US2794335A - Spoon provided with means for discharge of material - Google Patents

Description

June 4, 1957 v c. H. WEEMS 2,794,335

SPOON PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR DISCHARGE OF MATERIAL Filed April 25, 1956 ATTORNEYS,

United States Patent SPOON PROVIDED wrrn MEANS FOR DISCHARGE or MATERIAL Charles H. Weems, Trumbull, Corn. Application April 23, 1956, Serial No. 579,830 Claims. (CI. 65-12) This invention relates to a spoon provided with means for discharging the material fiom the spoon, and has for an object to provide a device of this character with improved means for removing the material from the spoon at the position of use, and particularly to provide a novel and simple construction of a device of this character which may be held in one hand and by a simple continuous operation may be operated to remove the material from the bowl of the spoon and then scrape the material from the discharge means to free it from the device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a side view;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section substantially on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the pivot means, and

Fig. 6 is an end view thereof.

The device is designed primarily for dipping up a certain amount of shortening or similar materials, or semiliquids and like materials, such, for example, as butter, lard and similar grease-like materials which are diflicult to remove from the ordinary spoon without the use of an additional element. 7

It comprises an elongated body member 10 which may be made of sheet metal, sheet plastic, or any other suitable material, provided with a bowl section 11 at one end forming a receptacle to receive the material, and a finger grip 12 at the other end. Along its opposite side edges are upright flanges 13 which at the bowl or receiving end 11 are plain upright flanges at substantially right angles to the base portion of the bowl, but at the remaining portion of the body the flanges include inwardly extending overhanging portions 14 over and spaced above the bottom wall 15 to form a guide means for a pivot mounting for an operating lever member 16. This member may also be formed of sheet metal, sheet plastic or similar material, and comprises a body portion 17, an upright forward end portion 18, and an upright finger grip 19 at its opposite end. Intermediate the body portion 17 and the grip 19 it is provided at its opposite side edges with pivot lugs 20 which may be formed by lugs extending from the edges of the member and curved into loops as shown in Fig. 6. These pivot lugs are located under the overhanging portion 14 of the side flanges and between these overhanging portions and the bottom wall 15, as shown in Fig. 4, so that they pivotally connect the lever member 16 to the body member 10 and permit both pivotal and swinging movement of this member 16 about these lugs as pivots, and also permit longitudinal sliding 2,194,335 Patented June 4, 1957 Ice movement of this member on the top of the body member 10.

The forward upright wall 18, which as will presently be described, forms a pushing means for pushing the semi-liquid or grease-like material from the bowl 11, is preferably curved or formed on the arc of a circle with the pivot lugs 20 as the center and depends from the forward end of the body portion 17 of the lever so that its lower free edge 21 normally rests on the bottom wall of the bowl 11 when this lever member is in the retracted position of Figs. 1 and 2. The body portion of this member may be strengthened or stiffened by upwardly extending longitudinal ribs or beads 22 pressed upwardly from the body portion 17, and also laterally spaced to provide means for preventing slipping of the thumb or finger of the operator from this member during operation, as will later be described. It may also be further stiffened between the body portion and the finger grip 19 by a similar transverse bead or rib 23. At its forward end, or the discharge end of the bowl portion 11, the body member 10 is provided with a narrow transverse slot 24 closely adjacent the free end or discharge end of the bowl, thus providing a narrow bar 25 which forms a scraper means at the discharge end of the'bowl. The slot 24 is sufficiently wider than the thickness of the curved upright wall portion 13 of the operating lever member 16 to permit free movement of the wall 18 through the slot.

In operation, the lever member 16 is moved to its retracted position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This may be done by gripping the rear portion of the body member in one hand with the fingers passing under this body and the thumb resting on the inclined portion 17 of the lever member 16, and between the stiflening beads or ribs 22, which help to retain the thumb in proper position on this member. Then the bowl portion 11 may be filled with the material such, for example, as butter or lard or similar grease-like or shortening material indicated by the broken line 26, by dipping the forward end of the bowl into this material. Then the operator by pushing forwardly on the inclined portion 17 will cause the lower edge 21 of the upright wall 18 to slide along the bottom wall of the bowl portion 11, pushing the material 26 to the free or discharge end of the bowl over the slot 24 and bar 25. As the lower edge 21 of the upright wall 18 reaches the forward end of the bowl and a position over the slot 24, pressure of the thumb on the portion 17 will swing this member downwardly about its pivots 20, passing the forward wall 18 downwardly through the slot 24, as shown in Fig. 3. This will cause the forward surface of the wall 18 to pass by the rear edge of the bar 25, which also is the forward edge of the slot, causing this bar to scrape or free the material 26 from the forward surface of the wall 18, as indicated in Fig. 3, thus freeing the material from the device and permitting it to drop into any location desired by the operator.

