US1019448A - Corn-popper. - Google Patents

Description

M. A. FREEMAN.

CORN POPPEB. APPLIoATIoN FILED MAR. 7, 1911.

i 1,019,448, Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANouRAPI-l co..wAsH|NaToN. D: c.

TED sTATEs PATENT oEEmE.

MEEEIEL A. EEEEMAN, or NEW HARMONY, INDIANTA.I

CORN-TOPPER.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERRIEL A. FREEMAN,

citizen of the United States, residing at New4 Harmony, in the county of Posey and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Poppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to corn poppers and has for its object the provision of a comparatively simple and thoroughly efficient device of this character, by means of which corn may be popped over a gas or coal fire without danger of the flame coming in direct contact with the grain and scorching or otherwise burning the same.

A` further object of the invention is to provide a corn pepper including a vessel having a lid or cover provided with a depending agitator, the lower end of which bears against the bottom of the vessel so that when the cover is rotated, the corn will be thoroughly stirred to eect the popping thereof.

A further object is to extend one end of the metal forming the agitator through the top of the cover to permit the attachment of a finger piece or knob for rotating said cover.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efficiency, as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of i the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and aocompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corn popper constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 8-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the cover remo ved, showing the construction of the agitator.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 7, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 612,832.

The improved corn pepper forming the subject matter of the present invention comprises a vessel or container 5, preferably cylindrical in shape, as shown, and formed of metal or other suitable material, said vessel beingprovided with a handle 6 extending laterally from the exterior wall thereof and preferably riveted or otherwise rigidly secured thereto at a point below the top of the vessel.

Mounted for rotation on the top of the vessel 5, is a lid or cover 7 having a depending flange 8 which projects within the vessel 5 and a laterally extending circumferential Flange 9 which extends over the upper edge of said vessel.

Depending from the cover 6, is an agitator 10, preferably formed of a single length of wire having its intermediate portion bent upon itself to form a horizontal bar 11 adapted to bear against the bottom of the vessel 5 and its opposite ends extended upwardly and flattened for contact with the inner face of the depending ange 8, and to which the wire is rigidly secured by rivets, solder or the like. One end of the wire forming the agitator, is extended upwardly through an opening in the cover 7, to form a support 12 for a finger piece or knob 13, by means of which the cover may be conveniently rotated so as to cause the agitator to thoroughly stir the grain within the containing vessel. The knob 13 may be secured in any suitable manner to the pin or support 12, but it is preferred to permanently secure said knob to the pin or support by solder or the like.

It will here be noted that the agitator 10 is in the form of a U-shaped yoke, the height of which is slightly greater than the height of the vessel 5, so that when the agitator is positioned within the vessel with the hori- Zontal bar 11 bearing against the bottom of said vessel, the laterally extending flange 9 of the cover will be spaced slightly from the upper edge of the vessel 5 so as to permit free rotation of said cover without undue friction between the parts. In other words, the horizontal bar 11, by contact with the bottom of the vessel 5, forms in effect a bearing for the cover, while at the same time serves to thoroughly agitate the corn to effect the popping thereof.

In using the device, the grains of corn are introduced within the vessel 5 and the latter placed over a gas or coal fire until the grains becoine thoroughly heated, after which the finger piece or knob 13 is grasped in the hand and the cover 7 rotated so as to cause the horizontal bar of the agitator to travel over the bottom of the vessel 5 and thoroughly stir kthe corn during the popping thereof and prevent the latter from scorching or otherwise burning. By such a construction, the llame is prevented from coming in direct contact with the corn, thus producing a clean white product. The metal forming the side walls of the vessel 5 is preferably st-amped or rolled to produce a circumferential reinforcing bead let having one or more perforations l5 formed therein to permit the escape of air through the vessel during the popping operation. If desired, a small quantity of grease or lard may be placed in the vessel 5 before starting to pop the corn, and in some cases sugar may also be added to sweeten said corn.

It will here be noted that the attaching flange of the handle 6 is secured to the vessel 5 at the reinforcing flange 15 thereof so as to prevent buckling or bending of the walls of the vessel.

It will be noted that by securing the agitator 10 directly to the cover 7, when the latter is removed from the vessel 5, the agitator is also Withdrawn, thus exposing the entire contents of said vessel and permitting the corn to be readily removed.

The corn poppers may be made in different sizes and shapes and provided with any number of depending agitators, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A corn popper including a vessel having a closed bottom and open top, a cover mounted for rotation on the vessel and having a laterally extending flange projecting over the top of said vessel, and an agitator rigidly secured to the cover and having its lower end normally resting on the bottom of the vessel, thus to space the flange of said cover from the upper edge of the vessel.

2. A corn popper including a vessel having a closed bottom and open top, a cover mounted for rotation on the vessel above the y upper edge thereof, a substantially U-shaped agitator rigidly secured to the cover and normally bearing against the bottom of said vessel, one end of the agitator being extended through the cover to form a supporting pin, and a finger piece mounted on said supporting pin for rotating the cover.

3. A corn popper including a vessel having a closed bottom and open top, a cover mounted for rotation on the vessel above the upper edge thereof and provided with a depending flange extending within said vessel and a horizontal flange project-ing over the upper edge of the vessel, a substantially U-shaped agitator carried by the cover and formed of a single length of wire having its intermediate portion bentI to form a transverse bar normally bearing against the bottom of the vessel and its opposite end extended upwardly in contact wit-h and secured to the inner face of the depending flange, one end of the wire being extended upwardly through said cover to form a support, and a finger piece secured to said support for rotating the cover. Y

4. A corn popper including a cylindrical vessel having an open top and closed bottom, a cover mounted for rotation on the vessel and provided with a depending flange litting within said vessel and a laterally eX- tending flange projecting over the upper edge of the vessel, and a substantially U- shaped agitator carried by t-he cover and formed of a single piece of metal having its intermediate portion bent to produce a horizontally disposed bar normally resting on the bottom of the vessel and its opposite ends extended upwardly in contact with and MERRIEL A. FREEMAN. [Ls] lVitnesses:

FRED. N. MIESEL, MILTON L. JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner Aof Patents. Washington, D. C.

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