US2695708A - Flour sifter - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 30, 1954 E. L. DENNIS 2,695,708

FLOUR SIF'TER Filed Nov. 19, 1949 .E. Lucia-n Den-m's United States Patent FLOUR SIFTER E. Lucian Dennis, Rockford, Ill., assignor to The Washburn Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 19, 1949, Serial No. 128,280

1 Claim. (Cl. 209-357) This invention relates to flour sitters, and is more particularly concerned with providing a small sifter of approximately single cup or cup and one-half capacity, which is better adapted for a large variety of cookie and pastry baking operations than the present large capacity si ters.

The salient feature of the small simplified sifter of my invention is the provision of a thumb grip recess on one side of the body of the sifter and a spring restrained trigger pivoted on the diametrically opposite side and connected to the rotary agitator, the sifter being small enough to enable grasping it between the thumb and fingers of one hand and operating the same entirely by finger pressure as the hand is closed more or less on the body of the sifter.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a sifter made in accordance with my invention and illustrating how the same is adapted to be grasped and operated between the thumb and fingers of one hand, either right or left as the operator prefers, and

Fig. 2 is a side view of the sifter with a portion thereof broken away and shown in section, to better illustrate the construction.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in these two views.

The reference numeral 3 designates the substantially cylindrical sheet metal container or body for the sifter, in the bottom of which is mounted a wire screen 4 for sifting purposes. A spider-shaped agitator 5 is pivoted centrally on a rivet 6 relative to the screen 4, and is arranged to be oscillated by means of a wire link 7 that extends through a hole 8 provided in the wall of the container 3 just above the screen 4, and has one end pivotally connected at 9 to the lower end of a trigger 10, and has the other end pivotally connected by means of a rivet 11 to one arm of the agitator 5 in radially spaced relation to the rivet 6. The trigger is of elongated form and profiled on its outer side, as indicated at 12, and preferably also formed with a spur projection 13 to provide a non-slip finger grip, so that the sifter can be held securely between the thumb, indicated at A, and the first three fingers, indicated at B, C, and D, the thumb entering a recess 14 provided therefor in the side wall of the container 3 diametrically opposite the profiled portion 1213 of the trigger 10. The trigger is hinged at its upper end to the top rim 15 of the container 3, as indicated at 16, and a grasshopper type wire spring 17 is provided between the container and the trigger normally urging the latter outwardly, one leg 18 of the spring 17 being soldered or welded to the wall of the container 3, as at 19, and the other leg 20 of the spring being suitably anchored in a recess 21 provided therefor in the adjacent side of the trigger 10. The wire link 7 has a stop projection 22 provided thereon intermediate its ends arranged to engage the wall of container 3 to limit return movement of trigger 10 under action of spring 17.

2,695,708 Patented Nov. 30, 1954 The flour to be sifted is either poured into the container 3, or dipped by means of the container from the bag, and the sifter is operated, as indicated above, by grasping the same between the thumb and fingers of the one hand and exerting pressure on the trigger 10 in a direction to close the fingers more or less on the sifter. The spring 17 returns the trigger 10 as the hand is opened more or less after each movement of the agitator 5, and, hence, the operator keeps a good hold on the sifter and is not at all apt to drop it regardless of whatever flour she may have on her fingers. The thumb depression 14 and the profiling of the trigger 10, at 12, plus the provision of the spur projection 13 together afford a reasonably secure grip and yet one which permits picking up and setting down the sifter quickly whenever there is need for a little flour in the course of the handling of the cookie or pastry dough. The sifter, therefore, takes up less space on the table, which is often at a premium during such operations, and the fact that the sifter can be operated with one hand leaves the other hand free for various other purposes, and in that way the operation is more efficient and takes less time and there is less fatigue. Furthermore, a sifter of this type will fit inside the containers of the conventional large sifters, or can even be kept in a drawer in the kitchen cabinet, and, in either event, takes up much less room than the other kinds. Also, due to the small amount of material involved in its construction and the few parts required, it can be produced at a fraction of the cost. of other sifters.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claim has been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

In a sifter of the class described, an open top upright container, said container being provided with a bottom sifter element and the outer wall of said container above the bottom thereof being provided with a depression for engagement by the thumb, an agitator movable in said container relative to the top surface of said sifter element, an oscillatable lever pivotally connected at the upper end thereof directly to the wall of said container at the top of said container at a point diametrically opposite the location of said thumb engaging depression, the outer surface of said lever being provided with a spur projection, means operatively connecting the lower end of said lever with said agitator to effect motion of said agitator as said lever is actuated, and spring means disposed between the wall of said container and lever for urging said lever outwardly from said container, whereby said container and oscillatory lever are adapted to be held between the outstretched thumb and fingers respectively of the operators hand with the thumb engaging said depression and fingers engaging said lever at opposite sides of said spur projection for actuation of said lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 54,679 Bucknam May 15, 1866 983,398 Omberg Feb. 7, 1911 1,011,822 Lehrmann Dec. 12, 1911 1,488,306 Adams Mar. 25, 1924 2,314,186 Zuck Mar. 16, 1943 2,416,810 Bailey Mar. 4, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 27,968 Sweden Jan. 4, 1910 944,771 France Nov. 8, 1948

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