Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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GARLIC PRESS WITH DETACHABLE CLEANER
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to manually operated, lever-type garlic presses that
are
equipped with a press plate cleaner.
Backfuound of the Invention
Although manually operated garlic presses are useful and effective, they are
generally difficult to clean, which particularly involves the removal of the
compressed clove from the apertures in the floor plate of the press chamber.
In
routine use, these apertures tend to become filled with the material from a
garlic
clove as it is squeezed in the press chamber between the floor plate and an
anvil.
The anvil compressively descends in the chamber towards the floor plate as the
press
levers are manually squeezed together by the user so that fluid and paste from
the
compressed clove can drain out through the floor plate apertures.
Attempts to flush out any remaining material from the apertures using tap
water pressure are usually ineffective. Moreover, surface brushing of the
floor plate
usually does not clear all of the material from the apertures.
Prior art garlic presses have proposed using a cleaning plate with a plurality
of spaced, upstanding or projecting pins or projections. The plurality of pins
or
projections would remove the remaining material or debris from the press floor
plate
apertures. Various adaptations of this concept have been proposed. However, so
far
as is known, these adaptations suffer from various drawbacks in that the
resulting
garlic press, particularly in association with some form of cleaning plate,
tends to be
cumbersome and unwieldy, and awkward to use, clean, and/or store.
The present invention provides an improved combination of a manually
operated lever-type garlic press, associated cleaning plate and mutual
interconnection
means which reduces or overcomes these drawbacks.
Summary of the Invention
More particularly, the invention relates to a new and useful combination of
manually operated garlic press and cleaning plate. The press has upper and
lower
levers. The levers are pivotably associated at their front end regions. The
lower
lever also includes a cooperating cleaning plate at its front end region.
The combination provides a compact garlic press that is easily used, easily
cleaned, and readily stored.
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The inventive combination of lever type garlic press with cleaning plate
provides an improvement over prior art combinations of lever-type garlic press
with
cleaning plate, and the inventive combination overcomes or minimizes the
drawbacks
of the prior art combinations.
In the inventive combination, the lower lever includes side walls and an
apertured floor portion of a press chamber in its forward portion. The forward
portion is provided with a lateral, continuously extending and preferably
flattened
exterior front end portion. Against this front end portion, the smooth outer,
preferably matingly engagable, surface of a cleaning plate rests when the
cleaning
plate is in its storage position. The cleaning plate is held in this position
by connector
members. In this storage position, the aperture cleaning pins (or projections)
that are
provided on the opposed inner surface of the cleaning plate extend outwardly.
Although various connector members can be used, it is preferred the cleaning
plate be provided with opposed side clips that removably engage the side
portions of
the lower lever adjacent to the front end portion. In addition, preferably the
cleaning
plate is provided with top and bottom stabilizer legs that are adapted to lie
against
adjacent front end portions of the lower lever when the cleaning plate is
engaged with
the lower lever front end.
When the cleaning plate is disengaged from the lower lever front end, it is
turned around for positioning over the exterior press chamber floor portion.
Preferably a locating flange is provided that is adjacent to the top side of
the cleaning
plate. This flange serves to locate and position the hooks over a matingly
engagable
forwardmost edge of the floor portion along the bottom of the front end
portion of
the lower lever. Preferably alignment lugs are also provided that engage
locating
grooves. When the cleaning plate inner surface is pivotally advanced against
the
outer surface of the floor plate, the pins of the cleaning plate are aligned
with the
apertures. The pins enter the apertures of the floor plate so that debris
therein is
pushed back into the press chamber for later disposition.
In the preferred embodiment the upper lever is associated with an anvil, in a
pivotable manner. The anvil is adapted to reciprocatingly move in the press
chamber
after the anvil enters the open top of the press chamber, as the upper lever
reciprocates and advances towards or retreats from the lower lever.
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Preferably, the top leg of the cleaning plate, alone or with the anvil and
press
chamber, acts as a lock when the cleaning plate engages the lower leg front
portion
and/or the anvil engages the press chamber. Such engagement generally tends to
prevent the upper lever from separating and pivotably moving away from the
lower
lever. This locking manner is desirable for keeping the garlic press in a
closed
configuration in a kitchen drawer or the like during storage of the garlic
press.
