US2558442A - Salt shaker with guided filling and intercepting baffle - Google Patents

Description

June 26, 1951 1A, S 2,558,442

SALT SHAKER WITH GUIDED FILLING AND INTERCEPTING BAFFLE Filed Feb. 18, 1947 m Q T AKAslN Patented June 26, 1951 SALT SHAKER WITH GUIDED FILLING AND INTERCEPTING BAFFLE Vincent A. Kasin,Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 18, 1947, Serial No. 729,338

2 Claims. (01. 22a-19a2) This invention is a salt shaker with guided filling and intercepting baflie and embodies improve ments over my previous Patent No. 2,205,040.

In the present invention I retain agitating means in the cap but the cap is fixedly secured to the shaker body and access gained to the shaker through its base. An object of importance in this invention is to provide a base of funnel-like construction through which the shaker may be filled and then sealed.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a shaker entity which includes a top and base, the top being provided with a dispensing opening in which an agitator operates and the bottorn provided with a fill opening in which a closure is mounted, the agitator including a baiile plate and also a valve which is manually moveable over the opening in the cap, when the shaker is inverted, to close the dispensing opening; to provide a closure sealing the opening in the base to prevent discharge of the salt when the shaker is in use; to provide a transparent non-shatterable body with which the top and bottom are fixedly secured, the body being constricted toward its base to induce salt flow from the wall of the body to a truncated cone portion of the base; and to provide a closure with a wear take up replaceable washer which positively seals the fill opening of the base. 7

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a salt shaker constructed in accordance with the pres ent invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing to advantage the agitator cover plate of the agitator;

Figure 4 is a horizohtal sectional view taken on line Ii4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing to advantage the closure in the base of the shaker when the closure is in a locked position;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view similar to Figure l showing the closure in dotted lines with arrows to indicate the direction of movement of the closure when operated into a locked position;

Figure 6 is a detail fragmentary sectional view of the base of the shaker with the closure removed, showing the contour of the upper mar gin of the truncated cone over which the cross bar of the closure is movable; and

Figure '7 is a side elevational view of the closure.

The device of the present invention consists of a transparent non-shatterable body 8 which tapers and is constricted toward its lower end. The upper end of the body is externally :rabbeted as indicated at 8' to provide a circumferential recess.

The lower end of the body 8 is adapted for engagement with a base 9 preferably made of a plastic material, the base including a supporting annulus ll! which issues into a concentric truncated cone shaped portion II, the top of which is recessed. The portion H serves as a funnel to facilitate filling of the shaker. The marginal edge of the portion H is sinuous, as indicated at l2 and is equipped with parallel abutment lugs l3.

For the purpose of closing the opening in the truncated cone H of the base, I provide closure means generally designated M which comprises a key l5, flange I6, and cross bar IT. The key 15 provides a finger piece for manipulating the closure. The flange l6 forms a seat for a flexible removable washer I8 while cross bar I l is adapted to ride over the sinuous margin l2 on the top of the truncated cone H. In order to permit free passage of the cross bar I! through the opening of the cone portion ll of the base and into engagement with the surfaces I2, the opening in the top of the cone is provided with opposed rectangular recesses l9. As shown to advantage in Figure 5, when the closure 14 is to be engaged with the base, the cross bar I! is urged upwardly through the recess [9, following which the key [5 is rotated by the fingers, causing the cross bar to follow the path of the arrows shown in Figure 5. This movement urges the washer it into air-tight engagement with the sloping walls of the cone shaped portion II of the base, as shown advantageously in Figure 2. This not only prevents the contents of the shaker from being casually displaced, but in addition, seals the shaker against egress of flavor and absorption of moisture etc. through the shaker base.

The recess at the upper end of the body 8 is engaged by a top 20 preferably made of plastic material and also preferably of a semi-ovoid construction. The apex of the top 20 has a dispensing opening 2| formed therein through which salt, pepper etc. is'adapted to be dispensed when the shaker is turned to an inverted position.

In order to control the Volume of salt passing from the shaker through the opening 2| and also to stir the salt and prevent it from solidifying or caking in the top, I provide an agitator. The agitator includes a rigid shaft 22 which operates axially through the opening 21 carrying on its inner end an imperforate baffle plate 23 with radially extending fingers 24. The fingers 24 limit restriction of flow of salt or pepper, also retard flooding around opening 21. The upper end of the shaft 22 carries a spherical valve member 25 which is of a diameter in excess of the circumference of the opening 2| and is adapted to close the latter thereby sealing off moisture absorption and flavor escape when the shaker is in an upright position. When in an upright position, the bafile plate 23 acts as a Weight to aid seating of the spherical valve 25.

In use of this invention, the shaker is filled by first inverting the shaker with the finger held over valve members 25. Salt is then poured into the funnel formed by the truncated cone shaped portion l l of the base 9 through the opening in the top of the cone member. During the fill operation, regardless of whether or not the valve member 25 is held in engagement over the opening 2|, salt is prevented from passing through the latter because the baffle plate 23 is in axial alignment with the fill opening of the funnel-shaped base H which causes the salt to be intercepted by the baflle plate 23. When a predetermined amount of salt is deposited in the shaker the closure id is then engaged with the base in a manner described supra. The shaker may then be set in an upright position which causes the agitator 22 to gravitate downwarclly into the position shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. When the contents of the shaker is to be dispensed, the shaker is operated in a manner well known in the art, while held in an inverted or partially inverted position. While the shaking operation is in progress, the bafiie plate 23 intermittently moves toward and away from the opening 21, permitting a more or less controlled volume of salt to pass through the opening 2| around the periphery of the shaft 22.

The base 9 and top 20 are adapted to be fixedly secured to the body 8 in any suitable manner and like the body 8, are made of a non-shatterable material.

invention is susceptible of use with other condi- Number ments and other materials, within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. A salt shaker comprising a body, top and base, the top being provided with a dispensing opening, an agitator comprising a valve, imperforate baflle plate and rigid shaft, the latter being movably mounted in the dispensing opening, the valve portion of the agitator being on the outer terminal of the shaft and the plate portion of the agitator being on the inner terminal of the shaft, said base being funnel shape and provided With a fill opening in axial alignment with the baffle plate whereby salt poured through the fill opening is intercepted by the plate, and a closure engaged over said fill opening.

2. A salt shaker comprising a body, top and base, the top being provided with a dispensing opening, a shaft movably mounted in said opening, a, valve mounted on the outer end of the shaft for engagement with the dispensing opening, a baffle plate mounted on the inner end of the shaft, said base being funnel shape and provided with a fill opening in axial alignment with the bafiie plate whereby salt poured through the fill opening is intercepted by the plate, and a closure, part of which is engageable through the fill opening and with the base inside the shaker body, a further part of the closure being engaged with the funnel shaped part of the base outside the shaker.

VINCENT A. KASIN.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED' STATES PATENTS Name Date Collins -1--- Dec. 5, Dart Nov. 20, Vester June 5, Conger Sept. 21, Long Nov. 23, Cornell Dec. 12, Bennett May 28, Nierodka Dec. 30, Sprinkle June 15, Daniel Jan. 29, Shotnik Dec. 31, Reiner Jan. 7, 1930 Hollander Jan. 14, 1930 Gessler Sept. 3, 1935 Kasin June 18, 1940 Munroe Feb. 3, 1942.

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1- Nov. 19, 1903 Number

Images