AU664283B2

AU664283B2 - Hand-operated, dough-kneading device

Info

Publication number: AU664283B2
Application number: AU41461/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Bruce Douglas Doreian; Graeme Doreian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-06-24
Filing date: 1993-06-23
Publication date: 1995-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 2013-06-23
Also published as: AU4146193A

Description

PO/0O1- AUSTRALIA Regulation 3.

Patents Act 1990 AX 8

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invntin Ttle HAND-OPERATED, DOUGH-KNEADING DEVICE The following statement Is a full description of this Invention, Including the best method of performing it known to me:- .4 M 046720 230693 r This invention relates generally to breadmaking equipment and relates in particular to a hand-operated device having a special beater for kneading dough in a special container for home breadmaking but which may have other applications.

According to the invention there is provided a hand-operated device for kneading of dough for home breadmaking, or for other dough-related products, the device comprising a mixing container with walls defining k0 a trough, a beater adapted to be placed within and removed from the trough, the beater being formed into a blade which has axially-extending side faces, two end faces, a top face and a bottom face, the top or bottom face being rounded and a bottom or top face respectively being diametrically opposite to the rounded face and being at angles with respect to the side faces, the beater being operable by hand.

Preferably, the trough is formed with parallel upper side wall portions and lower side wall portions 0Z sloping downwardly and inwardly at an oblique angle to a flat bottom wall portion, and wherein the beater is mounted upon a shaft or shafts placeable wittin and removable from the trough and is manually rotatable by a handle.

2 Preferably, the beater of the device acceiding to the ,invention has a blade which is generally in the form of an elongate flat plate with wide-area flat and parallel side faces and narrow-area, flat, parallel, transverse end faces and with top and bottom

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longtudinal edges and faces parallel to and spaced radially from the shaft, wherein the top or bottom face opposite the rounded face presents durin~g #191 4 44 1T~ pp, -7 -2dimnetrially-opporite "bottomT' or top" fce iS at angles with respect to the side faces, presenting during rotation one acute-angled leading edge with respect to one side face and an obtuse-angled trailing edge with respect to the other side face.

Preferably the rotational axis of the beater blade is laterally offset in a direction towards the acute angled leading edge of the blade to obtain a greater sweep of the blade with respect to insirle surfaces of the trough.

According to a preferred form of the invention each end face of the beater blade is provided with a 9944 rectangular socket and the handle is provided with a 9,44 0 plug of complementary shape to the shape of the socket, the plug being adapted to be passed through an aperture in either end wall of the tro igh for left-hand or *4 99 4right-hand operation respectively, and press-fitted into one of the sockets of the beater blade after the blade has beea placed in the trough, a separate plug being adapted to be passed through an aperture in the opposite end wall of the trough and press-fitted into an end face of the beater opposite to the handle plug end face.

Preferably the trough end walls and the handle and plugs are provided with corresponding circular and/or cylindrical bearing surfaces to permit rotation of the beater when mounted within the trough and more preferably the beater has a hollow shaft extending axially completely therethrough.

Preferably, the beater is of plastic i I II _3construction and has a plastic sleeve extending axially completely therethrough and a metal rod is adapted to be inserted through the sleeve and into a corresponding aperture in the handle plug, Throughout this specification it will be understood that the terms "top" and "bottom" are relative terms and have been used only for convenience and not in a limiting sense when describing the edges of the beater blade and could equally be used vica versa or In reverse without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A non-limiting example of an embodiment or practical arrangement of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the trough of the bread dough mixing device according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one form of beater for the trough of Figure 1..

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the rod and plug for the beater of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the handle for the beater of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic end view of the beater in position within the trough.

Figure 6 is and end view of the beater showing off-set axis or rotation.

Figure 7 is a pre-assembly, perspective partial wt-r s -4view showing the relationship of the handle and rod plugs in relation to the trough.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a hand-operated device for kneading of dough for home breadmaking or other dough-related products, the device comprises a housing 10 for a trough 1Oa both of which can be made of wood, plastic or metal and which has side walls with parallel upper portions 11, 12 and downwardly and inwardly sloping lower wall portions 13, 14 with lower edges or corners joined at an oblique angle to a flat bottom-wall portion 15, one of the sloping wall portions being at a higher level than the other; all of the side wall portions being joined to parallel end walls 16, 17. All of the wall portions define a trough 15 for home bread-making dough ingredients. The two end walls 16, 17 of the container are each provided with a circular opening 18, 19 through which there is respectively adapted to be passed (referring to Figures 3 and 4)a cylindrical bearing portion 20 and square plug 21 of a handle 22 and the cylindrical bearing portion 23 and square plug 24 of a disc 25 a handle-supporting a rod 25a. Referring to Figure 2, there is adapted to be rotatably and removably mounted within the trough a beater 26 which can be made of wood, plastic or metal and which is in the form of an elongated flat plate and has two flat, parallel and small-area end faces 27, 28, transverse to the longitud- inal axis; two flat and parallel larger-area side faces 29, 30,; one curved top or bottom face 31 and a flat top or bottom face 32 radially opposite the curved top or bottom fAce 31, The flat top or bottom face is angled that is to say not square with the respect to the two side faces 29, and and thus presentc-, during rotation of the beater within the trough, one obliLque or obtuse angle A and one acute angle Bl. Each flat end face of the beater has a square socket 33, 34, respectively which are each adapted to receive the square plugs 21, 24 placed therein, one plug 21 is formed on the handle 22 while the other plug 24 is formed at one end of a handle-supporting rod previously described. In the form of the invention illustrated, the beater 26 is of hollow plastic construction and the sockets are formed as a continuous, C.,f rectangular hollow plastic sleeve and each plug is square. The beater 26 is manually rotatable by a handle I. Cl22, using the hand grip 22b, the angular direction of rotation of the beater 26 is shown by the arcuate arrow of Figures 5 and 6.