Various other objects, aims, purposes, features, advantages, embodiments,
variations and the like will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the
teachings
of the present specification taken with the associated drawings and the
appended
claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is an perspective view of one embodiment of the inventive garlic
press;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the garlic press of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic
press of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic
press
of FIG. 1 with the press cleaner in association with the garlic press front
end;
FIG. 5 is a front end elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic
press
of FIG. 1 depicting press cleaner in association therewith;
FIG. 6 is a front end elevational view similar to FIG. 5 with the press
cleaner
removed;
FIG. 7 is a back end elevational view (relative to FIG. 1) of the garlic press
of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the garlic press of FIG. 1 showing the press
cleaner in association with the garlic press front end;
FIG. 9 is a right side view similar to FIG. 4 with the press cleaner engaging
the apertures in the press plate with portions of the garlic press being shown
in
phantom;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view through the garlic press hopper with the
press cleaner engaging the press plate as shown in FIG. 9, some parts thereof
being
broken away;
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FIG. 11 is a fragmentary partial longitudinal sectional view of the front end
region of the garlic press as shown in FIG. 4 depicting the locking feature
for the
press cleaner;
FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the press cleaner; and
FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the press cleaner.
Detailed Description
The present invention discloses a combination of a manually operated garlic
press and cleaning plate that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
The
present garlic presser is capable of easily and readily compressing garlic
cloves
while the cleaning plate readily cleans and clears the apertures.
Additionally, the
cleaning plate includes an alignment means to ensure proper alignment of the
pins
with the apertures. Moreover, the present garlic press includes a lock to
provide
effective storage. Each component has further functional and aesthetic
features which
permit it to accomplish its several goals and objects.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms,
this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only some specific
forms
as examples of the invention. The invention is not limited to the embodiments
described however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended
claims.
Referring to FIGs. 1-13, there is seen a preferred embodiment of the
inventive combination 20 of a garlic press, generally designated 21, with a
press plate
cleaner (or cleaner plate), generally designated 22. The garlic press 21
includes a
first or lower lever arm 23 and a second or upper lever arm 24. First lever
arm 23
has a proximal end 26 and a distal end 27, while the second lever arm 24 has a
proximal end 28 and a distal end 29. The proximal end 28 of second lever arm
24
includes a forwardly extending central leaf 31 that extends between a pair of
laterally
spaced, forwardly extending edge leaves 32 that are provided at the upper
proximal
end 26 of second lever arm 24. Leaf 31 is pivotably connected between the pair
of
forwardly extending edge leaves 32 by a laterally extending pivot pin 33 that
extends
through a continuous channel in leaves 32 and 31.
A hand grip portion 34 and 36 is provided on each lever arm 23 and 24,
adjacent to each of the distal ends 27 and 29. The first and second lever arms
23 and
24 are each conveniently comprised of molded metal (preferred) or molded
plastic.
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In one embodiment, first and second lever arms 23 and 24 are comprised of
stainless
steel. As an alternative to the stainless steel, any known material typically
used in
the manufacture of cutlery, such as, for instance, aluminum, aluminum alloys,
steel
alloys, or other metals or alloys, may be used. Moreover, the concavely curved
interior regions of each lever arm 23 and 24 are preferably provided with
reinforcing
ribs 25.
The first lever arm 23 has an upwardly opening press chamber 37 defined
therein adjacent the proximal end 26 thereof (best seen in FIGs. 3 & 9). The
press
chamber 37 has a floor portion 38 that preferably has flat, spaced, parallel
inner and
outer surfaces. A plurality of apertures 39 are defined through the floor
portion 38
in a patterned array (best seen in FIG. 8).
The first lever arm 23 has a continuously extending front facial portion 41
(best seen in FIG. 4) defined at the proximal end 26 below the leaves 32. In
the
depicted embodiment the front facial portion 41 is flat although various
surface
configurations could be employed if desired. The top region of front facial
portion
41 is forward of the lower region thereof (that is the front facial portion is
forwardly
inclined).