If desired, the forward ends of the overhanging portions 14 of the side flanges may be bent downwardly, as indicated at 27, to form a stop means for the pivot lugs 20 as the material removing member 16 reaches its forward position with the lower edge of the upright forward wall 18 over and in alignment with the slot 24 to prevent this member being carried beyond the slot by too rapid movement of the lever 16, and insures that the member 18 passes down through the slot 24 to properly remove the material from its forward surface instead of passing over the slot.

On reverse movement of the member 16 to shift it from its forward position, Fig. 3, to its retracted position of Figs. 1 and 2, all the operator has to do is to shift his thumb from the body portion 17 to the finger grip tions of advancing the member 16 to remove the material 26 from the bowland scrape it from the forward surface of the front wall 18 are performed in a single continuous operation by mere pressure of the thumb on the inclined wall 17 forwardly. This shifts the member 16 forwardly and the pressure on this member also forces the wall 18 downwardly into the slot 24 as soon as it reaches this slot. 0n the reverse movement, pressure downwardly and to the rear, or the right as viewed in the drawings, on the finger grip 19 will first swing the member 16-about its pivots to raise the front wall 18 and free it from the slot 24, and then in the same continuous operation to shift the member 16 to the retracted position of Figs. 1 and 2, and prepare it for use in dipping up another portion of the grease-like material. The side walls of the flanges 13 at the sides of the bowl 11 may be calibrated, as indicated at 28, to give an indication of the amount of material in the bowl, as a onehalf or other portion of a spoon, for example.

It will also be seen that the device is of very simple construction, involving only the two members, the body member 1% and the material removing or clearing member 16, and thus may be manufactured at low cost.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, 1,

claim:

1. In a spoon of the character described an elongated body member having a bowl to receive material at one end, means for discharge of material from the bowl comprising a lever member pivotally mounted on top of the body member, means connecting the lever to the body for sliding movement thereon toward and from the bowl end, said lever provided with an upright wall at itsv forward end adapted to push the material from the bowl as the lever is shifted forwardly, and scraper means at the discharge end of the bowl over which said upright wall may pass by pivotal movement of the lever to remove the material from this wall.

2. In :a spoon of the character described an elongated body member provided with upright flanges along its opposite side edges forming a bowl at one end to receive material, means for discharging the material from the bowl comprising a lever member mounted on the top of the body member and including an upright front wall with its lower edge movable along the bowl to discharge the material therefrom, scraper means at the discharge end of the bowl, pivot lugs on opposite sides of the lever, and the top edges of the side flanges overhanging said lugs to secure the lever member to the body member for longitudinal sliding and pivotal movement thereon to first slide said upright wall forwardlvto remove the material from the bowl and then permit pivotal movement of the lever to pass said wall. over. the scraper means'to' remove the material from said wall.

3. In a spoon of the character described an elongated body member having a bowl at one end to receive material and a transverse slot closely adjacent the discharge end of the bowl, said body member provided with longitudinal flanges along its opposite side edges forming the sides of the bowl, a lever member on the top of the body member, cooperating means on the lever and said flangesmounting the lever for longitudinal sliding and pivotal movements 011 the body member, said lever provided with an upright wall at its forward end for movement along the bowl to push the material therefrom and then pass through the slot to remove the material from said wall, and a finger grip on the lever for first removing said upright wallfrom the slot and then shifting the lever member to a retracted position on the body memher.

4. In a spoon of the character described an elongated body member having a material receiving bow'l at one end and a scraper means atthe discharge side of the bowl, a discharge means for the material comprising a lever member pivotally rand slidably mounted on top of the body member, said lever including an upright front wall movable over the bowlto remove the material therefrom by sliding movement of the lever on the body and then move past the scraper means by pivotal movement of the lever, and said lever including a finger grip to impart thereto the sliding and pivotal movements.

5. In a spoon of the character described, a body member provided with a material receiving bowl at one end and disehargeable at said end, scraper means at said discharge end, a discharge lever mounted for sliding and pivotal movement on said body provided with an upright wall movable over the bowl to push the material there'- from and past the scraper means to remove the material from said wall, and said lever provided with a finger grip to impart sliding and pivotal movements in succes-' sion to the lever to first remove the material'from the bowl and then remove itv from said wall.

N 0 references cited.

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