A pair of cylindrical mounts 35, 36, is provided for lever-operated suction caps adapted to be placed j ,e:,:into the base of the trough housing and for attachment j of the dough-mixing machine of the invention onto a bench.

An advantage of the design of the beater blade in accordance with the invention is that at all times the blade is surrounded by dough being kneaded and the dougn is compressed at every point during rotation, Furthermore the beater blade pushes the dough out of the corners of the angular bottom of the trough.

-6it will be apreciated that althougrh the dovice of the invention has been~ described in the illustrated embodiment as a hand-operated maual device for home bread making, the device could be power-driven for use ona commercial scale by having shaft of the beater driven by an electric drive motor through a coupling and reduction gear box.

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Claims

1. A device for kneading dough for breadmaking, or for other dough-related products, the device i comprising a mixing container with walls defining a trough, a beater adapted to be placed within and removed from the trough, the beater being formed into a blade which has axially-extending side faces, two end faces, a top face and a bottom face, the top or bottom face being rounded and a bottom or top face respectively be-ang diametrically opposite to the rounded face and being at angles with respect to the side faces, the beater being operable by hand. I 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the Itrough is formed with parallel upper side wall portions and lower side wall portions sloping downwardly and inwardly at an cblique angle to a flat bottom wall portion, and wherein the beater is mounted upon a shaft or shafts placeable within and removable from the trough and is manually rotatable by a. handle. I 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the beater has a blade which is generally in the form of j "an elongate flat plate with wide-area flat and parallel side faces and narrow-area, flat, parallel, transverse °end faces and with top and bottom longitudinal edges and faces parallel to and spaced radially from the shaft, wherein the top or bottom face opposite the rounded face presents during rotation one acute-angled leading edge with respect to one side face and an obtuse-angled trailing edge with respect to the other side face. i

4. The device according to claim 3 wherein the beater blade is when nouanted in the trough laterally offset in a direction towards the acute angled leading edge of 'the blade to obtain a greater sweep of the blade with respect to inside surfaces of the trough, The device according to any preceding claim wherein each end face of the beater bladle is provided with a rectangular socket and the handle is provided with a plug of complementary shape to the shape of the socket and which is adapted to be passed through a hole in either end wall of the trough for left-hand or r ight-handi operation and press,=-fitted into one of the sockets of the beater blade after the blade has been placed in the trough, a separate plug being adapted to be passed through the opposite end wall of the trough and press-fitted into an end face of the beater opposite to the handle plug en,! face.

6. The device according to cla~in 5 wherein a circular hole is provided in each end w~ill of the trough Itsand the handle plug and shaft plug are provided with corresponding cylindrical bearing surfaces to permit ro';ation of the beater when mounted within the trough.

7. The device according to any preceding cl.aim wherein the beater has a hollow shaft extendingaxly completely therethrough,

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein the beater is of plastic construction and has a plastic sleeve extending axially completely therethrough.

9. The device according to claim 8 wherein a -9- metal rod is adapted to be inserted tbrough the sleeve and into a corresponding aperture in the handle plug. A hand-operated device f or kneading dough for borne breadnaking or other dough-related products substantially as- hereinbefore described with reference to the accomnpanying dr'awings. DATED this 22nd day of June, 1993 GRAEXE DOREIAN and BRUCE DOUGLAS DOREMAN By Our Patent Attorney JOHN L, DAVIES CO. 4 z. 144 II 4,. It. *1 It ABSTRACT i A hand-operated, dough-making machine has a box-like container (10) with parallel upper side wall portions, inclined lower side wall portions (13,14) and a flat bottom a removable beater (26) is turned by a removable handle (22) which has a cylindrical bearing portion (21) passable through circular holes in each end wall of the container and has a square plug which is i fitted into either of square sockets in each end wall of the beater which are the ends of a sleeve extending through the beater; the beater blade is formed with flat end faces (27,28), flat side faces (29,30) and has a i rounded top face (31) and an angled, flat-faced bottom Sedge (32) with an acute-angled leading edge and an j obtuse-angled trailing edge; the beater sleeve is off-centre so that the leading edge sweeps more into the corners formed at the junction of vertical and sloping side-wall portions (11,12,13,14) and sloping side wall portions (13,14,) and the flat bottom A rod has a knob (25),at one end with a cylindrical bearing t portion passable through a hole in the container end wall and a square plug (24) fits into the square socket of the sleeve. I r