Turning now to FIG. 2, the second lever arm 24 is shown having a
downwardly depending anvil member 42 extending from an underside region
thereof
that is adjacent to, but here spaced longitudinally from, proximal end 28.
Various
connection means can be used to connect the anvil member 42 with second lever
arm
24. Alternatively the anvil member 42 can be unitarily formed with the second
lever
arm 24, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate.
Preferably, anvil member 42 is solid, separately molded component comprised
of metal, such as for instance, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy,
steel
alloy, or other metals or alloys, and has a bell-shaped configuration when
viewed
from the side. The upper end of anvil member 42 is pivotably connected to the
lower side of second lever arm 24 by means of a laterally extending pivot pin
43.
From FIG. 3 it can be seen that pin 43 extends through both an ear 44 that is
centrally located and integrally formed with the second lever arm 24 on the
inside
thereof and through a pair of ears 45 on the upper end of the anvil member 42
that
are located on each side of the ear 44. The anvil member 42 is adapted to
reciprocatingly move up and down in the press chamber 37 when the lever arms
23
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and 24 are articulated relative to one another about the pivot pin 33. The
anvil
member 42, owing to its pivotal adjustability about pivot pin 43 relative to
second
lever arm 24, is, in effect self-adjusting in orientation relative to press
chamber 37.
In operation, a garlic clove (not shown) in the press chamber 37 is squeezed
between the head (or bottom) face of anvil member 42 and the inside face of
the floor
portion 38 when the arms 23 and 24 are manually brought together. Fluid is
extruded from the clove which exits through the apertures 39.
Cleaner plate 22 is best understood be reviewing FIGs. 12 & 13. The cleaner
plate 22 has generally opposed inner and outer faces 46 and 47, respectively,
that are
preferably flat. Plate 22 has opposed side portions 48 and 49, and opposed top
end
and bottom end portions 51 and 52 respectively.
Inner face 46 is preferably adapted for interfacial contacting engagement with
the outside surface of the floor portion 38. The inner face 46 is provided
with a
plurality of upstanding or projecting pins or projections 53 that are ordered
correspondingly to the array of apertures 39. In this manner each of the
projections
53 can be inserted into and engage a different one of the apertures 39 when
the inner
face 46 engages the outside surface of the floor portion 38. Thus, debris in
the
apertures 39 is displaced inwardly towards the press chamber 37 for subsequent
disposition.
The outer face 47 is preferably configured for interfacial engaging the
regions
of the front facial portion 41. While it is preferred that outer face 47 is
flat, other
configurations are contemplated. The perimeter of the cleaner plate 22 is
provided
with a preferably integrally formed clip member 54 and 56, respectively along
each
of the opposed sides 48 and 49. Each clip member 54 and 56 has a lateral
arcuate
configuration and upstands or projects from each face 46 and 47.
Grasping and clamping the projecting portions of each clip member 54 and 56
adjacent to the inner face 46 causes these projecting portions to yieldingly
spread
apart. Spreading the projecting portions of each clip member 54 and 56 apart
makes
possible the convenient and easy engagement of these portions with respective
adjacent side portions of the second lever arm 24 that are adjacent to the
front facial
portion 41. Various connector means for releasably connecting the press plate
cleaner 22 to the front facial portion 41 can be employed, and various clip
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configurations and arrangements can be employed, as those skilled in the art
will
readily appreciate.
FIGs. 9 & 10 reveal a stabilizing leg 57 at, and preferably integral with, the
top end 51, and a stabilizing leg 58 at, and preferably integral with, the
bottom end
52. Stabilizing legs 57 and 58 of press plate cleaner 22 coact with the clip
members
54 and 56 and aid in stabilizing the connection between plate cleaner 22 and
front
facial portion 41. As depicted, the stabilizing leg 58 is relatively narrow
and
elongated and is configured to engage and extend across a mid-portion of the
outer
face of the floor portion 38.
The stabilizing leg 57 is shorter here than leg 58 and is provided with a
fixed
medial bend or knee 59 defining an upper or thigh portion 67 and a lower leg
portion
68. The thigh portion 67 has an upper region engaging a lower side portion of
the
second lever arm 24 that is adjacent to the proximal end 28 thereof (best seen
in FIG.
