Sifter scale attachment for stand mixer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11730319-B2
Application number	US-202217705606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2022
Priority date	Feb 8, 2018
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A food-product handling device includes a sifter unit having a housing defining an open upper side, a mount extending outwardly from the first housing along a first axis, and a lower side opposite the upper side. The sifter unit further has a sifter basket having an interior aligned with and inset within the open upper side. The device further includes a scale assembly having a body defining an upper opening and an opposite lower opening and having an annular weight-sensing unit surrounding the upper opening. The body is positionable on the housing of the sifter unit with the opening in communication with the open upper side of the housing. A hopper is positionable on the weight-sensing unit and defines a lower open end at least partially received within the body when the hopper is positioned on the weight-sensing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A food-product handling device, comprising:
a housing defining an open upper side, a mount extending outwardly from a first housing along a first axis, and a lower side opposite the open upper side;
a sifter basket having an interior aligned with and inset within the open upper side;
at least one weight sensor operably supported on the housing over the open upper side of the housing; and
a hopper defining a lower open end mountable over the housing with at least a portion of the lower open end bearing on the at least one weight sensor and with the lower open end in communication with the open upper side of the housing.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the hopper includes a butterfly valve rotatably mounted within the lower open end to selectively open and close the lower open end.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the mount is configured to couple the device to a motor-driven mixing device and support the device on the motor-driven mixing device.

4. The device of claim 1 , further including a sweeper crank unit mounted within the housing, having an arm generally following a contour of a cross-section of the sifter basket and being rotationally coupled with a fitting extending from the mount of the housing, the fitting being configured for coupling with a drive port of the motor-driven mixing device for the device to drive rotation of the arm.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the housing encloses a clutch mechanism disposed between the fitting and the arm.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the sweeper crank unit further includes a cam mechanism including a cam rotationally driven by the fitting and operatively engaged with an input element to translate continuous rotation of the cam into oscillating rotation of the arm.

7. The device of claim 1 , further including a chute extending from the lower side of the housing, the chute defining a conduit from an interior of the housing below the sifter basket to a location external to the housing.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the weight sensor is included in a scale assembly including a body defining an upper opening and an opposite lower opening and having the weight sensor mounted on a periphery of the upper opening, the body being positionable on the housing with the upper opening in communication with the open upper side of the housing; and
the scale assembly is removable from the body and is configured for resting on a flat surface, the device further including a plate positionable over the upper opening of the body in place of the hopper and bearing on the at least one weight sensor.

9. A food-product handling device, comprising:
a housing defining an open upper side, a mount extending outwardly from the housing along a first axis, and a lower side opposite the upper side;
at least one weight sensor operably supported on the housing over the upper side of the housing;
a hopper defining a lower open end mountable over the housing with at least a portion of the lower open end bearing on the at least one weight sensor and with the lower open end in communication with the open upper side of the housing; and
a chute extending from the lower side of the housing, the chute defining a conduit from an interior of the housing to a location external to the housing.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the hopper includes a butterfly valve rotatably mounted within the lower open end to selectively close the lower open end to retain products within the hopper for determining a weight thereof by way of the weight sensor.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the chute is coupled with the housing by a conical mounting unit pivotably disposed within the housing beneath the sifter basket.

12. The device of claim 9 , wherein the chute further includes a body rotatably coupled with the mounting unit in a plane perpendicular to a plane of rotation of the mounting unit.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein the chute includes a body defining a first portion of the conduit and an extension portion slidably coupled with the body and defining a second portion of the conduit that varies in a length thereof within sliding of the extension portion relative to the body.

14. The device of claim 9 , wherein the mount is configured to support the device with respect to a motor driven device.

15. The device of claim 14 , further including:
a sifter basket having an interior aligned with and inset within the open upper side of the housing, the lower end of the hopper being in communication with the interior of the sifter basket; and
a sweeper crank unit mounted within the housing, having a first arm generally following a contour of a cross-section of the sifter basket and being rotationally coupled with a fitting extending from the mount of the housing;
wherein the fitting is configured for coupling with a drive port of the motor driven device for the device to drive rotation of the first arm.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the sweeper crank unit further has a second arm coupled with the first arm at the fitting, the first and second arms extending angularly away from each other away from the fitting.

17. A food product handling device, comprising:
a sifter-unit housing defining an open upper side, a lower side opposite the upper side, and a mount extending outwardly from the first housing along a first axis, the mount being configured to couple the device to a motor-driven mixing device and support the device on the motor-driven mixing device;
a sifter basket having an interior aligned with and inset within the open upper side; and
a sweeper crank unit mounted within the housing, having a first arm and a second arm, each generally following a contour of a cross-section of the sifter basket and being rotationally coupled with a fitting extending from the mount of the housing, the second arm being coupled with the first arm at the fitting, and the first and second arms extending angularly away from each other away from the fitting such that the sweeper crank unit traverses the sifter basket fully by way of an oscillatory movement of the sweeper crank, with each of the first arm and second arm traversing a portion of the sifter basket that is less than an entirety thereof with a single oscillation of the oscillatory movement.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein:
the fitting is configured for coupling with a drive port of the motor-driven mixing device for the device to drive rotation of the sweeper crank unit; and
the sifter-unit housing includes a cam mechanism configured to convert rotation of the fitting to the oscillatory movement of the sweeper crank.

19. The device of claim 17 , wherein the sifter-unit housing further defines a lower open end, the device further comprising:
a chute extending from the lower open end of the sifter-unit housing, the chute defining a conduit from an interior of the housing below the sifter basket to a location external to the sifter-unit housing.

20. The device of claim 17 , wherein the portion of the sifter basket respectively traversed by each arm of the sweeper crank unit is less than the entirety of the sifter basket by angle of between about 10° and 45°.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Devito Lucas
• Lund Peter
• Schutte Nicholas
• Snyder Joseph

Classifications

• A47J43/22 Primary

  Kitchen sifters · CPC title

• A47J43/06

  with a plurality of interchangeable working units {, e.g. with a single driving-unit} · CPC title

• A47J43/07

  Parts or details, e.g. mixing tools, whipping tools · CPC title

• A47J43/0705

  for machines with tools driven from the upper side (A47J43/0727 - A47J43/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• B07B1/06

  Cone or disc shaped screens · CPC title