Agitating – With heating or cooling – Medium in stirrer or mixing chamber
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-23
2001-04-03
Cooley, Charles E. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
With heating or cooling
Medium in stirrer or mixing chamber
C366S243000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210032
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to pitchers having a manually operated stirring apparatus, and more particularly relates to such pitchers providing a stirring apparatus which is completely enclosed within the pitcher by a cover and is manually operated by means of a handle that extends through the cover.
2. Background Art
Beverage pitchers having manually operated means for mixing together fluid contents within the pitcher are well known. Recent improvements for such pitchers include covers for the pitchers that provide an essentially fluid tight container, but which nevertheless permit the user to stir up the contents of the container without removing the cover. Examples of such stirring or mixing pitchers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,695,282, 5,407,270, 5,094,543, 4,893,940, 4,460,279, 4,197,018 and 3,704,007.
Typical problems are encountered in providing a fluid tight cover, including the need for spouts for pouring out the liquid during use. More significantly, a manual stirrer must extend through an aperture, usually extending through the pitcher cover, creating a path of egress from the ambient environment into the pitcher container. Spillage of the fluid within the pitcher resulted. It is also often desired to maintain liquid within the pitcher container cold, and air circulation through an aperture that is not fluid-tight produces undesirable heat transfer which heats up the contained liquid.b
The prior art manual mixing mechanisms are often inefficient and/or require substantial manual effort to achieve maximum agitation of the contained liquid and/or entrained solids to achieve total mixing dissolution of the solids within the liquid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is considered necessary is a stirring pitcher that agitates substantially all the liquid within a pitcher container and is capable of dissolving solids within the pitcher container without leaving undisturbed solids in inaccessible corners of the container. It is further desirable to provide a stirring mechanism within a cover that is easily utilizable, easily cleaned and that can provide a substantially complete, fluid-tight seal in the cover to avoid spillage.
The pitcher container including a pivotable stirring handle combination described herein provides for a new and improved combination of beverage pitcher and coacting manually operated mixing apparatus.
The combination of the inventive elements enables one to accomplish a mixing of the liquid contents of a pitcher in a minimum of time and with a minimum of effort but with maximum effectiveness.
The combination can be used so as to cause no spillage during use of the mixing apparatus or when the beverage is dispensed after completion of a mixing operation.
The combination is easily assembled, used and disassembled. The components of the combination are readily and conventionally made from various materials, as the fabricator or user may desire. However, it is presently preferred to construct all components of molded plastic. The combination can be easily and thoroughly cleaned and is durable for extended reuse.
Furthermore, herein is described and claimed a stirring pitcher comprising a container having an upwardly facing container opening; a container cover for covering the upwardly facing container opening, the container cover being removable and replaceable over the container opening to open and close the container opening, the container cover further including a pivot mount; and a pivotable stirrer attachable to the container cover and adapted for extending through a stirrer aperture in the container cover, the stirrer comprising a spoon end, a stirrer handle attachment end oppositely disposed along a longitudinal axis from said spoon end, and a central shaft extending between said spoon end and said stirrer handle attachment end, the central shaft including a pivot pin oriented transversely to the shaft longitudinal axis, whereby the shaft is attachable to the cover at the stirrer aperture such that the pivot engages the pivot mount on the cover, causing the handle attachment end of the stirrer to extend outside the cover and the spoon end of the stirrer to extend within the container when the container cover engages the container to cover the container opening.
In a second embodiment, the container further comprises a shape having at least two side walls, and a bottom wall, the container resembling an elongated trench-like bottom, the container bottom and side walls having a cross-sectional shape following a contour which matches the contour of at least the bottom portion of the spoon end, and the bottom wall of the container defining an arc having a radius located approximately at the pivot pin end of the stirrer central shaft.
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Cooley Charles E.
Economou Vangelis
Ladas & Parry
Sierra Housewares, Inc.
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