4). The outer heel or foot region of leg portion 68 rests against an upper
interior
side portion of the first lever arm 23 in spaced, adjacent relationship to the
proximal
end 26 thereof.
An adjacent upwardly projecting (reactive to leg 57) portion of plate cleaner
22 is here preferably adapted to make contacting engagement on one face
thereof
with the proximal end 28 of second lever arm 24. The result is that the plate
22 and
the leg 56 function to lock the arms 23 and 24 when plate 22 is associated
with front
facial portion 41, and to restrain pivotal movements thereof.
The press plate cleaner 22 is additionally provided with a locating flange 61
positioned along the top end 51 of plate cleaner 22 and which upstand or
projects
here perpendicularly from inner face 46. Flange 61 thus projects oppositely
from the
clips 54 and 56 and the legs 57 and 58. In second lever arm 24, the outer face
of the
floor portion 38 and the front facial portion 41 preferably adjoin and define
a
generally straight corner edge 62. When the inner face 46 of the cleaning
plate 22
engages the outside surface of the floor portion 38 after separation of the
cleaning
plate 22 from the front facial portion 41, the locating flange 61 is
positionable along
the corner edge 62 and orients and positions the cleaning plate relative to
the floor
portion 38.
To improve the locating and seating of the press plate cleaner 22 against the
outside face of the floor portion 38, the front facial portion 41 is
preferably provided
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with a pair laterally spaced, traversely elongated grooves 63 and 64 that are
located
adjacent to the corner edge 62. The inner face 46 adjacent to flange 61 is
provided
with a pair of detents or lugs 66. Each lug 66 is configured to matingly
engage a
different one of the grooves 63 and 64. The engaged combination of grooves 63
and
64, detents 66, flange 61 and corner edge 62 cooperate to provide flange means
that
aligns the pins 53 with the apertures 39.
If desired, portions of the garlic press 21, such as the arms 23 and 24, and
even the press plate cleaner 22, can be coated. Non-adhering coating such as
polytetrafluoroethylene or the like are contemplated, using coating procedures
known
in the art.
Use of the Garlic Press and the Press Plate Cleaner
It will be appreciated that in using the garlic press 21, the press plate
cleaner
22 should be separated therefrom. Grasping and clamping the projecting
portions of
each clip member 54 and 56 adjacent to the outer face 47 causes these
projecting
portions to spread apart. Spreading the projecting portions apart makes
possible the
convenient and easy disengagement of these portions with the second lever arm
24.
In pressing operation, a garlic clove (not shown) is placed in the press
chamber 37. The garlic clove is squeezed between the head (or bottom) face of
anvil
member 42 and the inside face of the floor portion 38 when the arms 23 and 24
are
manually brought together. Fluid is extruded from the clove which exits
through the
apertures 39.
In cleaning operation, grasping and clamping the projecting portions of each
clip member 54 and 56 adjacent to the inner face 46 causes the projecting
portions to
spread apart. Spreading the projecting portions apart makes possible the
convenient
and easy engagement of these portions with the second lever arm 24.
Inner face 46 engages the outside surface of the floor portion 38 so that the
plurality of upstanding pins or projections 53 are ordered correspondingly to
the
array of apertures 39. In this manner each of the projections 53 can be
inserted into
and engage a different one of the apertures 39. Further, the engaged
combination of
grooves 63 and 64, detents 66, flange 61 and corner edge 62 cooperate to
provide
flange means that aligns the pins 53 with the apertures 39. Thus, debris in
the
apertures 39 is displaced inwardly towards the press chamber 37 for subsequent
disposition.
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By virtue of the present invention, the described objectives are met. The
present invention discloses a combination 20 garlic press 21 and press plate
cleaner
22 that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The combination
provides a
compact garlic press 21 that is easily used, easily cleaned, and readily
stored.
The foregoing illustrates the general principles of this invention. However,
since numerous modifications and changes will be readily apparent to those
skilled in
the art based on this description, it is not desired to limit the invention to
the exact
construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, the scope of this
invention includes other modifications and equivalents that fall within the
scope of the
foregoing description and the following claims.
