GB2355948A

GB2355948A - Flour sifter

Info

Publication number: GB2355948A
Application number: GB9926093A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ignaz Settele
Original assignee: Maxpat Trading and Marketing Far East Ltd
Current assignee: Maxpat Trading and Marketing Far East Ltd
Priority date: 1999-11-03
Filing date: 1999-11-03
Publication date: 2001-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 2019-11-03
Also published as: GB2355948B; GB9926093D0; HK1039586A1

Abstract

A sifter for food powders such as flour which is in the form of a cup shaped member has a sieve or mesh constituting its base. The sifter is provided with a handle for holding the cup shaped member and a reciprocatable member extends into the lower part of the cup shaped member. This is positioned immediately above the sieve or mesh and means are associated with the handle for reciprocating that member within the cup by squeezing the handle. Preferably the reciprocatable member is in the form of a length of wire made up of a number of zigzags of varying length which extend substantially over the full area of the sieve or mesh.

Description

2355948 IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOUR SIFTERS This invention relates to flour

sifters although as used herein that term is to be construed as including the sifting of any food powder.

Existing flour sifters tend to be in a cup-like shape and have as their base a fine wire or plastic mesh. Usually they are also provided with a handle to assist in holding the item. When flour is placed in the cup, then the user can shake the cup and as a result the fine powder will drop through the sieve whilst retaining any lumps and the like. Such sifts are not always very satisfactory because if the cup is overloaded with powder, then it tends to become compacted and shaking the container does not cause relative movement of the powder and the mesh and a blockage ensues.

As a result, mechanical arrangements have been designed to move the powder around in the area immediately above the sieve. Such arrangements have generally been in the form of a rotatable member and when this member is rotated it will prevent such blockages and will generally cause the powder to be sieved through the mesh and will also have the potential advantage of assisting in the break up of any lumps. A problem, however, exists with such arrangements in that the mechanical arrangement for the rotating member is, of necessity, quite complicated and various supports and the like are required within the cup. This is undesirable for hygienic reasons and equally will make the overall product difficult to clean and keep fully sterile.

The invention has been made with these problems in mind.

According to the invention there is provided a flour sifter as herein defined in the form of a cup-shaped member having a sieve or mesh constituting its base and provided with a handle for holding the member, a 2 reciprocatable member extending into the lower part of the cup shaped member and positioned immediately above the sieve or mesh, and means associated with the handle for reciprocating that member within the cup by squeezing the handle.

Such an arrangement can be very simple and, therefore, very easy to clean after use. The reciprocation of the member, however, is very effective in preventing blockages of the flour and ensuring that the flour is, in effect, stirred with the result that the fine powder will pass easily through the mesh.

Also, any lumps will tend to be broken up by the reciprocating movement relative the mesh.

The powder which is sifted will normally be flour but could equally be other food products such as icing sugar or ground nuts. If desired, the sieve or mesh can be made to be replaceable so that differing sizes of powder or ground food can be sifted.

In one simple embodiment of the invention, the reciprocatable member is in the form of a length of wire made up of a number of zig-zags of varying lengths which extend substantially over the full area of the sieve or mesh.

Preferably, the container is of substantially circular cross-section and the sieve or mesh covers substantially the whole of the base of the container. In those circumstances, the piece of wire may additionally then include curved first and last zig-zag portions which are shaped substantially to correspond to the overall shape of the sieve or mesh and encompass the remaining zig-zag portions.

An additional advantage of making the reciprocatable member of wire is that the wire will have inherent flexibility which makes the member and its parts springy and this assists in sieving flour and the like.

3 The reciprocatable member will need to extend, or be attached to a member which extends, through the wall of the cup-shaped member for actuation and in the simple embodiment noted above where the member is in the form of a shaped piece of wire, the ends of the wire may extend out through a relatively narrow slit or holes in the cup-shaped member with the slit or holes corresponding in size and shape to the extension so largely closing it and preventing significant losses of the food powder through that opening.

The handle or grip preferably includes a pivotable trigger which can be grasped by the user and the effect of squeezing the handle will then cause that trigger to move. The end of the pivoted trigger can be attached to the reciprocatable member with the result that as the grip is squeezed, the trigger will be moved in one direction so moving the reciprocatable member one way and then once it is released, spring means are provided to cause the return of the trigger which then moves the reciprocatable member in the opposite direction. Alternate squeezing and relaxation of the grip will then cause reciprocation of the member.

Preferably, the overall device is made of a metal such as stainless steel which has good hygienic properties and the mesh is in the form of a stainless steel wire mesh. Alternatively, the product can be made from synthetic plastics material.

