GB2064947A

GB2064947A - Garlic press

Info

Publication number: GB2064947A
Application number: GB8038761A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-12-03
Filing date: 1980-12-03
Publication date: 1981-06-24
Also published as: NL8006523A; IT8026350A0; JPS56125012A; CA1141272A; HK42984A; FR2471172A1; SE8008269L; FR2471172B1; AU6498680A; IT1134540B; GB2064947B; DE3045256A1

Abstract

A garlic press 10 comprises a cylindrical outer shell having a large open top end and a slightly smaller open bottom end which supports a foraminous plate onto which is placed the herb, such as garlic, which is to be crushed for juice and pulp. An inner cylindrical ram is integrally connected to a cap portion 27, which cap portion threads onto the outside of the larger open end of the outer shell. The ram is grooved with radial slots which contact the herb to be crushed and cooperate with holes in the foraminous plate to extract juice and pulp from the herb. The foraminous plate is removably located on a shoulder 23 integral with the bottom end of the outer shell. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Press Herb or garlic presses are well known in concept.

Heretofore the garlic presses known have been based on the principle of a nut cracker. A bowl is adapted to contain the herb or garlic to be crushed. A transverse screw with a flattened end is threadably received through a wall of the bowl. As the screw advances the contents of the bowl are put under increasing pressure forcing the juices out of the solid particles and crushing or pulverizing the herb. The juices and fiber of the herb can then be poured from the bowl for use in cooking.

Some drawbacks are apparent in such a press. It is first of all difficult to crush all of the herb or garlic with one passage of the screw. This means that the screw must be withdrawn slightly and the garlic or herb replaced in the path of the screw and another cycle repeated. According to this invention in a garlic orothervegetable press an outer cylindrical shell having two open ends, a larger upper end and a smaller lower end, receives a ram having a grinding surface with radially extending grooves at the bottom or first received end of the ram. The bottom or grinding surface of the ram is convex downward toward the smaller open end of the outer shell. The ram with its grooved surface is mated to an upwardly concave foraminous screen or plate having a plurality of openings defined throughout its surface.

The screen or plate is supported by a short inwardly and upwardly turned shoulder at the bottom open end of the outer shell.

The invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevation view of one form of press according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a half section elevation view of the press shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevation view of the outer shell of the press of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a half section of the ram and capped portion of the press of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the outer shell shown in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the ram and cap shown in Figure 4.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a garlic press 10 is shown having three main integral parts. An outer shell or cup 11 is seen in Figures 3 and 5 to be of generally hollow cylindrical configuration. A ram 12 is also of hollow cylindrical configuration, being loosely receivable by the outer shell 11. At the point of the deepest penetration of the ram 12 into the outer shell 11 there is provided a foraminous plate or screen 13, releasably connected to the outer shell 11 in a manner to be discussed more fully hereinafter.

Though generally cylindrical, the outer shell 11 has an upper or top portion 15 that is of slightly larger diameter than a lower or bottom portion 16 of the outer shell, a filet 22 is disposed between upper portion 15 and lower portion 16. As can be seen in Figure 3, the lower portion extends the greater percentage of the height of the outer shell than does the upper portion 15. The upper or top portion 15 of the outer shell 11 has an upper circular opening 17 of slightly larger diameter than a bottom circular opening 18 in the outer shell 11.

External threads 19 are continuously run from a start position 20 on the upper portion 15 downward to a point adjacent the filet 22 where the lower portion 16 of the outer shell 11 commences. These external threads 19 are double, being formed by two threads giving two start positions 20 and two end positions 21, as seen in Figure 3.

At the lower portion 16 of the outer shell 11 is disposed a relatively short upwardly turned shoulder 23. The shoulder 23 extends circumferentially around the bottom opening 18. The shoulder is inturned from the outer shell leaving an annular groove or small toroidal channel 24 between the shoulder and outer shell.

The screen or foraminous plate 13 is adapted to drop into the outer shell 11 through the upper open end 17 and rest on the circumferential shoulder 23. A downwardly extending peripheral flange or lip 25 surrounds the perimeter of the foraminous plate 13 and is adapted to fit into the toroidal channel 24.

Thus, once the foraminous plate 13 is fitted onto the shoulder 23, the foraminous plate can be removed at any time for cleaning. The foraminous plate 13 is ideally of concave shape so that the herb or garlic tends to stay on the middle of the plate. In an alternative embodiment the plate 13 is dropped to a position where the shoulder 23 forms a wall around the plate 13.

The ram 12 is generally of cylindrical configuration. A cap or outward flange 27 extends radially away from the upper end of the ram. The cap is integrally connected to the ram, leaving a ram opening 26 at the point where the cap 27 extends outwardly. A short distance away from the ram 12 the cap descends in a depending skirt 28 of roughly the same longitudinal dimension as the upper portion 15 of the outer shell 11. Double internal threads 29 extend downwardly along the length of the depending skirt 28, matching external threads 19 on the outer shell 11. External to the depending skirt 28 are disposed at equal arctuate segments raised ribs 30 to facilitate rotation of the cap 27 and integral ram 12.

A lower ram end 31 is a cylindrical body of constant transverse cross section as one moves away from the cap 27. The lower end 31 terminates in a grinding surface 32. The grinding surface is convex in the downward direction, or the direction that the ram 12 moves relative to the outer shell 11 as the ram is threaded onto the outer shell by interconnecting the double external threads 19 and double internal threads 29. The grinding surface 32 has radially extending grooves 33 covering substantally the entire grinding surface area. It will be understood that the foraminous plate 13 has openings 34 covering substantially its entire surface area.

