Agitating – Cover or shield for mixing chamber
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-12
2001-01-23
Cooley, Charles E. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
Cover or shield for mixing chamber
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176610
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electric food mixer having a splash guard and, more particularly, to a removable splash guard that is directly attached to the body of the mixer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A common problem that arises in the use of a food mixing device, such as a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, is the splashing or splattering of ingredients from the mixing bowl during mixing. Such splattering creates an undesirable mess that must be cleaned up after mixing is completed. It is known in the art to provide a splash guard substantially covering the opening of the mixing bowl to prevent ingredients from being splashed or splattered from the bowl during mixing, but such known splash guards have various disadvantages.
Known splash guards can be separated into two categories—those that are attached to the motor housing or body of the mixer and those that are not attached to the mixer body. Splash guards that are not attached to the mixer, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,439,289, 4,549,811, 3,960,370, and 3,913,896, usually comprise a disk-shaped plate or the like that is placed atop a mixing bowl and have the disadvantage that they must generally be held in place during use. However, the mixing process may require rotation of the mixing bowl to achieve a satisfactory mix, which may be difficult to obtain (especially using a hand-held mixer) when simultaneously trying to hold the splash guard in place.
Splash guards that are attached to the mixer body, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,556,203 and 2,193,356, overcome the aforementioned problem, but have disadvantages of their own. For example, the splash guard shown in the 5,556,203 patent utilizes a hook-and-loop fastener to secure the splash guard to the mixer body. Such a hook-and-loop fastener will likely deteriorate after repeated use, and securely connecting the splash guard to the mixer body will become increasingly difficult as the fastener deteriorates. In addition, a fabric fastener such as a hook-and-loop fastener can easily become soiled by ingredients splattered from the mixing bowl, resulting in an unsanitary mixing environment that will not likely meet the standards of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF).
Another problem present in known splash guards is that they typically have a surface which confronts the bottom surface of mixer body, which generally requires the provision of slots or openings in the splash guard through which the rotatable beaters or mixing elements of the mixer extend. Because portions of the splash guard are located in close proximity to the mixing elements, the mixing elements may inadvertently contact the splash guard during mixing if the splash guard is not securely fixed relative to the mixer body. Contact between the rotating mixing elements and the splash guard may cause the splash guard to be chipped or otherwise damaged, which can create a hazardous condition.
Therefore, the need exists for a splash guard that is easily and securely attached to a mixer body by means that will not deteriorate appreciably due to repeated uses, that will not permit the splash guard to disengage from the mixer during mixing, and that will not tend to result in an unsanitary mixing environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a mixer splash guard that is easily and securely attached to the body of a mixer. A related object of this invention is to provide a splash guard that is secured to the body of a mixer by means that are not likely to lead to an unsanitary mixing environment.
Another object of this invention is to provide a splash guard that is securely attached to the body of a mixer in a manner such that the splash guard will not tend to become disengaged from the mixer body during the mixing process. A related object is to provide such a splash guard that cannot be disengaged from the mixer body while the rotatable mixing elements are mounted to the mixer body.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a mixer splash guard that can be easily and securely attached to a mixer body of known construction with little or no modification to the mixer body.
A further object of this invention is to provide a mixer splash guard that can be readily cleaned, as by hand washing or machine washing, without concern that the splash guard will be damaged by such cleaning.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a splash guard in accordance with the foregoing objects that is compact, durable, inexpensively manufactured, and has a pleasing ornamental appearance.
A splash guard in accordance with this invention comprises a splash-blocking portion in the form of a wavy, plate-like member that is adapted to cover at least a portion of the opening of a mixing bowl. The splash guard is secured to the motor housing or body of a mixer by portions of the splash guard that mate with the sides of the mixer body. More particularly, the splash guard has a mounting arrangement comprising mutually-opposed flanges that are either snapped into or slidably received in outwardly-open, longitudinally-extending grooves formed in the respectively opposite sides of the mixer body. The grooves in the mixer body can be specially provided for mounting the splash guard or they can be formed, as common in known mixers, at the junction of two body parts secured together to form the mixer body, the latter construction permitting the splash guard to be constructed for use with a variety of known mixer bodies with little or no modification to the mixer body itself.
The splash guard mounting arrangement in accordance with this invention is useful with various different splash guard configurations other than the aforementioned wavy-plate configuration. For example, the splash-blocking portion of the splash guard may also comprise a simple planar disk configuration or an inverted, cup-like configuration, which are known in the art. The mounting arrangement is preferably integrally formed with the splash-blocking portion of the splash guard, regardless of its configuration.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
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Hidalgo Craig A.
Just Stacey R.
Myers Terry L.
Cooley Charles E.
Dybvig Roger S.
Hamilton Beach, Proctor-Silex, Inc.
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