hub and a plurality of spokes connecting the hub and rim so as to define openings through which grated soap may pass. A long, thin, serrated metal band is mounted on the spokes in a continuous spiral between the hub and rim, forming a series of coils which define a planar cutting surface. The band is loosely wound, so that successive coils are spaced apart from each other a sufficient distance to easily permit soap shavings to drop through the space between adjacent coils. The rim of the grating disc comprises a cylindrical bearing surface and a plurality of radially extending gear teeth, which are seated in a stepped annular groove defined by the intersection of the cage and funnel. The feed tower has two rectangular paths into which correspondingly shaped bars of soap are placed, which hold the soap bars in contact with the cutting surface of the grating disc and off-center from its rotational axis. A rotator assembly, comprising a cog keyed to a crank and engaging the gear teeth at the periphery of the grating disc, turns the disc, causing soap shavings to fall through the disc and into the funnel which channels it into the user's hand.
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