The press 10 is used by inserting the foraminous plate 13 onto the shoulder 23 of the outer shell 11.

Whatever herbs, such as garlic, to be crushed or pulverized, are placed on the plate. The ram 12 is inserted into the upper open end 17 of the outer shell. The external threads 19 of the outer shell threadably engage the internal threads 29 of the cap 27 portion of the ram 12. As the cap 27 is turned the ram 12 descends within the outer shell 11. The grinding surface 32, with its grooves 33, contacts the herb or garlic and compresses it downwardly. The foraminous plate 13 can flex and aid in the grinding of the herb or garlic. The juice and pulp or herb fiber is forced through the opening 34. Additionally the grooves 33 and openings 34 in the plate 13 tend to disrupt the fiber of the herb or garlic and efficiently extract the juice and pulp.

As the ram 12 descends, the juices of the herb or garlic are forced in the direction of the ram's descent through the openings 34 in the plate 13 into a measuring cup or other receiving container. The plate 13 can be interchanged for another with different sized openings 34. Variation of the size of the openings 34 of the plate 13 can therefore serve to change the size of the pulp particles, which when added to a recipe, can selectively enhance the flavor from the garlic or herb.

The force available is therefore maximized onto the plate 13. The plate, being of metal, flexes and helps the grinding action. The mating shape of the grinding surface 32 and the plate 13 make the interface between the two a particularly efficient area where herbs can be crushed.

The entire device is readily washable. The foraminous plate 13 is removable from the shoulder 23, again easing cleaning of the press 10, and allowing for interchangeable plates 13 having different sizes and configuration of openings 34.

Claims

1. A press having a generally cylindrical outer shell having an open top and an open bottom portion, said outer shell receiving a generally cylindrical ram, wherein: a circumferential shoulder is integrally connected to the bottom portion of said outer shell, said shoulder being disposed adjacent to the interior of the bottom portion ofthe outer shell; a foraminous plate is supported on said shoulder; a grinding surface is disposed on the inserted end of said ram; and a cap is integrally connected to the top of said ram and threadably engaged with said outer shell whereby an herb placed on the foraminous plate is crushed between the plate and the descending grinding surface of the ram as the cap is turned engaging the threads between the cap and the outer shell, forcing juices contained in the herb out through the open bottom of the outer shell.

2. An extraction and comminuting device comprising, in combination, an open-ended cup having a diametrically enlarged upper portion and a lower portion defining an outlet opening, means defining external threads on said enlarged upper portion, means on said lower portion defining an inturned shoulder, a concave foraminous plate removably supported on said shoulder within said lower portion, a ram having a cylindrical body telescopicly received within said cup and having a convex surface lower end and an outwardly flanged upper end, said flanged end including a depending skirt spaced from said ram body and having internal threads adapted for threadable engagement with the external threads on said cup, means on the convex end of said ram body for engaging and grinding an object supported on said foraminous plate as said ram is rotated, said threads providing a telescoping driving force between said convex surface and said concave plate to squeeze said object therebetween, and means on the exterior surface of said skirtfor facilitating gripping thereof by a user to rotate said ram relative to said cup.

3. An extraction and comminuting device comprising, in combination, an open-ended cup having a diametrically enlarged upper portion and a lower portion defining an outlet opening, means defining external threads on said enlarged upper portion, means on said lower portion defining an inturned shoulder, said shoulder defining an internal annular groove adjacent the lower portion of said cup, a concave foraminous plate removably supported on said shoulder, said plate having a downturned lip portion received within said internal annular groove for supporting and removably retaining said plate within the lower portion of said cup, a ram having a cylindrical body telescopingly received within said cup and defining a convex surface lower end, an outwardly extending flange integral with the upper end of said body, said flange including a depending skirt spaced from said ram body and having internal threads adapted for threadable engagement with the external threads on said cup, means on the convex end of said ram body for engaging and grinding an object supported on said foraminous plate as said ram is rotated, said threads providing a telescoping driving force between said convex surface and said concave plate for squeezing said object therebetween, and means on the exterior surface of said skirt for facilitating gripping thereof by a user to rotate said ram relative to said cup.

4. An extraction and comminuting device comprising, in combination, an open-ended cup having a diametrically enlarged upper portion and a lower portion defining an outlet opening, means defining external threads of said enlarged upper end portion, a concave foraminous plate removably retained within said outlet opening, a ram having a cylindrical bodytelescopingly received within said cup and having a convex surface lower end, an outwardly extending flange on the upper end of said ram, said flange including a depending skirt spaced from said ram and having internal threads adapted for threadable engagement with the external threads on said cup, and means on said convex end for engaging and grinding an object supported on said foraminous plate as said ram is rotated, said threads cooperating to provide a telescoping driving force between said convex surface and said concave plate to squeeze said object therebetween.

5. An extraction and comminuting device as defined in claim 4, including means on the exterior surface of said skirt for facilitating gripping thereof by a user to rotate said ram relative to said cup.

6. An extraction and comminuting device as defined in claim 4, including a plurality of protruding rams on the exterior surface of said skirt.

7. A device substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in the drawings.