Agitating – Operator supported
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-08
2001-03-27
Soohoo, Tony G. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
Operator supported
C366S343000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206561
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to kitchen utensils for mixing or beating food by hand and, in particular, to a collapsible wire whisk. The collapsible wire whisk provides a mixing or beating tool that may be collapsed and flattened for easy storage.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Whisks are wire kitchen utensils generally used for mixing or beating food by hand. The wires of a whisk are sized and shaped such that the wires are nested together. The wires of whisks are fairly rigid and designed especially for aerating food substances. Whisks are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. The particular tasks for which a whisk is suitable depend on the shape of the wires. There are generally three shapes available for whisks: straight, balloon, and flat.
For example, a straight whisk is used for making smooth sauces and is also suitable for mixing and folding. A balloon whisk is designed for aerating food substances, such as egg whites, creams, and light batters. The large balloon-shaped head of a balloon whisk is designed for beating the maximum amount of air into light mixtures. A flat whisk is generally used for stirring or aleglazing a pan.
Whisks are sold in a variety of sizes since whisks of different sizes are needed, depending on the amount of food to be mixed and on the size of the mixing bowl. Larger whisks, such as the 12-inch whisks (measured from the tip of the handle to the top of the wires), are usually the most useful. However, a large balloon or straight whisk can be difficult to store in most kitchen drawers because the wires are rigid and occupy a fairly large amount of space. There is also the possibility of damaging the whisk if the wires are bent out of shape when stored in a drawer or some other tight space. Therefore, there is a need for a whisk that is large enough to be useful, but at the same time, capable of occupying a minimal amount of space when it is stored.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a collapsible wire whisk that includes a hollow handle and wire basket. The wire basket comprises a plurality of wires that are coupled to a wire holder slidably and twistably mounted within the handle. The handle has a proximal end with two arcuate apertures through which the wires are inserted. The wire holder is a hollow cylinder having a plurality of holes circumferentially positioned on each end.
The wires are bent and positioned to form a basket such that the wires are nested together The two ends of each wire are threaded through the wire holder. The wires are crimped both above and below the wire holder to hold keep the wires coupled to the wire holder. Although the wires are kept in place longitudinally with respect to the wire holder, the wires remain free to twist.
The wire basket of the whisk may be moved between a collapsed position and an expanded position by twisting the wires and/or the wire holder. The collapsible whisk of the present invention provides a full sized whisk that may be easily collapsed and stored in flattened state. The present invention can therefore be stored in even small kitchen drawers. Since the wires of the whisk lay flat in a collapsed position, the collapsed whisk may also be used as a flat whisk for stirring or aleglazing a pan. The present invention therefore provides a balloon whisk that may be easily converted into flat whisk.
REFERENCES:
patent: 401058 (1889-04-01), Pfau
patent: 565260 (1896-08-01), Cook
patent: 1579323 (1926-04-01), Johnston
patent: 1722104 (1929-07-01), Miner
patent: 2499074 (1950-02-01), Nordgarden
patent: 3412983 (1968-11-01), Kesilman et al.
patent: 8713911 (1987-10-01), None
Kuhn Rikon Corporation
Limbach & Limbach LLP
Soohoo Tony G.
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