Agitating – Operator supported
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-03
2001-07-24
Cooley, Charles E. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
Operator supported
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264356
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a whisk used in mixing food ingredients and particularly relates to a unique structure of the whisk elements.
Most conventional food whisks have a plurality of mixing loops which are shaped to provide effective mixing and agitation of the typically liquid food material through which the loops are moved. The greater is the motion of the whisk elements and the greater is their surface contact with the food during each cycle of movement of the whisk, the more efficient is the whisking action with less effort.
Some whisks are also known that have blades or elongate fingers, rather than loops. See U.S. Pat. 4,836,688, for example. An efficient arrangement of these blades is desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a whisk with the ability to maximize the amount of mixing and agitation of the material being whisked. Another object is to increase the surface area of contact between whisk elements and the material being whisked.
According to the present invention, the whisking elements comprise a plurality of elongate blades or pins that project out of a handle toward free ends of the blades.
The ends of the blades carry larger cross-sectional area, e.g. larger size, closed body objects, such as balls as contrasted with the cross-sections of the respective blades; and the balls increase the surface area of contact between the whisk blades and the material being whisked, making mixing more efficient. The balls additionally provide a larger cross-section and larger surface area which prevents possibly destructive damaging contact with sharp tips of blades or pins.
The blades have sufficient flexibility that they yield when the balls at the ends of the blades contact the interior of the bowl or other container in which material is being mixed and sufficient resilience to cause them to return to their undeflected orientations when they do not contact the bowl and when they are not having force applied to them. Their resilience also causes the blades to vibrate slightly as they are moved through the material, increasing the agitation.
The whisk elements, blades or pins project from the handle in a generally conical array which widens toward the free ends of the blades. One or more blades is disposed within the cone array, e.g., along the axis of the whisk and its handle.
The balls at the ends of the generally conically arrayed blades are in a plane which is oblique to the axis of the blade array, so that the whisk in use can be held tilted with respect to the container, with the balls mostly toward the bottom of the container, maximizing the mixing action.
The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 25394 (1896-04-01), Upton
patent: 323447 (1885-08-01), Ruebsam
patent: 427963 (1890-05-01), Booz et al.
patent: D. 431113 (2000-09-01), Kwok
patent: 671516 (1901-04-01), Hegner
patent: 1083808 (1914-01-01), Dunson
patent: 1986163 (1935-01-01), Rockwell
patent: 2092353 (1937-09-01), Kyseth et al.
patent: 3991983 (1976-11-01), Drynan
patent: 4836688 (1989-06-01), Bayly
patent: 5125751 (1992-06-01), Coigley
Cooley Charles E.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
WMF AG
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