A flour sifter according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure I is an upright section through the flour sifter; Figure 2 is a section take along the lines B-B of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a section taken along the lines A-A of Figure 1.

The flour sifter 10 shown in the drawings includes an open topped cup 12. This comprises a stainless steel cylindrical wall having an outwardly flared 4 upper lip 16. At its base, a fine stainless steel mesh 20 is joined to the wall and closes the base.

Joined to the upright side of the cup 12 is a handle 26. This has been made in one piece from stainless steel and its ends have been spot-welded at points 28 and 30 to the cylindrical wall. As best shown in Figure 3, the handle includes integral wing portions 32 which have been bent downwardly and inwardly from the main portion of the handle and further wing shaped portions 34 near the bottom of the handle, which again have been bent downwardly and outwardly.

The portions 32 are joined by means of a pivot pin 36 and pivoted to that pin is a metal trigger 38. This is in the form of a channel shaped member and its lower end extends through an opening 40 in the lower portion of the handle and is received within and enclosed and shielded by the lower wing portions 34.

A reciprocal member 50 extends over the top of the mesh 20 and in close proximity thereto. This has been made of a length of stainless steel metal wire. It has been bent into a number of straight zig-zag lengths and an initial and final curved zig-zag to a shape which is best shown in Figure 2 and its overall shape largely corresponds to the circular shape of the mesh. The zig-zag nature of the member ensures that there are portions which will move over and sweep substantially the whole area of the sieve as the member is reciprocated. Thus, the number of zig-zags will need to be sufficient to ensure this bearing in mind the extent of each back and forth reciprocation.

As best shown in Figure 1, the ends of the wire are bent upwardly and then extend outwardly and pass through small holes 52 in the upright wall of the cup 12 adjacent the point 30 where the lower end of the handle 26 is spot welded. Those ends are then finally bent inwardly and gripped by the curved lower end 54 of the trigger 38.

Housed within the handle 26 is a U-shaped spring 60. One end bears against the trigger whilst the other end is housed within the wing shaped members 28 and 30. The spring 60 has the effect of urging the trigger 38 and the reciprocatable member joined to it towards the left in the sense viewed in Figure 1. However, when a user grips the handle and places his fingers around the trigger 34, he can squeeze the handle and cause the trigger to move against the action of the spring so drawing the reciprocatable member to the right and when he thereafter releases the pressure, the spring restores the trigger and connected reciprocal member 50 towards the left. This movement of the member 50 will cause flour in the cup 12 to be sifted through the mesh 20.

The arrangement is extremely simple and easy to clean which is vital with a product to be used in contact with food. The item is also relatively simple and cheap to make.

6

Claims

1. A flour sifter as herein defined in the form of a cup-shaped member having a sieve or mesh constituting its base and provided with a handle for holding the member, a reciprocatable member extending into the lower part of the cup shaped member and positioned immediately above the sieve or mesh, and means associated with the handle for reciprocating that member within the cup by squeezing the handle.

2. A flour sifter as claimed in Claim 1 in which the reciprocatable member is in the form of a length of wire made up of a number of zig-zags of varying lengths which extend substantially over the full area of the sieve or mesh.

3. A flour sifter as claimed in Claim 2 in which the container is of substantially circular cross-section and the sieve or mesh covers substantially the whole of the base of the container.

4. A flour sifter as claimed in Claim 3 in which the piece of wire additionally includes curved first and last zig-zag portions which are shaped substantially to correspond to the overall shape of the sieve or mesh and encompasses the remaining zig-zag portions.

5. A flour sifter as claimed in any preceding claim in which the reciprocatable member extends or is attached to a member which extends, through the wall of the cup-shaped member for actuation.

6. A flour sifter as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4 in which the ends of the wire extend out through a relatively narrow slit or holes in the cupshaped member with the slit or holes corresponding in size and shape to the extension so largely closing it and preventing significant losses of the food powder through that opening.

7 7. A flour sifter as claimed in any preceding claim which includes a pivotable trigger which can be grasped by the user and the effect of squeezing the handle will then cause that trigger and the reciprocatable member to move. The end of the pivoted trigger can be attached to the reciprocatable member with the result that as the grip is squeezed, the trigger will be moved in one direction so moving the reciprocatable member one way.

8. A flour sifter as claimed in Claim 7 which additionally includes spring means to cause the return of the trigger so that alternate squeezing and relaxation of the grip will cause reciprocation of the member.

9. A flour sifter as claimed in any preceding claim which is made of a metal such as stainless steel and the mesh is in the form of a stainless steel wire mesh.

10. A flour sifter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.