US2368065A - Portable grease receptacle - Google Patents

Description

1945- R. D. HYATT PORTABLE GREASE RECEPTACLE Filed April 21, 1943 Patented Jan. 23, 1945 PORTABLE GREASE RECEPTACLE Raymond D. Hyatt, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The D. L. Auld Company, Columbus, hio,'a

corporation of Ohio Application April 21, 1943, Serial No. 483,885

1 Claim.

This invention pertains to an improved portable grease, oil or fat-trapping receptacle, the general object of the invention being to provide an inexpensive, simple and efiicient receptacle adatped for use in kitchens for the purpose of providing a convenient means for separating greases or fats from cooking liquids and retaining the separated greases 0r fats within the limits of the receptacle to facilitate disposal thereof.

It is well known that in the preparation of certain foods, liquids are present which contain substantial percentages of valuable fats and greases. Heretofore, many cooks or chefs have resorted to the wasteful practice of pouring such liquids into drains or other waste outlets, losing the value of the greases or fats present in such liquids and producing, as a result, obstructing deposits of such fatty substances in the drains or waste outlets. This wasteful practice is attributable, at least in part, to the difficulties encountered in providing means for effecting in a practical and convenient manner the separation of the fatty substances from the liquids in which they are carried. At the present time, cooks and housewives are being solicited to save such fats and greases in order that they may be used in the manufacture of critical emergency materials.

Accordingly, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable receptacle into which grease laden liquids may be poured, the interior of the receptacle being formed to constitute a trap, providing for the ready and emcient separation of the fatty substances from water or other liquids in which they are found, the fatty substances being retained within the receptacle through gravity separation, and the grease-free liquids discharged by way of an outlet formed in the vertical side wall of the receptacle at a position intermediate of the height thereof.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a grease-trapping receptacle for the use and purpose above set forth which shall be convenient to handle, capable of being readily cleansed, light in weight, simple to move from place to place and capable of being readily stored with other common kitchen utensils.

For a further understanding of the invention,

reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a grease-trapping receptacle formed in accord ance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle be formed from any suitable material, such as sheet metal, and pressed or spun to provide a bottom wall 2 and an annular vertical side wall- 3.. The top of the base receptacle is open and is adapted to be normally covered and closed by means of a removable lid 4, the peripheral por tion of the latter being provided with an annular down-turned flange 5 which frictionally engages the outer surfaces of the upper portion of the side wall 3 to hold the lid agains accidental removal or displacement. At its top,the cen tral portion of the lid 4 is provided with a stationary arcuate finger grip B to facilitate removal of the lid from its position of application as shown in Fig. 1. The base portion of the receptacle is provided with a swinging bail 1 so that the entire receptacle may be conveniently supported when being moved from place to place.

Mounted internally of the base receptacle land rigidly joined with the inner surface of its wall 3 is a pouring funnel 8. This funnel has its widened upper portion disposed contiguous to the upper edge of the wall 3, and the restricted lower portion of the funnel is arranged above the bottom wall 2. On the opposite side of the recep tacle, there is provided a rigid baflle member 9,

the open bottom of which is terminated above the bottom wall 2 of the receptacle base. In registration with the baiile 9, the wall 3 of the receptacle is pressed outwardly and angularly to form a liquid outlet ID in the receptacle side wall located intermediately of the height of the side wall and nearer to the upper edge thereof than to the bottom wall 2.

In the use of the receptacle, with thelid 4 removed, grease-laden water, or other cooking liquids, is poured into the open upper end of the funnel 8, the liquid flowing through the restricted lower end of the funnel into the separating and trapping chamber ll of the receptacle. In this chamber,'gravity separation of the grease or other fatty substances takes place, the grease or other fatty materials floating to the top of the chamber while the liquid remains at the bottom. After a certain period of usage, the grease, oils or fats collect in the form of solids or semi-solids, that is, cake-like formation, in the upper portion of the chamber H which solids increase in thickness with each additional introduction of grease-carrying liquids into the receptacle.

The baffle member 9 has its lower portion arranged immediately above the bottom wall 2 and below the lower edge of the funnel member 8, a feature of construction which enables the grease or the like to be readily trapped in the chamber H, when the water or other liquid will flow under the lower edge of the bafiie member 9 and upwardly through the riser compartment 12, escaping from the receptacle through the outlet Hi. When a grease cake of desired thickness has accumulated within the receptacle, the latter may be placed over a gas bumer, or other source of heat, until the grease is reduced to a molten state and then poured into another plain receptacle for delivery to governmental agencies or for any other use or avenue of disposal.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a receptacle in which the objects of this invention are achieved. The principal advantage of the construction resides in the provision of a lightweight, convenient means for use in household kitchens for collecting and saving oils, fats and greases which are normally lost or wasted. With the use of the utensil, the greases are prevented from clogging liquid waste drains and valuable materials are salvaged. Also, the greases, oils or fats may be handled while the same are retained within receptacles, so that they do not come into direct contact with the hands. The construction of the utensil is such that it may be readily cleaned from time to time, and its internal volumetric capacity is such that in an ordinary household kitchen, it will not be necessary to remove the accumulated fats or greases except at infrequent intervals, for example, a week or more.

While I have disclosed my invention in one of its preferred embodiments, nevertheless, it will be understood that the same i subject to certain structural variations or modifications without departing from the scope of the invention as the same has been set forth in the following claim.

I claim:

A portable grease-trapping kitchen utensil comprising a sheet metal body having a flat bot tom wall, an integral annular upstanding side wall and an open top, a removable lid having interfitting engagement with the upper edges of said side wall for closing said top, a vertically disposed sheet metal funnel member secured to the inner surfaces of said side wall, said funnel member having a relatively widened upper portion disposed adjacent to the upper edge of said side wall and a restricted lower or outlet portion, the latter being disposed above said bottom wall, a vertical sheet metal bafiie member secured to the inner surface of said side wall on the opposite side of the latter as regards said funnel member, said baflle having its lower edge terminated above and in spaced relation from said bot tom wall, the interior of said body between said funnel and bafiie members forming a greasetrapping chamber, and an outwardly and angularly extending lip integrally formed with the side wall of said body in registration with said bailie member, the upper edge of said lip being laterally spaced from the vertical plane of the contiguous portions of said side Wall to form a liquid outlet, said outlet being arranged in a horizontal plane intersecting the upper portions of said baffle member.

RAYMOND D. HYA'IT.

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