US1802923A - Flour sifter - Google Patents

Description

T. G.'MELISH April 28, 1931.

FLOUR S IFTER Filed July 5, 1930 Patented Apr. 28, 1931 THOMAS G. MELISI-I, OF GIN GINNATI, OHIO FLOUR.

Application filed July 3,

This invention relates to a type of sitter designed especially tor household use, to be used in the sitting of such products as flour and the like.

An object of this invention is to produce such a sitter as Will bring about a sitting operation in which the resultant sitted product is of greater purity than is produced from other sitters ot this general type, in which my improved construction has resulted in a sitter 0t materially improved and simplified operation permitting of its use by one hand without separate manipulation ot the fingers thereof to sitt the flour while simultaneously holding the sitter, and in which an improvement consists in the elimination of pockets and openings within which flour may accumulate and become stale or through which flour may leak and become spilled or wasted, as well as to produce a sitter in Which all possible clogging of the mechanism thereot is prevented.

These and other objects are described in the tollowing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a sitter embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereot, taken on the line 2-2 ot Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged tragmental sectional view tor the purpose of disclosing details ot my improved construction, the enlargement being that of the lower right hand portion of the sitter as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a tragmental perspective view upon a somewhat enlarged scale, showing a detail 0t my improved sitter, being a portion of the lower left hand part of the sitter to disclose the mounting ot one ot the agitator elements thereot.

My improved sitter consists ot a tubular body or shell 5 which is open at both ends, the lower end being intercepted with an upper sitter screen 6 and a lower sitter screen 7. An annular inwardly extending shoulder 8 provides support tor the metal-bound edge 9 ot the lower screen 7. Between screen 6 and screen 7 is a secondary or spacer shell 10 which forms an inner collar upon the upper edge 0t which the metal-bound rim 11 ot SIF'I'ER 1930. Serial No. 465,608.

upper screen 6 rests. In order that flour or other products to be passed through the screens, may be caused to do so, I have provided the respective agitators 12 and 13 on the screens 6 and 7. Each of these agitators is preferably made of wire and is bent to the substantially elliptical shape shown in Fig. 1, with a middle finger 14 provided to increase the efliciency ot the sitter operation. The curved sides 15 and 16 of the agitator on each screen, are curved tothe radius of the lnner curvature of the sitter body so that when the agitators are moved across the screen from side to side, as suggested in dotted lines in Fig. 1, no portion of the screen will be omitted in the sitting operation. In order that this side to side motion of the agitators may be accomplished, I have mounted them pivotally in the shell, as follows:

Agitator 6 is provided with an upturned shank or shatt 17 which is at right angles to the agitator and lies against the side of the sitter shell so that it is held against this side by bearing lugs 18 and 19 located respectively at substantial top and bottom positions by being tastened to the shell as suggested in Fig. 2. The upper end of shank 17 is turned outwardly to term an extension 20 at right angles to shank 17 and thence downwardly to form a handle-bearing portion 21 upon which the handle 22 is mounted tor rigid attachment thereto as shown by the embedded dotted line positions in Fig. 2. At the lower end ot portion 21 an extension 23, corresponding to extension 20, terminates in a short shank, shatt or ofi'set'2 i turned downwardly and trom which at right. angles the lower agitator 13 extends to lie parallel to and to operate over screen 7. Lower shank or shaft 24 is positioned to lie back of spacer shell 10 so that it occupies the annular space 25 provided between this shell and the body shell, thereby afiording a bearing tor the shatt. In this manner the lower agitator is kept in position with shatt 24 held against the inner wall of the body shell, as particularly shown in Fig. 4, and side to side move ment of the lower agitator is obtained by rocking extension 23 in the mounting hole which it occupies in the body shell.

It is quite obvious that operation of the rigidly connected with said arms, whereby sifter is very simple in that it is but necesthe Sifter may be lifted and the agitators sary to grasp the handle 22 and to shake the caused to function relatively to the screens. sifter from side to side so that the body will In testimony whereof I hereunto ZlfilX my pivot on the shafts 17 and 2% and thereby signature. 70 cause relative movement of the agitators 12 THOMAS G. MELISH. and 13 in association with the screens 6 and It is at this point that the function of z. the secondary shell 10 becomes apparent. 10 Were it not for the fact that this shell is so 7 shaped as to direct all the flour from screen 6 onto the meshed portion of screen 7, an accumulation of flour would form in and about the space, pocket or annular groove 5 between metalbound edge 9 and the inner 80 wall of body shell 5. Because of the inaccessibility of this space between the two screens, whereby thorough cleanin could readily be accomplished, such an accumulation of sifted 2o material would result in an unsanitary con- 7 =35 dition and be likely to cause stale or mouldy flour to become loosened therefrom and drop into the sifted batch. lhe secondary shell 10 prevents this by keeping all flour away from this pocket and directing it onto and I '30 through screen 7. Thus, the shell 10 per forms triple function inthat it maintains the spaced relation of screens 6 and 7, as well as operatesto retain shaft 24: against the inner wall of shell 5, and also serves to 415 prevent the accumulation and formation of a stale, moldy and unsanitary deposit of sifted material in and about the rim of the screen and body shell. Having thus described my invention, what 100 I claim is:

1. In combination in a sifter, a body shell open at both ends, screens across the shell adjacent to one end, a secondary shell within the body shell, spaced therefrom and spacing 2105 the screens apart, an agitator on each screen, a shaft on each agitator at a right angle to the plane of the agitator and cooperating screen, said shafts occupying and adapted to reciprocate in the same axial position, a bearing in the body shell above the screens, said bearing mounting one of the shafts, a bearing in the body shell between the screens, said second mentioned bearing mounting the other 50 of the shafts between the shells, arms from 11-15 the shafts extending from the body shell, and a handle mounted by the arms for lifting the sifter and moving the agitators relatively to the screens.

2. A sifter comprising a body shell, screens across the shell at one end, a secondary shell within the body shell and spacing the screens apart, an agitator on each screen, bearings in the body shell and pivoting the agitators therein, the bearing for one agitator being located above the screens, the bearing for the other agitator being located between the screens to pivot it back of the secondary shell, arms extending from the agitators to a posi- 55 tion beyond the body shell, and a handle

Images